Many small businesses pay PR professionals a fortune to write their marketing material when with a bit of ‘know how’ they could do it themselves. This practical book takes a commonsense approach to marketing and looks at how to write specific marketing tools, such as press releases, websites, e-newsletters, direct mail, brochures and advertisements.
An experienced writer and trainer, Mary wrote Promote Your Business because she needed such a book herself. When she moved countries a few years ago she could no longer rely on word-of-mouth referrals. For the first time in her career, she needed to learn how to market herself and writing the book helped develop her own marketing skills.
Mary uses the tips she’s learned to help other small businesses. She also writes for corporations, government departments and not-for-profit organizations and runs public and in-house writing courses in Australia and New Zealand. She publishes a free monthly e-newsletter, Factorial, which is all about words.
Reviews of Promote Your Business
'I recommend this book as an excellent, concise, easy-to-read summary of what you need to do, and how, to market yourself and your business. Mary's use of three example companies throughout the book is a great aid to understanding the concepts she describes, by seeing how they can be put into practice. For me, the book was a good refresher course on techniques that I knew about in the abstract but had never really put into practice. I was motivated to start immediately on improving—and implementing—my marketing plan.'
Jean Weber, Technical Publishing Services
'I have recently purchased Mary’s book, Promote Your Business. An easy to read text covering the many aspects of successfully promoting a business—it is well worth the buy.'
Annie McGeachie, Ravenswood School for Girls
'Promote Your Business is a terrific book that is both practical and inspiring. It is grounded in common sense and offers plenty of examples to help guide you through almost every marketing scenario. And yet it is much more than just a 'how-to' book. The author clearly cares about her subject and encourages you to think about your business from the inside out. A challenging and refreshingly well written book that leaves other books in this market looking formulaic and stale. I highly recommend it.'
Georgie Vestey, Sydney Talks
'Mary Morel's Promote Your Business book has lots of great ideas for small business owners having a problem with marketing their business. It has helpful hints on how to write effective letters to attract customers and also shows you how to plan your marketing before you get started.'
Serpil Acisulu, Shuttle Bus Services
What people are saying about The M Factor courses
'My position at Guide Dogs calls for creativity on a number of levels and Mary’s courses, and comprehensive, easy-to-use manuals, have helped me to fine-tune my skills. I have attended three one-day sessions at The M Factor—media release writing, e-newsletter writing and writing for the web—and would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to learn about professional writing.'
Judith Cantor, Production Co-ordinator—Graphics, Guide Dog Association
'I found that the course size meant that people could freely exchange ideas and discuss the topics in detail, making the content far more relevant to real-life situations. I have come out of the courses with lots of ideas on how to improve both my own work, and existing material in use at work.'
Karen Morris, Marketing Assistant, Thomson Lawpoint
'Before participating in Mary’s How to write a press release workshop my press releases were receiving little attention. The day after completing the workshop I circulated a release that resulted in fantastic interviews and coverage. Mary’s teaching style is concise, informative and very entertaining—I can’t wait to attend my next M Factor workshop!'
Jennifer Cowland, Marketing, Promotions and Media Manager, Enough Is Enough, Anti-Violence Movement Inc.
'Worthwhile and practical, Mary's Writing for the web short course made me think! I have already adjusted my new company website as a result. The classes provided an interactive environment with a wealth of experience from Mary and fellow students.'
Caroline Richard, Marketing Communications Co-ordinator, Halifax Vogel Group
'Mary not only taught me how to manage and distribute effective e-newsletters, she made me think strategically when it came to planning my writing which has enabled me to write e-newsletters that people look forward to receiving, not deleting.'
Sue Sutherland, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
'It was perfect timing that Mary’s M Factor course, Writing for the Web, came to my attention around the same time a commitment was made to redesign our website. I was confident about writing for print media, however, knew little about the skills necessary to write for success on the web. The information and guidance delivered by Mary and her guest speaker was invaluable, reaching far beyond merely how to write for the web. During the day-long course I enjoyed the opportunity to network and share with others from a variety of industries. '
Annie McGeachie, Ravenswood School for Girls
'Having just started my own business I knew I needed help with the writing of my website and an e-newsletter for my clients. Mary was a godsend. I found her classes to be intimate, fun, informative and beneficial. I now know how to accomplish these tasks and have the bonus of gaining new friends. What more could you ask for!'
Virginia Haddon, Frontier Travel Company
