Robert Grede wrote this useful marketing guide in 1997.

Highlights:

What is marketing?
" the purpose of marketing is to satisfy needs and wants."

Knowing your market (use inexpensive research to know who your customers are and what they want)
- primary vs. secondary research
- advertising research

How to develop a marketing plan (the basics of your strategic marketing plan)
- the four P's (promotion, place, promotion, price)
- outline of a marketing plan

How to establish an image for your firm (decide who you are and project that image to the public)
- Q, S & P (quality, service and price), and the tradeoffs between the three (in other words, you can offer high quality and service, but the tradeoff will be a high price as well - low quality and low service would require a low price)
- the mission statement
- promotion of a product image vs. a corporate image
- name awareness
- communicating your image to customers
- choosing an ad agency (evaluating the various functions of an agency - research, media, copywriting, production)

Generating good marketing ideas (apply your imagination to the marketing plan)
- the 'Four I's' process (information, incubation, inspiration, implementation)
- the creative process: techniques for thinking 'laterally'
- use of testimonials

Ten commandments of good copywriting
1. start with a good headline
2. make your copy interesting
3. sell the primary benefit, fast
4. sell only one thing
5. use plenty of facts
6. use testimonials
7. thou shalt not lie
8. ignore awards (concentrate on effectiveness in the marketplace, rather than peer admiration)
9. tell them where and when to buy
10. review your ad for three key elements: does it have impact? is it focused? is it honest?

Layout and design (use visual elements to maximize your advertising impact)
- illustrating your ad: rules of thumb
- laying out the copy
- using billboards

How to make the most of media (market your company or product using mass media)
- newspaper advertising
- magazines
- radio advertising
- television advertising
- cable television
- reach vs. frequency
- flighting and front loading
- multiple impressions
- the world wide web

Using publicity to stretch your marketing budget (get you name in the paper without having to pay for it)
- what should be publicized?
- choosing a public relations agency
- charitable and philanthropic activities

Introducing a new product (improve your chances for success)
- the right product
- the right timing
- the right people (i.e. ignoring the early and late adopters of a product - who will buy it anyway if it is the right product - and focus on the middle group)

Selling (coordinate personal selling as a key part of the marketing mix)
- hunting vs. farming
- suggestive selling (or 'upselling')
- maintaining a sales force
- sales letters with impact
- mailing lists
- merchandising and point-of-purchase selling

Inexpensive marketing tactics that work (a variety of simple yet effective marketing tactics designed to return the greatest profit)
- business cards
- collateral materials
- door hangers
- forms
- on-hold commercials
- customer questionnaire
- sponsor a little league team
- uniforms

Tricks of the trade show
- building your booth
- attracting customers to your booth
- some 'dos' and 'don'ts'

How to establish your marketing budget
- percent-of-sales method
- objective-task method

[From the Great Books Series. Also see The Success Manual  - Encyclopedia of Advice, which contains summaries of 100+ Most useful books.]