Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Strategy and marketing in small markets?

On the internet there are many ideas for small businesses and for big businesses.
But few ideas deal specifically with marketing and strategy challenges in small markets such as Curacao and the Caribbean.
That, while we know that, because of consumer demands and expectations, the future lies in “niche markets” and even “localized” strategy (adapted to preferences of specific cities, neighborhoods, etc.). In our small markets we may easily literally end up with a “market of one”.
How can we overcome these challenges? How can we use and adapt existing tools for our small markets to make it worth our while?

These are the issues I wish to discuss in this blog. It is a thought that I am developing, hopefully assisted by your comments. So, not all posts deal with small markets.

How do you use the Internet?

Last semester I taught a marketing course at Curises. That was one of the issues that encouraged me to start exploring the possibilities of the Internet again. The last time I was really involved with Internet opportunities was in 2000, just before the bust.
What amazes me is how the Internet has evolved, how users and providers have found so many ways to use the technology. I counted 24 "basic" things.
What I would really like to know is what my colleagues, friends and business relations, use the internet for and how much.

Please visit http://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/87513/InternetUsage.htm and fill out the short questionnaire before February 15th. I will post the results as soon as available.
If you have usage alternatives I have missed, please let me know
.