Start Your Own Business: Marketing a New Business

Develop a brand and positioning strategy to meet your customer needs

Understanding who will be interested in your product or service and what will motivate them to buy it is an essential part of your business plan.

On this two-week course from The Open University, you’ll start by deconstructing the product or service you intend to sell into its essential components. Based on this, you’ll then develop your unique selling proposition (USP) – a brand and positioning strategy that clearly defines your business in the minds of your target customers.

Gain practical business planning skills

You may have a very clear vision of what your product or service will look like, or you may have just scratched the surface of your idea. Wherever you are in your journey, this course will provide you with tools and techniques to ensure your business or product appeals to the right people.

Using practical examples and case studies, you’ll gain the skills to create objectives, design distribution and promotional strategies, and set the best prices for your customers. You’ll also discover how to find your competitors and what you can do to set yourself apart.

Develop the expertise to effectively leverage marketing opportunities

The course will act as a vital checklist to ensure you have considered all options in the promotion and distribution of your offer and that you have answers ready for stakeholders who ask about your product or service design.

Once your product or service is defined, you’ll focus on how to create cost effective marketing and communications that appeal to the right people, and how you can leverage marketing opportunities through your network.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the tools to create a product or service that responds to market needs and create plans to take your offer to specific customer segments.

Whether you plan to create a full-time venture or part time ‘side-hustle’ alongside a day job; you’re starting a brick-and-mortar business or an online venture; or you plan to utilise established platforms such as Etsy, Amazon and the like, this course will teach you how to get started.

It is suitable for learners at all levels, whether you haven’t ventured into self-employment and entrepreneurship before or have previously run a business and wish to refresh your skills for the current landscape.