Business Development Blueprint: Business Strategy 101

Explore the five marketing concepts—production, product, selling, marketing, and societal—and see how mass production models from Walmart and Amazon contrast with customer-centred marketing, product quality, and problem-solution messaging.

Learn how market research and analysis drive strategy, using free resources like SBA data and government statistics, plus tools such as Google Trends to gain timely market insights.

Discover real-time market research tools like Google Trends, Ubersuggest, and SpyFu to analyze industry leaders, SEO performance, and paid ads for competitive insights.

Explore how a customer behavior analyst uses qualitative and quantitative methods to map the customer journey and unlock insights.

Analyze customer behavior data, test feedback from users, and iteratively improve products and marketing using Google Analytics to optimize engagement, retention, and traffic sources.

Explore how consumer psychology shapes buying behavior through perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and thoughts. Trace recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decisions, and post-purchase evaluation.

Segment and target audiences by geographic, demographic, and psychographic traits to craft laser-focused campaigns for coffee lovers in Miami or ages 25–34, boosting response rates and return on investment.

Learn how segmentation and targeting use emotional and behavioral segmentation to tailor offers, explore mass marketing, segmented marketing, niche marketing, micro marketing, and buyer personas to guide marketing.

Map the customer journey across awareness, consideration, acquisition, service, and loyalty to align touchpoints, measure key performance indicators, and predict behavior while gathering data via forms, surveys, cookies, and analytics.

Analyze the competitive landscape to identify competitors and market trends, including seasonal patterns. Leverage these insights to reduce costs, improve customer service, and boost product development.

Explore tools and methods for competitive analysis, including swot and the five forces model, to assess market dynamics, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and branding impact.

Explore tools and methods for competitive analysis, from a six-step market research process to using se ranking's competitive analyst for identifying entry barriers and optimizing seo strategies.

Explore competitive analysis tools to map competitors, top pages, paid keywords, and comparison maps, revealing monthly traffic and keyword rankings.

Sign up for SC ranking's free trial, enter your website, and begin a competitive analysis by identifying keywords relevant to your industry.

Identify and craft a unique selling proposition that differentiates your brand, define target markets, analyze competitors, and test messaging across channels.

Check in with learners to boost engagement, start with a wake up stretch, and maintain focus. Encourage digesting the course through repetition to build comprehension and push toward implementation.

Explore branding from its origins to its core concepts, delving into branding beyond strategy and understanding it on another level. Build a stronger brand to maximize your marketing impact.

Understand what a brand is and why branding matters, from logo, colors, and typography to vision, mission, and customer journey, with examples like Walmart and Uber.

Discover how strong branding creates value through logos and subbrands - Nike, Google, McDonald's, and Marriott - and explore branded house, subbrands, endorsed brands, and house of brands.

Discover how brand functions build trust, connection, recognition, and easy selection through signaling value. See how loyalty programs and price sensitivity deepen brand impact and customer devotion.

Explore the framework of a brand, from existence and origin story to its purpose and identity, and understand how a compelling brand story solves problems beyond products.

Explore how colors convey meaning, typography, and logo design shape brand identity, and how a brand voice drives emotional branding to connect customers.

Explore the foundations of digital marketing strategy and how brands use electronic media across social channels and search engines to reach consumers and boost content marketing leads.

Learn digital marketing foundations, lead generation, audience targeting, and retargeting to build passive income and dominate industries through optimized ad bidding and impressions.

Sharpen target audience research and keyword selection to optimize ads. Leverage SpyFu for competitive analysis and Google Ads, Ubersuggest, and SEO insights.

Learn how search engine optimization drives traffic, with 91.5% on the front page and 51% from organic search, plus PPC, video marketing, and Google My Business for local reach.

Explore the foundations of a product launch, detailing the product lifecycle, packaging, availability, pricing, KPIs, and promotion across marketing channels to capture market share.

Develop a four-month product launch plan using a complete launch map, cover digital and traditional channels, drive beta testing, content marketing, social media, and affiliate promotion for success.

Explore creating pricing strategies by evaluating perceived value—physical, logical, emotional—considering price sensitivity, and applying objectives with strategies like competitive, skimming, cost-plus, psychological, and geographical pricing.

Explore the fundamentals of marketing communication and the marketing communication mix, including advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling, public relations and publicity, word-of-mouth, interactive marketing, and events.

Discover the full spectrum of marketing channels, from traditional TV, radio, billboards, and cold calling to digital tactics like content marketing, SEO, PPC, and influencer marketing.

Aligning sales and marketing drives revenue growth, higher retention, and greater win rates, while delivering faster profit expansion through data driven marketing and efficient lead qualification.

Set KPI measures with targets, data sources, and monthly reporting to guide sales and marketing alignment, then define sales-ready leads and optimize lead scoring with rewards.

Discover the foundations of customer relationship management and how crm systems enable marketing automation, contact management, customer service, multi-channel communications, and analytics.

Sign up for the 14-day free trial of Go High Level from the resource section, explore how it works, and you might earn $97 within two weeks by staying active.

Measure CRM success with metrics like customer retention, lifetime value, cross-sell, upsell, renewal rate, and ROI to drive continuous product and service improvements.

Explore the foundations and basics of social media marketing and management to kick off your journey in digital strategy within the business development blueprint course.

Establish a high quality social media presence by aligning account name, profile pic, cover pic, contact info, and description, with clear calls to action.

Discover how social media content drives brand awareness, trust, and lead generation by engaging daily conversations, building a go-to destination for entertainment, education, or inspiration.

Master the structure of a social media post by preparing ahead with brand goals and audience insights, then use text, images, videos, hashtags, mentions, and a clear call to action.

Learn how to create a Facebook business page post, tag partners, add images, hashtags, check-ins, mood, emojis, and schedule or boost the post using Meta Business Suite calendar.

Explore topic ideas and types of content you can post, from website content and popular hashtags to behind-the-scenes, current events, inspirational quotes, and customer reviews and case studies.

Learn to build social proof by offering free products for testimonials and video reviews, and post diverse content—from new releases to culture and humor—using an 80/20 selling rule.

Use editable content calendar templates to organize social media posting across platforms, track times, copy, and images, and track engagements; customize yearly or monthly plans with links instead of images.

Understand analytics, insights, reach, impressions, and engagement across Facebook and Instagram; analyze posts, ads, audience demographics, and Meta Business Suite metrics to optimize content.

Break down each social media platform and dive deep into platform-specific tactics, applying insights to social media management and branding foundations for effective marketing.

Explore Instagram marketing basics on mobile, including the account center, editing profile, bio, links, and switching to business for action buttons and insights.

Master how to post on Instagram using the plus icon or swipe, choosing photos or videos, and creating up to ten-item multi-slide posts with music, effects, captions, emojis, and hashtags.

Boost post reach by tagging relevant people and using collaboration posts with invited collaborators. Archive instead of deleting to keep the algorithm learning your page and maximize reach.

learn to go live in real time on Instagram, choose public or private audiences, title the broadcast, run fundraisers, schedule, invite others, answer questions, and save or view insights.

Create and manage story highlights to showcase your business and career, by turning posts into stories, naming highlights like marketing, editing covers, and organizing highlights strategically.

Explore the direct messaging section, manage primary, general, and requests messages, share posts with followers, and use swipes to move to general or enable vantage mode.

Master direct messaging by navigating primary, general, and request tabs. Share posts with followers and move conversations for better organization, including discreet usage via vantage mode.

Learn the difference between boosting posts and running complex ads with retargeting in Facebook ads manager. Discover how a Facebook page enables Instagram ad creation and campaign management across platforms.

Learn to create a Facebook business page, distinguish it from a personal page, and use page tools to post, run ads, promote offers, and engage customers via Meta Business Suite.

Explore the Facebook Ads Library to study competition, inspect active ads and creatives, and tailor campaigns by industry, using competitive analysis and landing-page insights.

Set up your Facebook business manager from scratch by creating a business account, pages, ad accounts, and assets, then assign access and manage permissions for ads.

Learn to set up a Facebook pixel in ads manager, install the tracking code manually or with easy options, and configure events for leads, views, and retargeting.

Create an Instagram ads campaign by defining a detailed audience, using interest and job titles targeting, selecting Instagram placements, and using an existing post for brand awareness.

Create and manage a campaign with multiple ad sets and ads, configure Instagram placements, test text options, broaden audiences, and compare video and image assets for brand awareness.

Configure conversion campaigns with a pixel to drive website registrations and leads, adjusting budget, events, and audiences. Note iOS 14.5 tracking changes may affect delivery.

Launch a retargeting campaign using website and Instagram audiences, leveraging the pixel and custom audiences to retarget visitors and engaged followers for conversions.

Learn how Instagram influencer marketing leverages trusted creators to drive traffic to your brand, using paid posts and marketplaces like Submit Hub.

Explore interruption marketing on Facebook and Instagram, learning to set up conversion campaigns, ad sets, and audiences for a website lead-focused strategy.

Set up a Facebook and Instagram conversion campaign by targeting demographics, interests, and behaviors; choose placements, use an existing post with pixel tracking, and add a website link.

Discover how to address finances by building business credit and accessing funding, leveraging your business credit to fuel growth.

Build business credit and secure funding by establishing credibility, understanding naming considerations, and following essential steps in credit-building strategies.

Discover how to build business credit by establishing a credible LLC with an available name, a virtual or physical address, an 800 number, a professional website, and a business email.

List your business on essential sites, build a Google My Business page, and standardize LLC and EIN details before opening a business bank account to improve funding via bank rating.

Explore bank rating hacks, including leveraging credit cards and deposits, then build business credit with LLC, EIN, a Duns and Brad registration, and net 30 accounts toward a Paydex score.

Learn to build business credit by establishing five net 30 vendor accounts, using items like U-line and Granger, and growing your paydex score toward 80–90 before funding.

Explore no personal guarantee business credit cards and funding options, learn how to build business credit, and access capital with Divi, Sam's Club, capital on tap, and more.

Explore no-doc funding options with two-year in-business requirements. Wells Fargo up to 100k and Key Bank up to 50k, plus aging entities and brokers.

Learn hard money funding basics and how to grow income with business funding, including 680 personal score criteria and building business credit via net 30 and paydex.

Learn how personal credit and business credit cards unlock funding, using Paydex, net 30s, and trade lines to fund a new LLC with tier-one options like Sam's Club and Lowe's.

Explore business funding strategies by leveraging LLCs, bank accounts, Lowe's and Sam's Club lines, and net 30s to grow with business credit and cards.

Analyze and apply business analytics using Microsoft Excel to understand, input, categorize, and leverage data for smarter decisions that enhance your business.

Explore how data driven decision making powers modern business and how Excel fits into analytics, revealing data visualization, formulas, charts, and macros for analytics tasks.

Learn data cleaning essentials for analysis, including duplicates, inconsistencies, missing data, and standardization. Create a raw data backup, auto-fit cells, and remove brackets with find and replace.

Use trim to fix spaces and proper capitalization, and apply upper or lower functions to standardize text; address missing data with conditional formatting and data validation.

Master data transformation techniques to clean and prepare datasets for analysis, using text to columns, data splitting and merging, handling missing data with Na, removing duplicates, and applying iferror formatting.

Explore descriptive statistics in Excel to uncover insights from GDP, population, and mortality data using the analysis toolpak, including mean, median, mode, dispersion, and visualization.

Derive measures of central tendency—mean, mode, and median—for GDP, population, and mortality to draw meaningful data-driven conclusions, then compute quartiles and percentiles to segment the data.

Explore skewness and kurtosis to understand data shape, interpret positive or negative skew and high or low kurtosis, and visualize distributions with histograms, bar graphs, and line charts.

Learn to create clear data visualizations in Excel, including a clustered column chart with a line for actual versus target sales, while applying the 3–5 second readability rule.

Explore exploratory data analysis in Excel to uncover patterns, identify outliers, and summarize data with mean and median, using the data analysis toolpak on an HR dataset.

Explore how pivot tables enable data exploration by calculating the average salary per department, with steps to format as dollars, sort results, and create a clean tabular view.

Explore hypothesis testing in Excel with two-sample t tests and z tests, using the data analysis tool to compare means at a 0.05 significance level.

Explore how to perform t tests and z tests, establish one- and two-tailed rejection regions, and decide when to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis using p-values.

Explore correlation and regression analysis with a scatter plot of weight versus height, add trendlines and intercept, display equation and R-squared, and run Excel regression using Data Analysis Toolpak.

Explore regression statistics in Excel, including multiple r, r-squared, adjusted r-squared, standard error, and observations; interpret anova significance and p-values, plus the intercept and slope for predicting outcomes.

Explore time series data and analysis by visualizing quarterly sales in Excel, identifying trends, seasonality, and noise, and preparing data for forecasting techniques.

Learn forecasting techniques in Excel by smoothing time series data with moving averages. Compute four-quarter moving averages, apply center moving average, and generate smoothed components for accurate forecasts.

Analyze time series data using a multiplicative decomposition in Excel, extract seasonal and irregular components, compute seasonal indices, and apply lookup and average functions to quantify quarterly seasonality.

Master time series forecasting in Excel by deseasonalizing data, using regression on the deseasonalized values, and applying the intercept and trend to predict future quarters.

Explore scenario analysis and sensitivity modeling in Excel for business analytics, using scenario manager and goal seek to compare baseline and optimistic what-if scenarios in a game sales dataset.

Explore creating and viewing data scenarios in excel, including best, optimistic, and worst cases, and use what-if analysis and goal seek to hit a sales target by adjusting December sales.

Explore sensitivity analysis and goal seeking to optimize operating profit by testing price per slipper and slippers sold with a data table.

Explore how to import and transform data with Power Query in Excel, clean and load data from multiple sources via the query editor to enable efficient analysis.

Use Power Query to import CSV data into Excel, name queries with underscores, and automate data transformations with a recorded workflow that updates on source changes.

explore the data analysis toolpak in Microsoft Excel to perform ANOVA and chi-square tests, unlocking advanced statistical tools and insights for large data sets.

Apply pivot tables in Excel to analyze sales data across zones, cities, and divisions, identify top distributors and price ranges, and build a dashboard for executives.

Create pivot tables and dashboards to analyze sales by division, channel, and distributor; visualize data with bar and donut charts, add data labels, and refine the dashboard layout.

Add slicers and a timeline to your dashboard, connect them to pivot tables using report connections, and filter by zone, price point, and date range for interactivity.

Explore financial analysis and reporting with goal seek and solver tools in Excel to optimize quantity sold and selling price, meet a net income target, and perform sensitivity analysis.

Use what-if data tables in Excel to analyze how price and quantity sold affect net income; apply choose with data validation for best, base, and worst revenue and cost scenarios.

Explore ethical handling of business data by safeguarding privacy, securing data, ensuring integrity, and complying with regulations, while fostering transparency, consent, and trust in data governance.

Explore emerging trends in business analytics, including ai and ml, predictive analytics, real-time insights, and personalized experiences, and learn to foster a data-driven culture with privacy and ethical practices.

Conclude with a hands-on capstone project in Excel for business analytics, applying data cleaning, analysis, and visualization to a coffee sales dashboard using Xlookup, filters, and a converted table.

Execute a capstone project by building a coffee sales dashboard with pivot tables, timelines, and slicers, analyze August sales by coffee type, and identify top customers and country performance.