MARKETING MIX: Book of the week

Practical Marketing and PR for the Small Business by Moi Ali (Kogan Page, pounds 16.99), is a straightforward handbook aimed at small businesses.

Many small businesses find themselves in over-crowded markets, yet marketing and PR are often seen as a luxury. This book reinforces the importance of both disciplines.

Ali explains how to tackle a range of marketing and PR tasks. She draws on her own experience by illustrating her theory with examples.

The book acts as a basic guide for those not in the know and could certainly enable small business managers to think differently about running their firms. Another major bonus of the guide is the indispensable list of useful addresses of relevant agencies and trade associations.

Overall, Ali's book would be a helpful addition to any small business bookshelf. However, the book is held back by not fully exploring use of the internet as a marketing tool, which is an excellent method for small firms to compete with larger corporations. Small firms can now easily access new global markets and yet online marketing and PR are still unchartered areas. The subject is possibly worthy of its own book, as each day sees more and more small businesses launching online and more internet marketing agencies appearing.

Ann Hood is communications director of the small business portal, work24.co.uk

This article was first published on Marketing