| If the idea of marketing your small business | | | | dollars marketing your small business. |
| falls somewhere between flossing your teeth | | | | |
| and cleaning the toilet, you're not alone. As | | | | But you do want to give it some thought - a |
| entrepreneurial as any small business owner | | | | lot of it, in fact! |
| has to be, there's something about sales and | | | | |
| marketing that can be intimidating for even | | | | Small business marketing is kind of like |
| the most ambitious business person. | | | | shopping for a house. It's a good idea to |
| | | | identify your budget first so you don't fall |
| And while marketing is obviously a "big | | | | in love with something you can't afford! |
| deal", many times the marketing of a small | | | | |
| business is put on the back burner somewhere | | | | Sit down in the early days of your business |
| after buying a new coffee pot for your office | | | | and decide how much you can afford to spend |
| and coming up with some cool business cards. | | | | marketing your small business. At this stage |
| | | | in the game, it will be difficult to do this |
| Yeah, those business cards count as marketing | | | | too far in advance, so just figure out a |
| - sort of. But it's no exaggeration to say | | | | budget for the first 3-6 months. Hopefully |
| that how you go about marketing your business | | | | the small business marketing strategies you |
| will make or break it, which means that | | | | choose will be so successful you'll have even |
| marketing your small business calls for more | | | | more to spend later. |
| than just a passing thought. | | | | |
| | | | But for now, let's just get your business off |
| Research, Research, Research | | | | the ground! |
| | | | |
| The best place to start with small business | | | | Divide and Conquer |
| marketing is perhaps the easiest. Research - | | | | |
| and lots of it! | | | | Now that you have a "big picture" number in |
| | | | mind, it's time to divide it up. You might |
| You can start by looking into your | | | | start with the obvious, like business cards |
| competition and finding out what they're | | | | if your business is the kind that needs them, |
| doing to get the word out about their | | | | or internet advertising if that is more |
| business. Pay special attention to those | | | | suited to your type of business. |
| businesses that seem to be industry leaders | | | | |
| in your market space. | | | | From there, you can prioritize the things you |
| | | | "have to have" versus the things you'd "like |
| What are they doing that's contributing to | | | | to have", and make compromises accordingly. |
| their success? How are they increasing brand | | | | |
| recognition for their business? What are the | | | | Stay Flexible |
| things that are most appealing about their | | | | |
| website, sales collateral, and other | | | | You know that old saying, "The only sure |
| advertising? | | | | thing in life is that things will continue to |
| | | | change"? Well, it was never truer than for a |
| Take notes as you go. Call the company and | | | | small business. In the beginning you'll |
| ask for literature. Cruise their websites for | | | | likely have all kinds of ideas about how |
| ideas. | | | | things will turn out and about what will work |
| | | | best. But it's next to impossible to foresee |
| The best part? This part of your marketing | | | | at the outset the future of any small |
| plan can be from your desk with a nice cup of | | | | business. |
| coffee from that new coffee maker! | | | | |
| | | | So remember, slow and steady wins the race. |
| A Little Reality? | | | | Take things a day at a time, review the |
| | | | results from your existing small business |
| It's easy to get carried away with big ideas | | | | marketing measures, and be willing to make |
| for small business marketing. Now more than | | | | adjustments as you go. |
| ever, there are a lot of cool ways to get the | | | | |
| word out about your business. From | | | | With a little luck - and a good small |
| Flash-enabled websites to high-end, | | | | business marketing plan - you'll have even |
| professionally designed logos, you could | | | | more money to spend as your business grows! |
| easily spend thousands and thousands of | | | | |