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