It is not unusual for entrepreneurs to find the whole idea of ​​marketing.

intimidating. Even seasoned business owners often feel that their marketing

efforts are not working.

Don’t let marketing intimidate you. In essence, it is not much more

than common sense: the key elements that make up your plan. Add some

creativity. This is what you will use to implement your plan and get it done

works. That is the basis of marketing. Simple enough once you break it

under.

Let’s do a quick overview. There are some key questions you need

respond in advance.

1. Is there a market for your product / service?

If the answer is no, go back to the drawing board. Start again. Because

No matter how good you think your product is, if no one needs, wants or buys it, you are out of business.

2. Can you make a profit?

Have you done the numerical calculation to ensure profitability? If not go

go back and work your numbers. Find out what you need to charge

make a profit on every item or service you sell. Look what the

the competition is charging. Be online but not necessarily the

the cheapest. Your products may demand higher fees (better ingredients,

exciting packaging, snobbish appeal). Or you can choose to be the bass

price leader, but you will need more volume than you would need at the high

final. In either case, do your homework.

3. Can you survive?

Do you have the resources to help you until you start your business?

to show a profit? Otherwise, you may need to keep your day job and do this

initially part-time.

Once you have answered these questions, you are ready to move on.

The plan

You have determined that you have a product or service that is

merchantable. Now you need a plan.

Depending on your budget and / or level of experience, it can be as simple

such as a guerrilla marketing plan, or a more detailed plan prepared by

someone who specializes in this area.

Basically, your plan will cover the following:

o State your goal or objectives

o Definition of your target market

o An overview of the competition

o Define your niche or what differentiates you from the competition

o Develop a strategy to achieve your goals

o Evaluate the various marketing tools and decide what to use /

When

o Prepare a timeline with goals written in

o Review your budget

At the end you can find a detailed list, which develops the previous elements.

of this article. You will see that most of these questions are actually based

in common sense, nothing more.

Action

I was going to call this section “The Execution”, but decided I had a

negative ring.

In fact, this is where creativity comes in. And this is where you

You may want to turn to an outside resource (or two) to help you.

You can’t start a business without business cards and stationery (well

you can, but don’t). If your marketing plan requires a logo and identity

development, and you are not a creative, find yourself a designer.

Interview some freelance designers to see if their style fits your

you want for your identity, and also if your rates fit your budget. Or you can

you want to find a design or marketing company that specializes in working with

smaller companies.

A marketing company will be able to help you with all your marketing, not

just logo design and development, so it may make more sense.

Whichever route you decide to take, make sure you are comfortable with

the people who will run your business. If it doesn’t feel right

it is not. Keep looking. There are many companies and freelancers out there.

Don’t settle.

Make sure your logo and business cards truly reflect your company.

unique identity. The goal is not to look like others.

Promote, promote, promote

Networking is probably the most important marketing of the entrepreneur.

tool. So get out there and network. Carry your business cards (always!).

Join a networking group, or two or three. Join chambers of commerce.

Wait for events. Look for associations relevant to your industry. Make a

List all the places your target market might be and go there.

Where is your website?

Today, most companies have websites (mine is yet to come …). To the website

can serve as an online brochure – an unfortunate fact for printing companies –

an advantage for small businesses with limited budgets. It also gives you a

Unlimited geographic reach and the ability to update 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you go for a website, make sure it presents the image you want.

your company. Unless you are an expert in web design, get a

professional to handle this. Nothing will send leads

running as fast as a bad website. Think about what you do when

you are on the internet.

Your website must be:

or well designed

o Clean and neat (i.e. easy on the flash if you must include it)

o Easy to use: easy to navigate, quick to download (not everyone has a dsl line)

o Well written (written for the web, not for print, and without typographical errors)

o Informative and / or newsworthy

You want visitors to bookmark your site and come back often

o Optimized for search engines

Most of your visitors will come from search engines or links.

Your pages must be planned for search engines to find.

It can be helpful to put together a list of the sites you have visited that you really like.

Use them as a template for your own website, and don’t get sidetracked

followed by a lot of irrelevant shine. In fact, you may want to compile a

list of sites you don’t like. Show this to your web developer so they

understand what you want.

What about traditional marketing material?

Brochures

Ideally, it’s great to have both printed marketing material and a website.

Your printed brochure is used as “leave behind” or mail. Take it when

Make sales calls or attend events. Mail it with cover letters to

potential customers. Ask your colleagues to distribute them along with their

marketing material.

But if you can only do one, go for the website. Whatever you do, do

make sure everything with your company name is well designed and

well written.

Direct mail

Along with networks, direct mail is one of the most effective and affordable methods.

Marketing tools in the Small Business Marketing Toolbox. Not only is

highly targeted, but affordable enough to allow a

promotion.

Use direct mail to:

o Introduction of new products or services

o Special offers

o Sales announcements

o Drive traffic to your website

In addition to traditional direct mail, look for direct email. Recent

Studies show that it is poised to outright outperform most American companies.

Newsletters or sales letters, especially created in html, can be a

an extremely effective way to keep in touch with existing and / or potential

customers. Just be sure to include that “exclusion” at the bottom to

people who don’t want to be on your email list.

Other marketing tools

For reasons of time and brevity, we will list some other marketing tools.

you may want to consider when planning your assault:

or advertising

or public relations

or talks

or trade shows

or newsletters

or flyers

or cousins

or door hangers

Depending on your product or service, the list is quite extensive.

Fortunately, it is only a buffet that you can choose from.

Evaluate everything and decide what will work best within your budget.

Try and try some more. If one tool doesn’t work, try another.

And don’t expect to be successful the first time. Maybe not.

Like all good things, building (or growing) a business is a process. Tea

The dot-com bust should have taught us all that overnight hits don’t

necessarily durable. The goal is to reach your key audience as

efficiently and effectively possible. And to grow successfully (ie.

profitable business.

Copyright © 2002 Rickey Gold & Associates