Business Marketing

Along with your business plan, your small business marketing plans is only of the most important long-term plans you'll make for your small business. Some small business owners choose to ignore that advice, instead preferring to fly by the seat of their pants, so to speak, to "wing it." While some of those small business owners are successful, they're not nearly as successful as they could be had they laid out a well-defined small business marketing plan.

Small business marketing strategy step 1: Know your market

The first step in developing a successful small business marketing strategy is to make sure that you have a really solid handle on your target market. Ask yourself: Who are my customers? Once you've identified who they are, ask yourself: What are my customers' problems? What are their dreams and aspirations? The surest way to answer those questions, of course, is to ask your customers themselves. Even if you can't afford to hire a small business marketing firm that will conduct focus group tests for you, you can do your own simple survey by hitting the streets and talking to those people you plan to sell to (and make contacts at the same time!). You'd be surprised how powerful that simple task is yet how few businesses do it.

Small business marketing strategy step 2: Know yourself

The second step in developing your small business marketing strategy is to get to know yourself (your business), once you've gotten to know your customers. Ask yourself: What does my business do? How is my business different than my competitors'? How does my business help solve my customers' problems or help them achieve their dreams? Answering these questions will help you to define your unique selling proposition - those aspects that set you apart from your competitors.

That unique selling proposition should become your brand - your business's identity. Your brand is what will pervade all of your marketing materials and what your customers will use to identify you. The importance of diligently developing your brand as part of a successful small business marketing strategy can't be overstated.

Small business marketing strategy step 3: Analyze your competitors' small business marketing strategies

Once you've developed your brand - that unique identity that tells your customers who you are and how you're different - you can begin thinking about how you're going to actually market your business. First, look at your competitors' small business marketing strategies. Are there obvious gaps that you could fill (and thereby stand out among the competition)? For example, if you see that none of your competitors have websites, you could stand out with a small business marketing strategy online.

Wherever you market your business, it must be where your customers are. For example, small business marketing online will be a waste if none of your potential customers use the Internet. Likewise, you may think that writing a monthly column in your local newspaper would be a great way to advertise your services and establish yourself as an expert; but if none of your potential customers read that paper, that small business marketing strategy will fail.

At this point, your small business marketing strategy will not only be defined by where your customers are and what your competitors are doing, but it will also depend on your small business marketing budget. A full-page spread in a national magazine may be the best way to reach your target audience, but if you can't afford to shell out tens of thousands of dollars, it's not the small business marketing strategy for you.

Wherever your small business marketing plan takes you, the careful development of your small business marketing strategy - by knowing your market, knowing your business, and analyzing your competitors' strategies - will be a critical determinant of your long-term business success.

Brandt Stohr, The Small Business Marketing Genius has brought startup one man operations to billion dollar corporations by using creative marketing techniques rather then investors and capital. Brandt Stohr has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to get their small businesses exploding with sales without the use of expensive traditional marketing techniques. For more information and a free report on the ten deadly mistakes most small businesses are still making visit Brandt Stohr's site at http://www.smallbusinessmktng.com or http://www.brandtstohr.com

Article Source: Brandt Stohr

Labels: business marketing, developing, marketing plan, small business, small business marketing, your small business

Here's a business marketing tip to gain maximum profit from any product or service in your business marketing lineup, and how you will gain extreme profits when you follow these
5 simple, LAZY steps;

1. Look not at what you are offering through your business marketing efforts - look at WHO WILL BUY your product/service. Make a picture of your 'typical buyer' - who they are, their age, what they like to do, etc.

This is often known as the 'target market prospect', yet, the more detailed you define this 'target' in your business marketing, the better.

I've even gone to the point of giving this 'target market' person a name and put a picture up on my computer monitor (find a 'friendly face' on the Internet somewhere and 'tag' it as your target market prospect) - get your business marketing centered around every aspect of your target -the more you know them, the easier it is to chat about what they
need.

2. Develop a list of your target market prospect's likes and dislikes as it would relate to a product/service similar to yours. (You'll get a 'third party' look at your competition, as well as some inside looks at their business marketing efforts.)

Consider some questions they would have, or some typical objections to buying this similar product/service (this may come from your previous research, or you may have to simply
do some).

One way to personalize the business marketing research of your 'target market prospect' is to 'role play' - think about your prospect as a good friend that you are having a picnic with (or even a co-worker at the water cooler, etc.) and in passing, your friend brings up that 'similar' product/service.

What do they say about it?

What are their questions/concerns?

Is there a 'running joke' about the competition's product/service that defines a hole in their business marketing? (i.e., "Did you hear about the lady that used X?")

All these things need to be addressed, and documented.

Let your mind be creative and wander, but keep it to a time limit - about 15-20 minutes per business marketing 'play' session. Think of nothing but this 'conversation' during this creative (often fun) time.

It might even be helpful for you to say everything that comes to mind out loud during these business marketing planning sessions(as silly as that sounds, it works...) and record it, as some of the best business marketing ideas get overlooked when you are trying to write them down quickly.

Listening back for those 'nuggets' might even trigger other 'bits of business marketing gold' for you to work with.

3. Figure out how your product/service and business marketing plan is similar, yet different than the competition. Just how does your solution overcome all the questions, concerns and yes, even 'jokes' from your target?

If you can't answer these questions for yourself, how would you expect to answer them from your prospect?

The beautiful part about this business marketing exercise is that, if you go through it with commitment, you will already know the answers to the prospect's questions BEFORE they ask them - which quickly eliminates any fears you might have about talking with them.

4. Continue this simple exercise - every couple days for a week or so. Giving 15-20 minutes of serious thought to your business marketing plan and role playing every couple days will stimulate your conscious mind, as well as keep your unconscious mind actively thinking about it.

You'll be surprised at the outcome of taking these steps seriously.

But be forewarned - you will very likely have a very different outlook about your prospect after one week of this simple, yet extremely effective business marketing, 'target market' finding tool!

You will know them as well as you know yourself, so you will be able to talk with them about things quickly, simply and with the best, consistent results of your business marketing efforts.

5. Now, take a look at your product/service and business marketing plan - through the prospect's eyes (now that you can clearly see through them...)

Does it fit your prospect's needs?

Does it answer their questions and eliminate their fears?

Is it priced right for your target prospect?

Is there a market for your product/service other than your personalized target market prospect? (This step is vital as a 'reality check" - and one that many business marketing planners miss)

When you follow these five steps faithfully, you will have credibility, knowledge and successful long-term relationships with your customers (who used to be simply 'target market prospects' before you understood the power of this business marketing tip!).

Steve Majors - To-the-point training and coaching for business and wealth creation through creative Real Estate investing. Known as "The Lazy Investor", with courses and training sessions to slingshot your success. http://SteveMajors.com

Article Source: Steve Majors

Labels: 5 steps, a business, business marketing tip, marketing tip, massive profits

Labels: business, business marketing, importance, importance of business, marketing