Successful marketing

Just starting a business is not enough, you need to let potential customers know about it, get them in, and have them buy your product or service. Marketing is all of this. Your specific approach to marketing will depend on your business, your target customers, your finances, and your goals.

Marketing is so important to your business, it should be approached similarly to a business plan. Your marketing plan will help in evaluating your current market strategy, where you want to go with it, and how to get there. The marketing plan should also spell out the specific steps and costs involved. Your marketing plan can be integrated into your business plan as one comprehensive section. As with the business plan, it should be referred to regularly to make sure you're on track.

Successful marketing requires work and careful analysis. It is an opportunity to use your creativity. Additionally, you must be flexible and willing to try new approaches if old ones no longer work.

One of the first tasks in developing a marketing plan is to do some market research. This will help define your target customer, a vital step in succuessful marketing. Market research is also used to assess the competition and forecast industry trends.

In addition, it's important to develop a marketing budget. This budget will determine what you can spend and in what categories. Smaller companies with little money often look for creative marketing strategies that avoid the mainstream media.

Other sites of interest:

• The 6 Ps of Service Business Marketing
• Marketing for Today's Small Businesses
• Running Your Biz: Marketing
• American Marketing Association
• Sample Marketing Plan
• Idea Site
• Guerrilla Marketing Online
• Sales & Marketing
• The Marketing Resource Center
• Marketing Workshop
• SBA Shareware
• Creative Marketing Solutions
• Trade Show Central
  
  

This document was prepared by the San Joaquin Delta College Small Business Development Center. Send comments to: Gillian Murphy

Acknowledgements, disclaimers, etc.