By Sandra Martini Ask small business owners what they are afraid
of most in their businesses and you typically get
one of two responses: marketing and
bookkeeping. Were going to tackle just the
marketing side today and leave bookkeeping for
another day. Its all too common for small business owners to
avoid marketing their businesses until
they need to. Need meaning that they need
more money and, therefore, additional clients.
In reality, small business owners are no different
from larger companies in that they should be
marketing themselves all the time. Despite that fact, I often hear the following from
my clients: I hate marketing. I dont like the thought of having to sell myself
to people. Im not comfortable cold calling. The above all boil down to the same thing:
a lack of understanding about what
marketing can and should be. Marketing is not about opening the phone book
and calling everyone to see if they want your
services or spamming every email address you
can get your hands on. Marketing allows you to get the word out
about your business. It allows you to tell
people who you are and what you do so that
when they need you and your services, youre
there. Youve already established
a relationship through your marketing, even if
youve never actually spoken with them before.
Studies show that it takes a person
seeing/hearing about you 7 to 10 times before
they remember you. Consistent marketing to
your target audience is critical. Developing a marketing plan that fits not only
your business, but you personality is a critical
part of being a successful business. Maybe
youre the type of person who loves networking
meetings, running a trade show booth and
participating in lots of public events.
Conversely, you may detest networking events
and shun anything remotely related to the
public. It doesnt matter. The important thing
is to know yourself before you write your
marketing plan. Are you an extrovert? If so, go to the networking events; arrange to
have a booth at your target audiences trade
shows; host teleclasses. Work these types of
campaigns into your marketing plan. Are you an introvert? Send newsletters (online or offline), participate
in online forums (such as Yahoo Groups or
Ryze), do direct mail campaigns to your target
audience. You get the idea make your marketing plan
and activities work with you rather than against
you. The overall goal of your marketing plan is to
create campaigns and action steps that reflect
your personality while insuring that
your marketing funnel remains full at all
times. A full marketing funnel has all of the
following:
Prospective clients who have just heard
about you.
Prospective clients who recognize your name
when they hear it.
Prospective clients who feel they know you
and that youve developed a relationship with
them.
If the time is right for you both, prospective
clients who become clients.
It will take some time to get to this level
particularly if you are just starting out. And
thats okay. Just remember that marketing
your business is a full-time activity and should
reflect you just as performing your service
does. Have some fun with it! Online Business
Manager & Entrepreneur, Sandra Martini,
publishes the 'Effective Entrepreneur' weekly e-
zine. She also coaches small business owners to
more efficiently manage their businesses while
increasing profits and having fun. Sandra's
coaching programs are available via
teleconferencing, emails and telephone calls.
For more information or to sign-up for Effective
Entrepreneur, visit http://www.online-biz-coach today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Martini http://EzineArticles.com/?Does-Your-Marketing-Plan-Fit?&id=258347 where can i buy phentermine without a prescription
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