What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business

Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who says differently probably isn't doing very well marketing his or her business. On the art side, intuition definitely plays into the equation. On the science side, it is about systems, strategies and plans. Outlined below are some areas of consideration when you decide to market your business.

  • Determine where your business is currently

  • Determine where you want to be

  • Know who your market is and/or needs to be

  • Identify what is important to your clients

  • Identify and evaluate threats and opportunities. For example, lack of experience in the marketplace, budget, competition, no clear direction.

  • Assess existing and potential appeal of your product or service to current and future clients or customers

  • Select growth strategies and a competitive strategy

  • Develop a plan of action

  • Commit to focused action for results

  • Having fun

  • Identify and evaluate strengths an weaknesses in the areas that determine success to achieve this outcome. If you are unable to do this, get outside assistance.

  • Determine a budget

CREATING DIRECTION WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE?

  • Where do you want to be as an organization?

  • What kind of image do you want to project?

  • What are the benefits of doing business with you?

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

  • Purpose and function of your product or service

  • What makes your business unique from other similar businesses?

  • What does your business have in common with other organizations?

  • Biggest threat to success of organization?

  • What you must know about the current market?

  • Why do people buy from you?

  • Why don't they buy from you?

  • Assumptions by current staff about the market?

  • What can you predict about the future? What to do about it?

  • How attractive is your product or service to the consumer?

HOW DO YOU GET THERE?

  • Target market

  • Staff involvement

  • Most effective strategies for marketing and selling your services/product

  • What is your plan of action?

  • Are you committed to your success?

WHEN YOU MAY NEED TO CONSIDER HIRING A BUSINESS COACH

  • When it is difficult to stay committed consider hiring a business coach.

  • When you just don't know what to do

  • When you get sidetracked on your goals

  • When you want more success

WHY PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH YOU

  • Increase income or revenue

  • Increase quality of their personal or professional life - or both

  • Increase productivity

  • Decrease costs

KEEP ASKING

  • Who is my market?

  • What am I selling?

  • Can our company service what I sell?

  • How do I keep ahead of the competition?

  • How do I get my customers to remember me?

  • Why would they buy from me?

  • How do we keep visible?

WAYS TO INCREASE BUSINESS

  • Time in the business

  • Referrals

  • Up sell

  • Visibility

  • Check beliefs - do you believe you deserve to succeed?

  • Sponsorships or strategic partnering

  • Web site

  • Online newsletter

  • Free seminars

  • Promotional activities

  • Write articles for publications your target market reads

  • Presentations at association meetings

  • Press releases

  • Track where your business comes from if you are diversified in your marketing and advertising efforts

  • Get everyone into the sales and marketing attitude

  • Have employees give you ideas

  • Under promise, over deliver

  • Give back to the community

  • Become an expert the media calls on

  • Treat the gatekeepers like gold

  • Know what makes you stand apart from the competition

  • Get to know the competition

  • Build relationships

  • Ask for the sale when appropriate

  • Sell them only what they need

  • Keep a great attitude

Copyright: © 2004 by Kathleen Gage

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

About The Author

Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others gain marketing dominance and visibility within their market. She is the recipient of the 2004 Giant Step Award for Business of the Year in the State of Utah. Call 801.619.1514 or email Kathleen@turningpointpresents.com. Get Gage's online newsletter called Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions by visiting www.kathleengage.com.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


5 Steps for Developing a Marketing Tag Line for Your Product, Business, or Website

A marketing tag line is the one or two line... Read More

Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits

If you really want to pull more profits from your... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3

To read the beginning of this special report, you can... Read More

So You Want To Cut The Crap And Get Into The Money?

So, you´ve been around for a while, and maybe even... Read More

Creating And Maintaining A Mailing List

Starting to collect proper information to create a... Read More

How To Get To The Top of The Marketing Food Chain

Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers,... Read More

Quiz: Where is Your Marketing Message?

Wondering if your marketing message is dancing in the spotlight... Read More

Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit

You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the... Read More

Fern Reisss PublishingGame.com: Achieve Media Attention for Your Business

Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

If this is the first marketing article you are reading,... Read More

A Creative RIOT

Relevant, original and impactful: that's what my friend Creative Director... Read More

A Complaint? It?s a Compliment! - 7 Tips for Dealing with Complaints at Trade Shows

A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In... Read More

Budget Your Branding

It is very important to regularly monitor your advertising activities... Read More

Why Do They Buy?

A recent issue of Entrepreneur magazine included a marketing story... Read More

The Bare-Bones Basics Of Multi-Level Marketing

Multi-level marketing is the biggest growth industry in the 1980's.... Read More

6 Article Marketing Smarts: How To Get More Reprints And Exposure

Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More

Market Yourself as the Expert

As a small business how do you compete with the... Read More

What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked

Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into... Read More

Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test?

Good marketing, whatever form it takes, always meets certain criteria.... Read More

Five Tips to Make Your Marketing More Creative

Same old same old just doesn't sell anymore. To... Read More

Your Headlines Are Key To Your Success Or Failure. Do You Know What To Write?

Most professional copywriters would say that headlines account for 80%... Read More

Niche Marketing: The Affiliate Angle

If you're just dipping your toes into the waters of... Read More

Perceived Value Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Q: My partner and I are having a hard time... Read More

Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures

Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees,... Read More

Arts Marketing : Suggestions for Students and Beginners

Many artists create art but when it comes to marketing... Read More

Why Your Business Need a Website

Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your... Read More

Telemarketers Dont Like Them? Heres An Idea For Ya!

Telemarketers... ooohhh... I'll bet we've all got a nice story... Read More

Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities

None of us have enough time in the day to... Read More

How Price Gouging Can Hurt Your Business

"Price gouging" is an emotional, inflammatory term. Everyone is against... Read More

Get FREE Web Tips From Your Competition

I knew this one would get your attention. How can... Read More

Marketing Strategies to Put Yourself Out of Business

Want to learn how to lose a billion dollars?Just follow... Read More

Trade Show Promotional Products ? Boosting Booth Traffic

I was about seven or eight years old when I... Read More

Tips for Trade Show Rentals

Trade show rentals allow you more flexibility and the opportunity... Read More