How To Do Small Business Marketing

It is not difficult to do small business marketing.  First, you need to decide on a marketing and advertising budget, then allocate your resources accordingly.  The next step is to conduct some basic marketing research.  Design a short questionnaire. You'll want to get some feedback from your customers.  Find out what they like about your product or service, and what they don't like. Find out if they use competitive products.  Ask them to rate your product versus the competitor's on several key attributes. For example, if you own a restaurant, you'll want to get ratings on taste, service and cleanliness.  Automobile dealers need to know trends on car purchases, which can often be dictated by gas prices.

This information will help you to better position your product.  You may find out that your price is too high, or that you can add to your product line.  Make the necessary changes within your budget and then develop a marketing plan.

Your plan should include any new services or products you plan to offer.  Pricing adjustments should also be made before promoting your product or service.  Think of ways that you can increase your distribution, if you or your customers feel this is a potential area of improvement.  Retail owners should consider additional stores if the market warrants it.  If you are a wholesaler, you may want to target additional customers.

Develop your advertising strategies.  If you are a beauty salon, decide how much direct mail you should use.  Consider different sources of direct mail,  including cooperative mailings such as Harte-Hanks, Dollar Stretcher, etc.  Car dealerships should consider how much TV and radio advertising they need to do.  Other sources include the Internet, radio, newspaper and point of purchase advertising.  The latter includes any type of in-store promotions that draw people to buy.  You may want to enhance your signage within the store, or group certain products together to promote multiple purchases.

Once you have your marketing plan together, you need to set up a schedule for implementing it.  Make all product and pricing adjustments first.  If you are selling items wholesale, plan your new route based on where additional customers are located.  Schedule your advertising and promotions.  There are usually deadlines for direct mail and print advertising.  You'll need to get these scheduled quickly.

Finally, always evaluate your current marketing and strive for continuous improvement.  If a direct mail campaign is working well, consider increasing the number of pieces you mail.