Or do you bumble around doing a little bit here and a little bit there?
Most small business owners don't have the luxury of a marketing dept, so you tend to find the responsibility of marketing a business falls on your shoulders, and unless you are experienced in this area, it can be a sure way to lose a lot of money very quickly!
Allocate some time, maybe in the evening with a glass of vino, and sketch out a marketing plan for the year.
If you've been trading for some time, this should be pretty straightforward, you will have already had some expensive lessons, and have a feel for what and doesn't work.
If your a new start up, then think about your products and services. Are you a bricks and mortar business relying on footfall and passing trade, an online business, or a mix of both.
Allocate a budget. It doesn't have to be huge, but you need to know what resources are at your disposal. No point blowing all your budget in month 1 and leaving nothing for month 11
Once you have a budget, you can then start your planning. Whats the best way to get your message out?
Maybe its flyers, local freebie advert magazines, cards in shop windows. If online, maybe banner exchanges, google adwords, business directories, simple link exchanges etc.
However you decide to approach it, the key thing to do is to track your progress.
Such a simple and obvious statement, and one thats reguarly overlooked during a hectic day. Be polite and dont be afraid to ask your customer how they found out about you. Feedback is the lifeforce of your marketing strategy.
Online is a lot easier. Make sure your website has an analytics package plugged in. If not get one! Google analytics is free, easily implemented and fairly straightforward to use. If in doubt, ask the person who created your website!
Using analytics, you can see how effective any adwords spend is, keywords that any visitors typed in to find your products and services, and how effective things like directories or link exchanges are.
The key thing to remember when starting out, don't start spending anything on marketing until you have formulated a marketing strategy! Your budget is precious, so spend it wisely
