Marketing for Small Business: Tips to Get Started

Whether you have ten employees or just one, you may still need marketing advice. So many small business owners are under the impression that marketing and advertising are meant more for the larger companies that want to attract a global market, or who want to attract thousands of new customers each hour.

And while this is mostly true, smaller businesses need to be able to reach their target markets as well if they want to succeed. Marketing small business doesn't have to cost millions of dollars in order to work well, especially when you don't need to reach all corners of the globe!

Start Locally

Marketing small business locally at first is a wonderful way to get your name out there. It is also a great way to see how much demand for your goods and services actually exists.

Marketing locally is usually less expensive and can yield a few customers who will be willing to sing your praises through testimonials you can use later on. Newspaper ads, fliers, brochures, and other marketing pieces are effective in getting the word out about your business.

You can also take advantage of free online classified ad sites where you can post your website address, your business plan, and contact information.

Create fliers, brochures, and other pieces at home using Microsoft Publisher or Microsoft Word if you want to create simple marketing materials. For more complex materials that use graphics and other items, you may have to hire a printing company or go online to create them.

Head to the Web

The Internet is one of the best ways to advertise your business to the world, even if you're only targeting a small portion of it. Since anyone can take advantage of the web, you will have access to the same tools and the same web hosts as bigger businesses.

You may want to start off by creating a website that contains information about your business, what you do, what you offer, and how customers can find out more. If you're ready to begin shipping products, be sure to carefully outline how your customers can place their orders.

Your website should have a number of things on it in order to reach as many people as possible:

• A clear purpose and focus- If you're selling fishing supplies, make sure that your site deals only with fishing supplies
• Honest and useful information- Include articles about related topics and other questions your customers might have
• Simple navigation style- Since many people on the web are still learning how it works and how it can be helpful to them, it's best to set up your site as simply as possible, with a clearly marked menu of contents and contact information
• Good pictures- Use high quality pictures of your products so that people can see exactly what you are selling

You can create a mailing list on your website to attract more attention. Include an 'opt-in' link on your home page and encourage people to sign up by submitting their email addresses. Send promotional information, coupons, and product alerts every few weeks.

There are many more ways you can advertise to potential clients through the web:

• Try writing a blog
• Link with other sites and have them link back to you
• Think about Pay Per Click advertising
• Go onto forums
• Write articles for free article sites

The more you spread the word online and off, the more luck you will have when trying to drive traffic to your site and to your company.