7 Steps to Creating a Successful Small Business Marketing Plan

Small business marketing is all about determining the needs of your target market and then providing solutions to meet those needs. These 7 steps are aimed at entrepreneurs starting a small business and those who want to create a successful small business marketing plan for an existing business. Most small business promotions focus on how great their products and services are. Instead, you should educate your target market consistently and start building a relationship that will establish your credibility and trust. It is important to develop a marketing mindset. “Think Marketing” your products and services all of the time. It is very important to consistently market your products and services. Don’t fall into the trap of stop and go marketing. Some small business owners only market when sales are down. You can’t have a successful small business without having a successful small business marketing plan. Effective small business marketing is the way to growth and profits. If you’re a small business owner or you want to know how to start a small business in the future, this simple 7-step plan will help you understand your business and your target market. How to Start a Small Business Marketing Plan: 7 Steps Begin the process by answering these questions: 1) Who -- Who specifically is your target market? Who is your ideal client? What research can you do to find out more about your target market? 2) What -- What products and services do your ideal clients want and need? What does your product and service do for your ideal client? What problems does your product solve for your customer? What are the solutions that your ideal client is looking for? What is your area of specialty that will differentiate you in the marketplace? What are the industry trends? What type of message will your ideal client likely respond to? What are you ultimately selling? For example: Are you selling eye glasses or are you selling vision? What is your unique mix of products and services? What is your pricing strategy? 3) Where -- Where is your ideal client? Where is your customer located geographically? Where will you position yourself so they can easily find you? Where are the best places to get your marketing message to them? Will you speak to groups, hold seminars, or write a blog, newsletters or articles? 4) When -- How frequently does your target market need to hear your marketing message? When are they most likely to buy your products and services? 5) Why -- Why are you in business? Why do customers or clients buy from you? Why should they choose your product or service over your competition? 6) How -- How does your customer buy your product or service? How are you going to reach potential buyers for your services and products? How will you communicate your marketing message? How will you provide customers or clients with the information they need to make their buying decision? 7) Marketing Mindset – Practice mastering a Marketing Mindset and you will be on the path to a profitable small business. With these 7 steps, you can take action towards starting a small business marketing plan that targets new customers.

“Marketing is about testing and evaluating your return on investment. But it’s primarily about helping people get what they want.”

Master these small business marketing steps and you will be on the path to more profit and success as a business owner.

How to make your internet business compete with big established firms

Competing as an internet business with big online names such as Amazon and large traditional businesses that now have internet operations can seem like a daunting task, and one that you will never succeed in. But never fear. Every business no matter how small has to start somewhere. In fact, if anything, competing online with big competitors is probably easier than offline.

Here are some points that needs to be considered when trying to win customers to your online business:

Offer niche products

If you can offer something different to your competitors or add value in some way then you have a better chance of people shopping on your site. Many smaller online businesses offer niche products or offer ’something different’ in the way of value to attract customers.

Competitive pricing

If you can offer products or services to match the price of big established firms then there is no reason why you cannot compete. Pricing is probably the biggest factor in gaining/losing customers.

User-friendly interface Make sure you have a shop design on your site that is extremely attractive for customers to browse. Do not pack a page with too many pictures of products. Make sure you have a very adequate product description accompanied with a nice picture. Also, do not cram the pages with too much information.

Have a search box on your site so people can enter a product they are looking for rather than having to click on too many links to find the product they re looking for.

Description of products

A thorough description of products is vital because it has to act as a way of replacing the ability to have close up look and touch of the product that would be possible if they were at an offline store.

Search engine optimization

This is a very vital ingredient for small internet businesses because it is the source of much of the free traffic that they will generate. Optimizing the site and pages will increase you page rankings and increase the flow of traffic. Remember, no matter what page they arrive on, if they like the products and value then they will stay and return in future.

Advertising

If you have an advertising budget then you could carry out Google Adword, Overture campaigns to get directed traffic. These will come to your store having clicked one of your ads so they will have read the ad and liked something about it or it could be that you have bid enough for it to appear on the top of the listings.

Payment options

You should always provide all secure payment options as different customers will use different payment methods thats conveniant to them.

International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (IAHBE)

Making Money From Home Just Got Easier! Presenting...The IAHBE!

What Is It? IAHBE stands for the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs. It is an organization that champions the home-business lifestyle and provides its members with a multitude of resources designed to achieve maximum home-business success. As an IAHBE member, you'll have exclusive access to an unparalleled, one-of-a-kind business-building arsenal of your own...complete with a constant flow of the fresh, pertinent information and advice you need to succeed--all collected, culled, researched, and reviewed for you in one easy-to-access package! Here's just a sample of the money-saving specials, home-business tools, and other power-packed resources you'll have at your fingertips as an Association member: * EXCLUSIVE articles on today's home-business topics that matter to you * Audio seminars from top home-business entrepreneurs. * Monthly Computer Q&As and Marketing Tidbits * Free monthly Windows and Macintosh software for your home business. * Exclusive monthly home-business book and tool reviews. * Marketing aids for generating sales and profits. * Subscriptions to top business magazines, such as Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur, etc. * Free best-selling books that cover the home-business landscape from A to Z. * Access to the IAHBE Web Resources directory for home-business owners. * Motivational Thought of the Day. * AND MORE!!! PLUS...you'll also receive instant access to the IAHBE archives, containing hours of home-business audio seminars from the experts, dozens of exclusive reports, exclusive interviews with the market's most successful entrepreneurs, and much more! As an IAHBE member, you'll be part of a select group of home-business owners whose search for trusted, helpful, and timely business-building tools and advice is over. No more wasted time trying to make sense of the overwhelming number of so-called "helpful" offers, deals, and information. You'll get the latest information, advice, special offers, and tools you need right now, accessible online, anytime, day or night. "In all, as an IAHBE member, you'll receive HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS worth of powerful business-building resources, updated every week!" OVER $1,000 IN FREE BONUSES: Just for trying the IAHBE, you'll also get $1,000 in free tools and resources that can get your business up and running as smooth as a well-oiled machine. Even if you decide the IAHBE is not for you, you can keep these free tools and put them to work in your business right away! A fantastic "IntroPak," available online, that, in addition to other goodies, includes certificates redeemable for over $1,000 in FREE BONUSES* including: * 12 FREE issues of Home Business Connection Magazine ($28.00 value) * FREE copy of the audio cassette "Underpaid & Overtaxed." Learn how to set up your home business to legally slash huge amounts off your tax bill. ($9.95 value) * FREE Copy of the book The Home Business Revolution's Greatest Entrepreneurs, Volume 1 ($17.95 value) * Certificate redeemable for $50 off Jack Zufelt's Conquering Force Audio Program * $50 off an ad in a Cutting Edge Media card deck * $25 off postcard printing * AND MORE! ! *small shipping & handling fee required on some items. Try the IAHBE for 30 days with NO RISK! Your purchase of an IAHBE membership (just $29.95). For a full 30 days from your order date, you can check out all the IAHBE benefits, tools, training, and resources with NO OBLIGATION. If at the end of 30 days, you're not delighted with your membership, simply print the refund form found at the IntroPak section of the IAHBE Website, fill it out and mail the refund form to us for a refund of your membership fees. You KEEP the $1,000 worth of free bonuses that came with your membership as our way of saying thanks for trying out the IAHBE.

THE FUTURE OF MAKING MONEY ONLINE

Being able to make money online is like the opening up of a whole new dimension within the free world economy. No longer is business tied to the physical stratosphere, now there's a whole new economic field within cyberspace. Within this new dimension of economic activity the whole world is brought together at the speed of light, showing itself through the millions of small monitor screens throughout the planet.

This is still only the dawn of a new and exciting era of technological revolution. In generations to come people may look back at this age and, in a way, be envious that we lived at a time when we have a still relatively new playing field of opportunity. Compare it, if you will, to the industrial revolution when people made fortunes through creative thought in a then virgin territory. Those that grasped the changes afoot and began to envision the possibilities opening up capitalised hugely on their vision.

I believe we are at a similar stage now. The Internet is still a relatively new arena and compared to how it will be for generation to come, still a ripe orchard for plucking ideas and opportunities. Sure, a lot of work and creative thought is still necessary. But as a medium to work in, and an area to focus your mind, the Internet can be a blessing. Think creatively and be inspired.

Financing Possibilities For Small Business

Either for starting up or growing up, your small business somehow needs proper financing to leverage your business growth.

One of my biggest mistakes as an entrepreneur and business owner is NOT to look for business financing when my businesses need them. Of course, I don’t take any loans to support my ailing business.

Why? Let us clarify a thing or two: If your businesses are in trouble, don’t take any financing programs - By all means, business financing is not for supporting your ailing business. Instead, commercial finance opportunities are meant to help your business break growth barrier and thrive.

Here is what you need to do before taking any commercial financing: You need to analyse your business first, fix things up second, and seek for proper financing third.

The purposes of commercial finance

According to Wikipedia, commercial finance is the function of offering loans to businesses. Commercial financing is generally offered by a bank or other lender… and the loans are either secured by business assets or alternatively can be unsecured, where the lender relies of the cash flows of the business to repay the facility.

For small business owners, commercial financing includes: Business start up loans, business lines of credit, business growth loans and hard money loans.

Obviously, commercial finance is purposed to help small business owners to leverage their business need of capital - This occurs in start up phase, in business growth campaign, in increasing asset liquidity, in securing business deal, and in any other capital-intensive business activities.

Where to look for commercial financing possibilities

Again, as I often suggest you before, you should search the Internet for commercial financing.

First, you should look for info on commercial finance, including the requirements on your side, which might include the availability of collateral for secured loans purpose.

Second, you need to look for a list of commercial lenders - mainly banks and local lenders - ready to work with you in providing capital. There are many commercial lending directories on the web, but I recommend you to look for the trusted ones, such as CFinance.com. If you are living in the US, the Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) always be the source for such lending - The SBA may provide either financing or insure a lender who takes a risk on a smaller company to provide commercial finance.

Some words of wisdom on commercial financing

From my experience, I can offer you the following tips:

• Always do your homework: Do your due diligence - Prepare the right documents to ace your commercial financing proposal. As important, do feasibility studies on your business - Measure your capability in paying back the loan principals and interests. Loans should help you grow and do more business, not drown yours in debts.
• Whenever possible, avoid unsecured loans as they are volatile and can easily drag you into debts if not treated right.
• Have the right mindset: As I have already mentioned early in this article, you should identify why you want to take commercial loans - Is it to help you leverage your business’ growth or to remedy your cash flow problems? The former is more desirable than the latter, as the latter will always increase your business’ risk of going bankrupt due to your inability to pay back debts later on.