Public Relations Tips

Marketing Your Business The Vital Step For Success

I was on a training course recently and during the tea break got talking to a man who loved the idea of running his own business. However, he then went on to say he hated the idea of having to sell or market a business. Well, although I didn’t say this to him, it’s probably best that he stays in a salaried position if he really is that averse to marketing. Marketing is absolutely vital to the success of your business and you need to make time for it.

Marketing isn’t about the hard sell. There are so many ways to market a business that you’re bound to find a way that you enjoy. Dare I say it – marketing can even be FUN! You don’t have to do cold calling or public speaking if you don’t want to.

Personally, I love the whole topic of marketing and I even read marketing books for enjoyment! Often I find that the people who feel marketing and selling are “icky” are the ones who haven’t really troubled themselves to learn about what it takes. We don’t have to turn into used car salesmen or double glazing agents to market our businesses!

I’m making an assumption here that you started a business in an area you enjoy and are enthusiastic about. If you love what you do and are upbeat and enthusiastic, it will be much easier to get people interested in what you offer. Remember to find out more about what your prospects need and aim to understand a bit more about them before launching into talking about your business and what you can do for them.

I’ve run my own business for nearly seven years. The most important thing I have ever done to make my business successful is to learn about marketing and to regularly market my business – concentrating on the low cost and no cost options. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

No matter how good you are at what you do, not a lot will happen unless enough people know how good you are. Good marketing is what’s in the gap between too few clients and a waiting list of clients.

Make a decision today to find out more about what it takes to market your type of business. Then decide what you will do over the next six months to market your business. Make a written plan and monitor your progress.

Here’s a list of just some of the ways you can market your business: speaking, writing articles, a newsletter, postcards, special offers, press releases, competitions, direct mail, networking meetings, website, blog, teleclasses, social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, asking for referrals, using testimonials, teaching classes, brochures and fliers, your business card, promotional events and trade shows, bulletin boards and joint ventures with other business owners.

Shona Partridge is a small business marketing and PR expert and coach. She works with women entrepreneurs and the self employed, teaching PR, Marketing, Writing and Confidence skills. Shona is a licensed “Get Clients Now!” facilitator, PR professional, experienced coach and trained journalist. She’s the author of “Self Belief for the Self Employed: How Boosting your Confidence Can Boost Your Business” a new CD and workbook programme and creator of the marketing and PR training system”Marketing Mastery, 12 Key Steps to Success”.

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