Develop an Effective Marketing Strategy for Your Business

1. Conduct Market Research and Analysis.  Do not make assumptions about your target audiences.  Conduct research to answer these questions:
   - Who and where are they? 
   - Can you provide the services and products they want? 
   - What is a fair, competitive and reasonable price for your services? 
   Look at your competition and ask how your organization and products compare.
2. Determine Your Product Profile.  Examine the products you have to offer and see if you can match them to the demands of each of your markets. 
   - Do you have what they want? 
   - Are your products priced competitively? 
   - Can your audiences afford them? 
   You may need to make adjustments to your products to make them more relevant to the needs of your market.
3. Create Compelling Messages.  Create messages that speak directly to your target audiences and address what they want.  Be specific and make sure you have the facts to back up your assertions.  Message consistency and coordination are essential to effective marketing.
4. Implement Your Small Business Marketing Strategy.  Your marketing strategy should designate how your messages will be delivered.  Be creative while focusing on your goals, audiences, and messages.  Components might include: participation in community events, conferences, flyers, posters, exhibits, meetings, and public speaking engagements.
5. Monitor the Budget.  Be exact and realistic when putting together your budget.  This will help you determine which components of your strategy can be completed right away.  Remember not to lose sight of your goals.
6. Evaluate the Impact.  Without an evaluation phase, you will not be sure your marketing strategy is successful.  By measuring the success of marketing strategies, you can determine whether or not you are using your resources wisely and can make mid-course corrections to successfully attain your goals.

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