No matter what business you are involved in, you must remember that you are first in the marketing business. Unless you let people know exactly what you do and how you do it, your business will be the best kept secret in the universe.
By thinking about your business in this way you put yourself in the enviable position of being able to create your business in the exact way that you intend. Every time someone asks you what you do you can refine your answer until it sounds and feels just right to you. In this way you can eliminate the parts of your business that you do not enjoy and do not bring you the most revenue, while increasing the parts that you are more passionate about and that brings you a higher return for the time and effort you put into them. Over a period of time your business will be exactly as you had originally jumped it would be when you started it up.
If you have been in business for many years you more than probably already have a business plan that you set up annually. For marketing purposes it is more effective to look at your business on a quarterly basis, deciding how to wish to embark on a new three month period of advertising, marketing, and goal setting.
By looking at the previous quarter's goals, budget, efforts, and results you can make the necessary changes to your plan that will boost your bottom line. If one area of your marketing plan did not produce the results you had hoped for you can look more closely at it and see how and what you will need to change.
Having a plan is the first step to having success with marketing. Give yourself time to brainstorm ideas with your marketing professional and make decisions based on their recommendations as well as your experience and goals.
