| The research has been done and your head is aching | | | | tricky affair. Though they can be effective, they're also |
| from building an organizational chart and bare bones | | | | painfully commonplace, meaning that you'll need |
| financial model of your first year in business. Now | | | | something that grabs an audience's attention very |
| what? Now you plan how to market your start-up to | | | | effectively if you want to get anything for your |
| your customers, the fifth and final step of a feasibility | | | | advertising dollar. It will be a significant investment on |
| analysis. | | | | your part to get a radio advertising spot, and television |
| Those demographics you researched earlier are going | | | | even more so. |
| to become tremendously useful in this step. Further, the | | | | An effective commercial will be expensive, so make |
| costs of marketing should be factored into your | | | | sure you do it right, no matter what media you choose |
| financial planning in step four. In this step though, the | | | | to use. Professional help in making commercials will go |
| focus is on how to market. | | | | a long way, unless you yourself are a professional. It |
| No piece on marketing is complete without describing | | | | need not be top-notch professionals, but some basic |
| the advertising/marketing mediums first. The first and | | | | information will at least distinguish you from every |
| perhaps most important promoter is simple word of | | | | other poorly-made local business commercial. |
| mouth. The easiest way to win good press in this | | | | Direct mail, wherein a business mails printed |
| aspect is to please your customers. While it can make | | | | advertisements to people directly, is another solid |
| for a hard-to-ignore testimonial, word of mouth can | | | | advertising medium. It can work wonders for small |
| also be turned against a business. | | | | businesses catering to a local area, but it's also a |
| A single disappointed customer will generally talk to | | | | scattershot approach, in that the advertising is being |
| more people about their disappointment rather than | | | | thrown around all over an area, with no certainty that it |
| any good experience they had. Unfortunately, there's | | | | will strike a cord with even a single customer. |
| no way to control word-of-mouth marketing save for | | | | As with electronic mediums, you'll need to be clever |
| impersonating (or having someone else impersonate) | | | | about distinguishing your business' mail with the rest of |
| an ordinary customer and painting a positive picture of | | | | the junk mail your intended audience gets on a daily |
| your business. | | | | basis. |
| Before the world started to swirl around electronic | | | | Other than sinking more money into advertising than it |
| media like television, radio, and especially the internet, | | | | earns back, the other major mistake of marketing is |
| the one standard for communication was the written | | | | allowing your business to become over-exposed, so |
| word. While it is true that much electronic media has | | | | be careful how much you advertise. Additionally, if |
| replaced some of the value of written media, it is still | | | | you're clever about it, you can even get yourself some |
| the most affordable and easiest way for you to get | | | | free advertising. |
| the word out about your business to a massive | | | | Once you've finished planning your marketing and |
| audience quickly. | | | | factoring it in to your financial planning, then you should |
| Focus your efforts on specific publications that are | | | | have a pretty clear idea of whether or not your |
| likely to be picked up by your potential customers. | | | | business has a chance of succeeding. If things look |
| Focus on papers that deal with local affairs or trade | | | | rosy for your business, then you're on the right track. If |
| specific journals. You want to view every person who | | | | they look grim, remember that your plan can be |
| picks up that advertisement as a potential customer. | | | | changed to adapt, and that the right ideas can turn any |
| Electronic mediums, such as radio and television, are a | | | | business into a success. |