Small Business Coaching on The 3-Step Approach to Marketing Your Business

By Allison Babb

Small business owners are tempted to throw in the towel at hearing that 95% of businesses fail within the first 5 years. They think, "why bother." Those determined to be in control of their own lives, and those with an unstoppable entrepreneurial drive think "I'll beat the odds." and they set out to discover precisely how to do just that. And if you're still reading this article, that's a telling sign that you're most likely in the determined-to-succeed crowd. Congratulations! :-)

Marketing is a huge part of small business success and unfortunately, most entrepreneurs either avoid or ignore the marketing aspect of their business (to their peril). Most often, the reason is confusion or really just not knowing what marketing is or how to do it.

What is it?

Marketing is how you get customers and customers are the lifeblood of your business. Without marketing, you don't have a business or your business ends up in a perpetual struggle for survival. You know you are in this struggle when it feels like you are trying everything to keep your business alive, but it is not working. Dan Kennedy, known as the millionaire maker, teaches that marketing has 3 components - your market (who), your message (what) and your media (how)

How to do it?

Step One: Get VERY specific about who you want to sell to - your target market. I know I've said this a lot but it's worth repeating - If everyone is your target audience, you are living a recipe for business failure. If you do not know precisely who your target audience is, you cannot know their pains and struggles. Knowing their key pains and struggles is how you develop your marketing message.

Step Two: Figure out your message to your target market. In determining your message, first, you must know what makes you unique. Every business must ask themselves what makes them different than the competition. It could be price, an irresistible offer, creating something that addresses what your customers don't like about your competition, you powerful mission, your

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

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