Effective small business marketing is the lifeblood of any small business. An unsettling high percentage of small businesses fold within the first year of operation with most of the first year survivors closing shop by the end of the third year. Effective small business marketing starts with being able to write a simple and practical marketing plan, specifically for your business. This marketing plan then forms the basis of all your marketing efforts and acts as a reference point when you have to decide between two or more courses of action. The result of following a well constructed marketing plan is that all your different marketing efforts form part of a co-ordinated strategy aimed at attaining your predetermined goal. That is in stark contrast to the marketing efforts of most small businesses and immediately puts you ahead of the pack.

Effective small business marketing naturally comes with some challenges – and advantages. Challenges might include a lack of marketing savvy, a limited marketing budget, time constraints especially if you are a one person business and so on. Anyone who has run a small business should recognise the danger of spending too much time working in the business rather than on the business. There are many advantages however in marketing a small business as opposed to a corporate giant. These include a lack of a hierarchy of decision makers, no red tape to fight through to get anything done, direct contact with your target market and many more. Effective small business marketing should and can be the cornerstone of every small business. Your simple yet effective marketing plan is the map that will guide you out of the woods towards a profitable business, irrespective of the market segment you operate in.

Among the first decisions to make will be what you are interested in setting up. Are you going to sell a product or a service? Are you going to be a Sole Proprietor or a C Corp? Maybe an S Corp is the right way to go. Whatever the decision, consulting with a small business expert or accountant is in order. You can usually find one through the small business bureau in your state government or through the Federal Small Business Administration office in your state. Some colleges and universities also have small business service offices. Whatever the venue, talk to someone who has the experience of starting up an independent home based business. The point to realize is that you are not going to be perceived as the wonderful individual you are, but as a hard nosed capitalist out to make a buck. This perception is the same for the customer to whom you will be selling your product or service, and the government, local, state and Federal, who will see you as a source of tax revenue.

The next decision has to do with the nature of the online business. If you are going to sell a product, then the affiliate marketing world is going to be the world you will need to master. Your choice will be to sell other people’s product or service in return for a commission or to create your own product or service to sell to the online world. Both of these options involve a host of skill sets and software packages that can be daunting for the newcomer.