finally taking the step to market your business

You have made it and the time has finally arrived for you to market your business. Well, it is certainly an amazing feat with all of the work you have already put in, but now it is time for everyone else to find out about your business as a brand and why it is so great. Where do you begin? Will it be expensive? How long will this take? Is it right for my business? All of these are great questions that you should be asking yourself and PME is ready to answer.

​First, where do you begin?

​Well, you have to know where you are in order to know where you are going. Once you know your current position, you can establish a baseline and set the proper goals for your future. When are you set to open for business? Do you have a retail business, a service driven business or a web business? Have you hired anyone to do your marketing for you  or will you be doing all of the marketing yourself? Do you have a logo yet? How about a tag line or mantra? Answer these questions for yourself so that you know where to begin. This will determine what steps you need to take in order to start creating  your marketing plan.

​Become familiar with knowing what these numbers are. What is each customer monetarily worth to you? What are your current overhead costs? Do you plan on doing any hiring within the next six months to a year? If so, how many employees? What does each employee cost you? Make a list of any upcoming equipment purchases that are needed for this year. The goal here is to determine a budget for the year prior to any marketing costs. If you can at least come up with an estimate, that will help you in creating a decent budget for your marketing. Understand that budgets can change each year. Your job is to make sure you stay within your budget.

Will it be expensive?

​That is entirely up to you. Marketing can be as expensive or inexpensive as you desire it to be. You have to decide what the most important needs for your business are. The best thing to do is to create a budget up front of what you deem as affordable. Then you stay within that range in regards to your budget for your marketing. It is best to work with an expert that can assist you with staying within your budget in order for you to be able to market your business in the best way possible.

​How long will this take?

​It depends on what marketing avenues you select. Some things can be totally controlled in regards to time and some things cannot. Especially when you are dealing with 3rd parties that have mandatory waiting periods that you can't do anything about. That is just the way business works. Just focus on the things that are within your control regarding time and set up a schedule based on priority. If you are working with a marketing company, make them aware of your timelines. Keep communication open so that timelines and goals can be met appropriately.

​Is this right for my business?

​Marketing is right for every business. You just have to know what type of marketing is right for your business. If you have a web business, how are you going to brand yourself to stand out above your competition? What kind of content will you need to separate yourself from the other websites?  If you have a retail business, have you printed any flyers or brochures as of yet? Will they appeal to your customers and make them want to come see you?