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Marketing a small business is exactly the same as marketing any other size of business; it is only scale that changes. It doesn't matter whether you are McDonalds, Coca Cola or a one man business, there are some fundamental principles that apply.

Forget all the marketing jargon you might have heard, it's just there to make the marketers feel important. All you really need to market a small business is a bit of common sense.

When it comes to marketing you really have two choices: you can spend time or you can spend money. Actually, you can spend a combination of the two, but the point is there are some things you can do yourself, if you have time, and there are some things you'll have to outsource to a specialist company, printing for example, or maybe website design.

Here are some pointers:-

1. Set objectives and be realistic about them. It's not enough to say that you want to "increase sales". By how much do you want to increase sales, and over what time scale? Are there particular products and services in your range that you would like to sell over others? Are there particular geographic areas where you want to increase your presence?

2. Set a realistic budget to achieve your objectives. If you can't afford it, revise your objectives. Don't try to achieve ambitious goals with insufficient funds; you will fail.

3. Use your budget wisely. If you are not sure what will work and what won't, invest in a marketing consultant to help you. It is important that you get the best return on investment possible so don't be afraid to ask for help.

4. If you undertake any type of marketing activity (for example advertising, a website, a newsletter etc) do it well. Make sure all your marketing material is professionally produced and portrays the right image. It is better to do two things well than to try and spread the budget too thinly and do six things badly. Again, invest in outside help if you need it.

5. MEASURE the results. If you don't know what worked and what didn't, how do you know what to do next?

It is impossible to give specific advise on marketing a small business, and if anyone tries to, don't listen. Each business is unique and has its own set of peculiar circumstances, objectives and characteristics and an effective marketing plan can only be written with detailed knowledge of those specifics. The same basic principles apply, however, no matter what:-

1. Define your target market and make sure that all your marketing communications materials (website, advertisements, brochures, emails etc) are focussed on speaking DIRECTLY to these people.

2. Make sure that your message is clear. People can handle one primary message in any piece of marketing communications material, with one or maybe two secondary messages. Don't bombard people with information and make sure that what you do say is easily understood and not open to misinterpretation.

3. Remember that a person has to see, hear or read your message seven times before they remember it. That is why the big corporations bombard you from every angle with their marketing.

4. If you can afford it, use different methods of communication rather than relying on just one; people respond to things in different ways.

5. Make every dollar, pound, euro or yen you spend on marketing really count.

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