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The small business owner's advertising campaign

To begin your advertising campaign you must first target your audience, which should be included in your business plan. If you don't have a business plan, it is a good idea to write one. Include your advertising campaign in your business plan along with your target audience. Who are the people who will most likely buy your product or your service? This is your target audience.

The way to target your audience effectively is to do some research regarding the industry that you are involved in. The reference section of your library or a college or university library will have books on industry.

Once you know the kinds of people to target, you should begin to target the community and the actual groups of people that will be interested in your product. If you are selling health foods for instance vegetarians and people who eat organic food might be your target audiences.

Once your target is established, you will then decide what types of advertising you will use for your target audience. You should develop a time-line of your goals at reaching your target audience.

Information about your industry, your target audience, advertising, and your time-line goal for reaching your target audience should all be included in the business plan. With a business plan, you have an effective tool to guide every step of your campaign.

Try these advertising techniques once you have targeted your audience

* press release

* telemarketing

* excellent customer service

* cards, flyers, posters

* lottery or give-a-way

* small classified ad in local paper

* booth at a flea market or the mall

* discounts

* coupons

Your campaign

First do your press release. Then start your telemarketing campaign. You should have by now compiled a list of your target people. Once people start using your service or buying your product give each person excellent service. Don't judge a person by looks - if the customer looks like a bag lady or street bum give him your best customer service. This one might have more money than all the rest.

Wherever you go hand out your business cards. Send flyers periodically to your target people offering discounts, coupons, give-a-ways. Take your flyers to other friendly business people and ask them if you can leave a stack. Posters and flyers can also be hung in places like supermarkets or wherever there is a bulletin board.

Decide what you can give away for free and make up coupons for people to fill out and put in your lottery box. You will give away one or two items, people will find out about your business, and you will have a mailing list. You can set up a booth at the mall or flea markets with your product your business cards, flyers, and the lottery box. Once in awhile invest in a small classified ad.

Don't try anything bigger than your budget can handle at least for the first year. Some businesses take 10 years to break even. Over half of businesses are out of business before the first year ends. This is because they overestimated the income they would make on their beginning business and overspent on advertising without targeting.

Learn more about this author, Colette Georgii.
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