8 Ways You Can Market Your Home Based Business

8 Ways You Can Market Your Home Based Business

One of the most critical tasks for a home based or small business owner is to market your business. Success or failure will depend on the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Now, don't be afraid of that big word. It only means that you need to have a plan on how you intend to market your business. No, you don't need to have a Degree in Business Marketing to compete with your competitors but you DO need to have common sense. Here are a few suggestions to help you :

1. Keep expanding your network.
You family and friends may be a great way to find support of your business, but you need to expand your network to keep the referrals coming. A simple way is to imagine who would need your product or service and then look for ways to get in touch with these people. Chamber of commerce meetings, PTA meetings, local residents association, trade shows, professional conferences and cold calls are all effective ways of maki! ng contact with potential customers. Networking through online message boards and mailing lists can also be very effective. Be a valuable contributor to these forums and you'll find that people will be open when you make contact with them.


2. Find needs you can fill and ask if you can fill them
The first step to this is to keep an open mind. When you're talking with your neighbour or friend or you see something happen in your local supermarket...and you think to yourself - what they need is.... If you can provide a service that they need, approach them and ask if you can help them out with your product or service. In other words, don't be shy to ask for business.

3. Talk to people.
This is an extension to the first suggetion. It's important to talk with all sorts of people - your supermarket cashier, friends at a wedding, the man sitting next to you in the subway. Ask what they do for a living and chances are they will ask you in return. You never kn! ow when these conversations can turn out to be the start of ne! w busine ss relationships.

4. Advertise.
It helps to know about your target market. If they're likely to be professionals, then pay per click advertising can be an effective and affordable way to find targetted customers for your home based business. Small classified ads in your local paper can also be effective if your market is not so internet savvy and more likely to look for information through conventional means.

5. Be careful when you say you run a "home business"
Although more than 50 percent of small businesses are "home based", many people still perceive home businesses to be "lower class" or unprofessional. That's not to say that you have to lie. You are running a legitimate business that offers an important product or service - that's what matters. Home is just the location of the office.

6. Give a free demonstation of your product.
There are lots of ways to do this. Ask your local community center if they'd mind allowing you to demonstrate yo! ur product where you will also give free samples. If you offer services like programming or web development, build a website for a friend or your local charity. Offer your artwork to local restaurants and diners. You could place little notes at the bottom corner of your artwork informing them that those pieces are for sale and to contact ask the restaurant management about them. Give the restaurant a commision for every sale.

7. Lean from others.
Attend forums, meeting, seminars and workshops. They don't necessarily have to be about your industry. Just learning in general helps you become a better entrepreneur. Of course it helps if you participate in talks that are industry related. That's where you learn specifics about your industry from others who have more experience or have succeeded. Make learning a life-long process and your business can only benefit from it.

8. Build rapport.
It's imperative that you get your prospects contact details - email, ! phone number, address. That way you can build an email or mail! ing data base where you send periodic news about your industry. Just because a prospect doesn't buy today doesn't mean that they will never buy from you ever. But if you don't remind them about your business and they DO forget you, then your chances of making that sale one day goes from slim to zero. Remember too that just because a prospect doesn't need your product or services, they may give your contact number to someone else who does. Just remember, don't spam them with unnecessary emails and junk mail.

Remember that there are more ways to market your product or service than can ever be listed in an article or book. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and lots of perseverance.

By: Andrew Shim

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Andrew Shim is the owner and editor of PositiveMoneyI! deas.com a website which offers home based money making ideas to MAKE MONEY for those interested in starting their own freelance or home based business. Visit Andrew's blog at www.HomeWithAndrew.com

By: Andrew Shim

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Andrew Shim is the owner and editor of PositiveMoneyIdeas.com a website which offers home based money making ideas to MAKE MONEY for those interested in starting their own freelance or home based business. Visit Andrew's blog at www.HomeWithAndrew.com

Source: h! ttp://ww w.articledashboard.com/Article/8-Ways-You-Can-Market-Your-Home-Based-Business/317305
Home Based Business Articles Blog