Marketing tips for a small business

When you are marketing for your small business, there are certain considerations that you should take into account. While there is a lot of different strategies that you can use, when it comes to marketing a product or service, small business marketing must be more concise and even more effective.Many small business owners assume that they must use methods like putting an ad in the paper, handing out flyers, or even making a television commercial.However, there are lots of different ways to market your product or service. Keep in mind that if your marketing efforts aren't getting the results that you had hoped for, there are some less common marketing tips that may be right for you. Taking a different angle at approaching how you market your product or service,may just be what you need to get your name out there,and even save yourself some money in the process. Here are some marketing tips for a small business-

• Always market for the appropriate size of your business. It can be tempting to fall into the mentality of "the more customers, the merrier!" however, your should understand that sometimes cutting back on the number of people that you market to is the better business option. It is important to realize that small businesses really can't afford to be marketing, like their bigger competitors. What small businesses need to be doing is to be focusing on, providing information to your customers about your product or service, and giving them a way to contact you.
• Reconsider your pricing strategy-Sometimes people want what you have to offer but can't afford to pay the price.If you are confident in your pricing strategy, a good solution to this problem is to offer a cheaper or non-premium version, of your product. Especially in times of financial hardship, customers are more willing to accept a product of lower quality, that they can also get the lower price. You could also combine a number of products to make a premium package. The perceived value of a premium product is higher, and therefore the customer will be willing to pay more. The result is that you can widen your product line in terms of appealing to a number of price points. Best of all this is without all the effort of researching and developing entirely new products.
• Realize that sometimes smaller is better-Sometimes having smaller ads that are more widely dispersed, is better than having several long ads that are strategically placed. You may want to consider running more ads, for the same cost by reducing the amount that you pay for each ad. You may be surprised to find that your shorter ads may generate a better response than the lengthy ones. Another way to make the same amount of marketing money go farther is to combine your resources with those of other small businesses (that you do not compete with). This doesn't have to be complicated you could do something simple like agree to have their business cards at your front desk, and in exchange they will do the same for you. The bottom line is that the cost of joining forces with complimentary small businesses is low, but the results can be surprisingly beneficial.
• Make good customer service part of your marketing strategy-If you treat your current customers well, you will benefit from the new contacts and referrals, that they can generate for you. Keep in mind that it is much easier to promote your business through your existing customers, than it is to get new customers' attention. Keep in mind that what your existing customers can do to promote your business is much more personal, affordable, and effective, than anything that you can do yourself.