*#4 of 7 post series for Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Ahhh, marketing. That huge elephant in the room.  You know you need to do it to succeed but it can be overwhelming. When it comes to marketing, entrepreneurs usually fall into 2 categories: 1. the “I’ve got a ton of ideas!” or 2. “I have absolutely no clue.”

So what is marketing?

Marketing is a form of communication between you and your customers with the goal of selling your product or service to them. Communicating the value of what you have to offer and how it will fill their need and/or solve their problem.

It’s important to let your adoring fans-to-be know you exist. With so much ‘noise’ in the marketplace, it’s easy to get lost and even if you’ve got the next best thing since sliced bread, no one will know without your marketing efforts.

We all know that we should be marketing our business but How? Where? When?

Because marketing in this digital age is complex, there isn’t a simple one-size-fits-all solution to developing an effective marketing strategy.

If you’re in the ‘no clue’ category, hire a professional. There are some incredibly savvy marketing experts (I know a few!) who can make your life so much easier and your business much more visible. If you’re in the “I’ve got a ton of ideas” category – awesome! But still get help from a professional unless your business IS marketing. LOL!

If used effectively, marketing campaigns and strategies can give you insights into who your target market is. Especially if you’ve been in business for while and you find that your revenue is not growing, or worse, dipping, a targeted marketing campaign can shine some light on what’s happening with the marketplace and whether it’s an anomaly or you need to pivot.

The “Where” and “When” will be based on your target market. If they’re on Facebook, so are you. If they’re avid forum readers, you’re going to be writing posts or having an opinion. If they are the ‘glued to their phone’ video people, then you’re going to be making a lot of videos!

Especially if you’re starting out, try different campaigns in different areas to determine where your market is. You could also send out a poll to your existing customers and ask them how they found you.

For a better insight into the four P’s of marketing, check out this article:

https://www.coursera.org/articles/4-ps-of-marketing/

And if you want to take it to the next level, add another ‘P’ – People.

If this seems too daunting or you’d rather have someone else take care of your marketing for you, either myself, or one of my marketing colleagues can have that conversation with you.

Now Go Get  Connected!

An award-winning Leader, Entrepreneur and Business Development Consultant, Cathy teaches entrepreneurs how to increase their influence; build their business and stay sane while doing it. She helps you to let go of limiting beliefs to “Stand Up, Stand Out & Step Forward” for business success. Named one of the Top Ten Mentors by StartUp Canada, Cathy is recognized across the country for her expertise on “All Things Small Biz”. She is the Founder of The Connected Woman Association, is a Director on the Board of WeBC (formerly the Women’s Enterprise Centre), author of numerous books and articles specifically the internationally known “Daily Espressos- Your Read it and Delete it Kickstart to Your Day”, and is a networking maven. (whew!)

For information on upcoming workshops, business coaching or to engage Cathy as a Keynote speaker at your next event, visit www.cathykuzel.com