So what is marketing?

Marketing is a broad range of strategies that you can use to grow your business, and ultimately increase your bottom line. Everyday you are actively marketing your business, from how you answer the telephone to the copy writing in your advertising and promotions.

Unfortunately for most businesses marketing doesn’t tend to get the attention it deserves. Rarely is the strategy written down, and even more rarely is it strategically reviewed.

To successfully market your business you need to consider:
· who is your market,
· what are the key messages you want to get across to your target audience,
· what is your point of difference to your competitors,
· what are the key mediums relevant to your market to get your messages out there (for example newspapers, tv, internet, radio, direct mail),
· how will you measure the effectiveness of your marketing.

Successful marketing doesn’t have to cost the earth. The key is to ensure you have a good understanding of the main principles of marketing so you can ensure the money you are investing gets you results.

Each week this column will unpackage the various elements of marketing, giving tips and pointers on how to more effectively market your business to ensure you are getting the best return on your marketing spending.

“This article was written by Tracy-Madonna Wylie, Business Manager, Nutbirdz Strategic Marketing, and printed in the My Marketing Companion column of the Fraser Coast Chronicle in 2007.”