By Joanne Kuipers

There are several keys to developing a  strategic marketing plan.

The first step is to define who your target market is. Who is your ideal customer? You cannot effectively go after everybody and be successful. You cannot be everything to everybody. It just doesn’t work. The businesses who become profitable know who their niche is. Look at what the demographic is of your ideal customer, whether it be their gender, age, income level, geographical location, sports or hobbies, interests, etc. Keep your  target market  in mind when promoting your business.

Next you need to decide how you are going to market or promote your business in order to get customers. You also have to know how much money you will need to budget for this and plan this out a year in advance.

Look at what your competition is doing in order to get  business marketing ideas . Do they promote heavily in print or do they use an internet marketing strategy.

Ask yourself ``where or how would my customers look for my type of business or service``.

Another important step is to develop a mission statement. It does not have to be lengthy, it just has to define who you are and what you stand for as a business. Why you are in business. This will also help to keep you focused.

There are several inexpensive  small business marketing tips  you can use to promote your business such as having a referral program, become an expert in your field by writing articles for blogs and  local print media.  I would also recommend using web marketing strategies. Internet marketing is becoming more and more important and if done correctly is one of the least expensive ways to promote your business.

Referral Program

You may want to implement a referral program where you would reward your current customers when they get a new client for you. It could be monetary, gift cards, simple thank you note. You decide how valuable this is for you. Or simply, get into the habit of asking for referrals!

Become the Expert in Your Field

Write articles and get them published in your local newspaper, magazines, or on-line. This is free publicity and it works! People are more likely to read an article than look at an ad, and it gives you credibility.

Internet Advertising and Marketing

This is a great way to promote your business. It is very cost effective. The first thing you need to do is get a website. I recommend building it with search engine optimization in mind from the beginning. You do not want to have it redone later on if you want it to be optimized. Some web designers say that they can do this but you need to find someone that does it all the time. The search engine marketing strategies are always changing so you need to hire someone who is doing it every day. There is a lot of competition out there. By using an effective  internet marketing strategy  you will have an edge on your competition!