In the last post, we took a look at the 4 P’s of marketing. In this post, we are going to take a deeper look at the last P – promotion. Actually, I just realized that for some people, marketing is all about the promotion. While this may be true to a certain degree, we cannot overlook the planning that goes before promotion. That was discussed in the previous posts. Now what are some of the strategies that you can employ when it comes to promotion?

There are actually a lot of strategies to choose from. Here are some of the most common ones, which have been tried and tested:

• advertising media
• print media (newspaper, magazine, classified ads, Yellow Pages advertising, brochure)
• radio
• television
• networking
• business cards
• tee shirts, hats, buttons, pens

The question now is which strategies to employ. One thing that I should emphasize from the beginning is that you should not limit yourself to one option. These strategies could actually work together and indeed, the results may be better if they are combined. The idea is to be able to identify clearly which strategies will be able to effectively reach out to your target market. This means that it has to be clear in your mind who your target clientele is. Once you have this down pat, then you can pick out the strategies that will most likely cater to these people. The next step is to focus on these strategies and to develop materials and other necessary resources in order to implement your plan.

Marketing is an oft-used term in the business world. Though most everyone knows what it means, not everyone fully understands what marketing entails. More so, not everyone is convinced that marketing is important – especially when it comes to small businesses. The way that some people think is that since it’s just a small endeavor, it would not really need marketing anyway.

If you think that way, you couldn’t be more wrong! Marketing is an essential part of any business, whatever the size! Marketing should be at the top of your list of priorities when starting up a business. Now, what if you are the only person working for your business? Where will you find time to engage in marketing activities?

That is a very good question. It is understandable that as you are still starting up, you might not have the time and resources to launch a full fledged marketing campaign. As such, you can think of incorporating some marketing practices into your already existent activities.

For example, take advantage of the social and business functions that you attend. Whether you go to a charity dinner or a party at your club, you should be ready to market your business. Looking at it in another way, you can even build stronger relationships with existing and potential clients by extending invitations to such functions to them.

Another way of marketing would be to share pertinent information with other people. For example, while reading the news or other relevant publication, you can choose to send an article to people with a note that reads something like “I though you would be interested.” Take note, however, that you shouldn’t spam. Make sure that what you send is really relevant to the recipient.

More on marketing next time.

In the previous post, we took a look at some ideas which you can consider if you want to start a small business. These small business ideas are relatively easy to implement and will be feasible even if you do not have much capital on hand. Here are some more of these small business ideas.

Got organizational skills?
There are so many people out there who have no organized bone in their body. Trust me, I know a LOT of them. And if you have those skills, why not peddle them and make money? What you can do is put out an ad, either in your local newspaper or online (like Craigslist). This would not cost you much – in fact, some ad placements are free. You just might be surprised at how many clients you can get.

Got design skills?
Again, not everyone was born with an eye for aesthetics. If you have this talent, then you should capitalize on it. You have so many options with regard to this. One, you can start your own desktop publishing services. All you need is your computer and a high quality printer. If you already dabble with this stuff, then you wouldn’t need much cash outlay. Two, you can sell your services as a house decorator or a consultant. You can help design-challenged people make their homes look better (I am one of those, by the way). Three, if you are blog savvy then you can design templates and widgets for a fee. A lot of people are already doing this – why can’t you?

The best time to start a small business to operate on the side is NOW. I am sure that you can use an infusion of extra cash at the moment. And while you still have a job, it would be good to spend your spare time trying to earn a little bit more. Here are some ideas that can help you get on your way to being a businessperson.

Take advantage of the Web
Be a webpreneur! The best thing about making money online is that you do not have to spend too much to start up your business. You also do not need to make drastic changes in your lifestyle. All you need is your computer and a connection to the Internet. You might need to spend money on a domain and hosting services but these can be had for less than $50.

Make use of your talents
Every person has a special area wherein he can be considered an expert. With your experience and credentials, you can set yourself up a consulting business. This will not require all your time – you can still work your day job. Print yourself up a nice set of business cards and be on the look out for prospective clients all the time.

Take care of other people’s houses or pets
In other words, take a look into house sitting or pet sitting services. This is especially applicable if you have a lot of spare time. You can start small – with you as the sole employee. Put out ads in your neighborhood to attract business. If the demand proves to be high, you can eventually hire help.