Marketing your small business is easy. Really. It can be frustrating when it seems like your efforts arent paying off. By following these three strategies, youll be on your way to marketing success.

1. Know your niche. Choosing a target market will help you focus your marketing efforts. If you aren't sure who to market to, how will you effectively choose advertising outlets and marketing activities?

Knowing your niche will also help you create products and services your potential customers are interested in. Hang out where they hang out and ask them what they need. Create products and services to meet those needs - voila! Sales will follow.

2. Start an e-zine. And if you already have one, actively promote it.

If you build a mailing list, you will have a group of people who have told you they are interested in your products, and, you can consistently market to them over and over again. The key is to actively promote your list, and get as many subscribers as possible. A great way to entice people to sign up for your list is to give them something in return. For example, you could give away an e-book, a report or an e-course.

You may be worried that you cant write well, or that writing isnt exactly your favorite thing to do. No worries. If youre not a writer, there are article banks where you can pick up great content that your niche will love. Do an Internet search on article bank and youll find hundreds of sites that provide great content.

3. Be consistent. You need to be in front of people on a consistent basis so that they will get to know you, and they will remember you when the need for your products or services arises.

If you decide to do an e-zine, publish it consistently. If you decide to write articles, do it on a regular schedule. Whatever efforts work for you, do them regularly.

A good rule of thumb is to spend about 1 to 2 hours per day on your marketing activities. This will ensure that your name is consistently pushed out into the market.

4. Choose marketing activities that you love. For example, if you love networking, make that a part of your marketing activities.

If you choose marketing activities that you love, you will be continually motivated to carry them out. You do not have to engage in activities that arent authentic to you. There are plenty of activities to choose from.

Create a marketing plan using the tips above and act on it consistently. Remember, people will purchase products and services from those they know, like and trust. Allow people to get to know you by engaging them on a regular basis. Before you know it, your efforts will be paying off, and you'll have a powerful business.

Copyright 2006 Jennifer Givler