It's Always Campaign Season

When it comes to marketing your business, its always "campaign season." Whether you're creating awareness, implementing a promotion strategy, or building your brand, carrying out regular marketing campaigns is crucial to the success and health of your business.

Stick With the Winners

When planning your next marketing campaign, think about the strategies that have worked for your business in the past, and try to repeat them. Don't be afraid to drop the activities that no longer work for you; instead, stick with the ones that bring in the best results. Also, try to include some new online marketing techniques in your marketing mix, like email marketing or web advertising. Online marketing is typically inexpensive to try, easy to track, and is very effective for most types of businesses. Remember to always test and measure all of your campaigns so that you can identify the winners and drop the losers.

Diversify Your Efforts

Using a variety of methods to promote your business is always a good idea, since experts tell us that consumers mentally integrate information better when they get it from many sources. Getting your message out by using several different techniques will help your customers "learn" your message and remember your company the next time they need your products or services.

Look for Lasting Results

Marketing your business is an ongoing process, so look for activities that have staying power. For instance, press releases stick around in news archives and on media web sites, providing inbound links to your web site long after the news was released. You can also look for marketing strategies that lend themselves to repetition, like sending out monthly newsletters (or e-newsletters, which are less expensive to send), or renewing annual business memberships like Chambers of Commerce or professional associations. This type of consistency will help protect your business from sporadic marketing attempts that are often too short-lived to have much impact.

Consistency is Key

The most important part of marketing your business is to be consistent make sure you are implementing marketing campaigns on a regular basis, not just every now and then. Try to reach your customers using a steady stream of marketing methods (e.g., your web site, email campaigns, direct advertising, e-newsletters, print, etc.), so that your customers and potential customers remember your message and your company the next time they shop.

Lauren Hobson is the Editor of Biz Talk Newsletter, a free monthly publication designed to provide small businesses and non-profits with tips and techniques to help them make the most of their web sites and marketing efforts without spending a lot of money. Biz Talk is published by Five Sparrows, LLC.