Marketing & advertising

Marketing is essential for your business survival and growth. It's all about getting your products to the right people.

Advertising

A key element of marketing is advertising. You can market your business through a variety of advertising means, including mail, email, developing your own website, online advertising, newspapers, magazines, television, radio and the phone book. Take care that your advertising gives your customers accurate and truthful information about your business.

Before deciding how you will advertise your business, you should analyse which advertising medium will best suit your customer base.

Develop a marketing plan

A marketing plan helps you to put together all your elements of marketing and advertising. It can give you a systematic approach to developing products and services to meet your customers' needs.

A good marketing plan sets clear, realistic and measurable objectives, includes deadlines, provides a budget and allocates responsibilities. A plan can consist of these elements:

• analysis of your current market
• key strategies
• steps to achieving your business objectives
• proposed budget
• timing.

Remember that your marketing plan should remain an ongoing process throughout the different stages of your business.