In the past couple days, I have written about basic marketing techniques and ideas. I think it is a good idea to get back to basics periodically and focus on those little details that are involved in running and growing a small business. When it comes to how you promote your own home based business, it is important to figure out what works well; what are the most reliable marketing activities and to use those regularly as you promote your products or services.
The reason you should focus on what is reliable for YOUR home business is that not every marketing approach works equally well for every type of business. If you find something that works well for you and that you can count on to get the word out about what you are up to in your business operations, then you should trust that. Instead of trying to be like everyone else or feeling badly because you do not have a grand advertising and marketing budget—if it is reliable, and it works, use it and come back to it again and again. Don’t worry if something else works better for your best friend’s business (but is not as reliable for you).
In evaluating what is the most reliable marketing strategy—consider not only what is affordable and do-able for you, but also what is dependable and gets the desired results. As for what the results are that you are looking for, you will have to evaluate that based on your needs and expectations for your home business (a good business plan and budget can help, as well as some research on your target market)—but if you are spending time and money on marketing techniques that just are not bringing in the results, it may be time to let them go and concentrate on the more reliable strategies.