We're all familiar with many brands - you see them every day, and you would probably recognize their logo: McDonald's golden arches, Mercedes-Benz hood ornament, Nike's swoosh. These companies have spent millions and possibly billions of dollars making their brands recognizable, because they know that when consumers make a split second buying decision, then brand recognition is an extremely valuable asset and can generate sales.

April is always a special month for me. I get to watch the best golfers in the world play the most beautiful golf course in the world - the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. I would love to take my shoes off, tickle my toes in the lush green grass, stare at the gorgeous azaleas and listen to the birds chirp.

The Masters is one of the toughest tickets to get in sports. The waiting list is years long - if you can get on it at all. Isn't it wonderful how The Masters has distinguished itself from all other tournaments?

One important aspect of marketing is branding - the ability to distinguish your products and services from the competition. Look at some of the ways The Masters has done this.

1. The people who attend the other tournaments are the "gallery." The people who pay a premium price to attend The Masters are called "Patrons."

2. Television interviews and the winner's presentation are conducted in a special studio in the Butler Cabin.

3. The winner gets a huge trophy, but also gets something much more important - a green jacket.

Branding is not just all about the logo - it can be any aspect of your goods or services. Some examples: For a plumber, it could be "Use our Speedy-Pump service - guaranteed clog removal in one hour or less." For an auto repair shop: "Auto Concierge - drop off your car, and we'll take you to work in our limo. We'll pick you up when it's ready, and you'll come back to a clean, freshly vacuumed car!" Yes, these types of things would cost you money, but how much additional could you charge for your services when offering premiums like these?

Take a look at your business and ask yourself some questions. What can you do to make your business or organization different from all the others? How can you brand your products or services to make them more valuable and desirable? Make your business stand out, and watch your sales grow!

Phillip Baker, CAS, is a 29 year veteran of advertising and marketing and is an expert in promotional products, integrated marketing and advertising consulting. He can be reached at 850 995 9557. Visit http://www.bakercreativeadvertising.com to enter to win $1,000 in promotional products or subscribe to the free Marketing Magik newsletter and podcast.

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Peaks and valleys are nothing new to small business people - especially those who provide "once-in-a-while" services. I'm thinking of Realtors, home stagers, decorators, plumbers, electricians, photographers, house painters, remodeling contractors, home building contractors, and every other service provider who is needed only a few times in any one person's lifetime.

Why are peaks and valleys so common? Because small business people don't have a marketing staff to keep new business coming in. They generally do it themselves, and quite often give it far less time than they should.

Also, most small businesses don't have a plan to follow. So, when business is booming and they have almost too many customers to serve at one time, no marketing goes on.

I've been there myself. When I was a Realtor there were times when I had to make a list of all the transactions and what needed to be done for each client - just so I wouldn't forget something important.

I went home at the end of the day feeling like a limp rag, with my brain turned to mush. Instead of taking an hour to work on marketing, I took an hour for a bubble bath.

The result, of course, was the same result you're getting if you stop marketing when business is good. When those jobs are finished you look around and wonder where the next customers are coming from.

What's the solution? After all, you can't go out and buy some extra hours to stuff into your day.

First, use the next lull to place an ad, write a letter, send your newsletter, make phone calls, or something - right away - to get things started again.

Then develop a marketing plan. You should have a fair idea of where your customers come from - what marketing activities are responsible for most of your business. If you don't, start today to find out. Go ahead and ask your current customers how they found you. If you have a few minutes' extra time, call some past customers and ask them. (There's a bonus there - every call to a past customer is marketing in itself.) From this day forward, make it a practice to ask each and every customer what led them to you.

Focus your energies on that marketing activity and decide how often you need to use it. If it's an ad in the local newspaper, plan when you'll place each ad for the next several months. If it's a newsletter or an e-mail message, plan when you'll send them. Then get busy and write the content.

Yes, newsletters should be timely, but you can get the basics done and leave room for one or two "current events" items or time-sensitive promotions. Almost any business newsletter contains information that can easily be written ahead of time. That would include how-to tips, quotes, and even puzzles or recipes.

E-mail and postal mail promotions can also be written ahead of time. If you're using an autoresponder to stay in touch with clients, you can write a whole year's worth of messages and schedule them to go out on specific dates. Or you can schedule them to go out at set intervals after a contact has first opted in to get your messages. Your postal mail letters can be written and waiting in your computer to be printed and sent on time.

Newspaper ads, unless they're for a time-sensitive sale, not only can be written ahead of time, but should. Most small business people spend far too little time perfecting these ads, and the results are disastrous. I can't count how many times I've seen ads in our local paper that leave out something important - details like the address or phone number.

Others are confusing - you know the writer probably knew what they were talking about, but you as the reader can't figure it out. Newspaper ads, by virtue their brevity, require time to create. That's why it's such a huge mistake to merely give some information to the ad people at the newspaper and let them write it. They'll get paid whether your ad brings you business or not - so all they have to do is fill the space.

Write your ad and put it aside for a couple of days. Ask someone else to read it, too. Make sure it says what you mean and that it clearly shows the customers why they can't live without your product or service.

Can you decide now about a special promotion you'll do in 3 months? Then get the ad written now, while you have time, so all you have to do is send it to the paper at the appropriate time.

Now, get out your planner and write in the activity on the date it must be done. Pencil in a reminder a few days earlier. Block out however much time you'll need - and write it as an appointment in your book.

If all this sounds overwhelming, develop a good working relationship with a copywriter who understands your goals and how your business operates. Many copywriters will help you develop that marketing plan, and then carry it out for you.

I know, you think you can't afford it. You may be surprised at how little it costs, how much more effective your promotions are when they're written by a professional, and how much extra profit you'll earn when you're no longer faced with those "valleys" in your business.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter who specializes in making people feel good about buying products or services.

She has extensive experience in writing search engine optimized web copy, direct sales letters, postcards, space ad copy, press releases, and more. She is also available for marketing plan creation and editing services.

You can visit her at http://www.marte-cliff.com . While you're there, sign up for her marketing ezine. When you do, you'll also get access to reports that will help you get better results from your own writing.

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The life and death of a business is by having a killer Marketing Strategies. Your cash flow will surely increase with the right kind of marketing strategies. The confusion and jargon that surrounds what ought to be one of the most straightforward areas of modern business will be stripped away with a Good Marketing Strategy. A Marketing Strategy that works will help your small business to grow.

One of the most effective and free marketing strategy is Article Marketing. Tons Web Surfers will get something for free online and in return you will get click through to your website where you might sell something or have them sign up for a newsletter or list.

You can target your traffic with Article Marketing. A person will have an interest in the subject if he or she is willing to read an entire article . Hence, they will most likely want more information about the subject. This is what we call a very high quality traffic.

If the desire is to increase sales, a marketing niche strategy can include such things as advertising, online auction sites and search engine ranking to attract attention to products and services.

Driving a lot of potential interested parties to a website or blogs is The entire idea behind a marketing niche strategy. A solid Marketing Strategy will have clearly defined goals and points of action that are designed to meet those goals if it is being put into play. A marketing strategy can include such things as advertising, search engine ranking and online auction sites to attract attention to products and services If the desire is to increase sales.

Raimi Alwi is a person who do not like the hype in the "make money online" industry. He shares his personal experience in his blog and gives a free report for anyone who are not interested in making money. Get the latest story about him at the http://www.theSleepySurfer.com

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http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Amazing-Impact-of-a-Good-Marketing-Strategies&id=1101678

Owning your own small business is one the most difficult things you can do in the professional world. Of course if it wasn't, everyone would be doing it and everyone would be rich. The problem is that is hard work and it requires an awful lot of time and dedication. It is in a business's marketing strategy that the successful separate themselves from the ordinary.

Your small business will see success if you implement a more defined approach in place that keeps you constantly marketing your product and your business. The best way to do that is through the use of proven small business marketing solutions. By keeping on sticking to the plan you will generate high-quality leads and convert your prospects into new customers in no time. Here are a few ways you can market your new or small business in a few easy steps:

• First start off with some good market research of your immediate geographic area. Marketing research consists of different ways of collecting information that can include interviews, questionnaires, surveys and even focus group. Through all this information collected you can try to analyze if there is a market for your small business. Among the things you'll be looking for is the demographic group which would be most interested in your product or service. All of your initial marketing and advertising efforts will then be focused on that particular demographic.
• The next thing you must do is decide upon a feasible marketing budget. Marketing isn't cheap in some markets so be sure to save up funds for things like packaging, promotions, advertising and publicity. All businesses need advertising in some form or another and they all need money to do so.
• One often undervalued form of marketing is the grassroots strategy or word of mouth. Not only is it quite effective but also extremely cheap. It's so cheap it's free. Tell everyone you know to tell everyone they know about your new business. Print up and hang flyers in local businesses and have business cards developed to hand out. Try to make yourself seen at all the local events, charity functions and town meetings. It's great way to connect with local leaders and network with potential customers. You're getting the name of your business out there in the minds of people who will be doing business with you.
• A very effective marketing tool if done correctly is a website for your business. Web designers are very affordable for a new business that may not have the start up capital. Most families always have one person in them who know some web design skills too so ask them to help you for a few extra bucks. You don't need an extremely complex site for a startup but you do need a clean one free of typographical errors, broken links or anything else that looks unprofessional.
• The last way to get some good publicity to your new small business is to get in the news. Let me rephrase that, get in the news in a positive way. Contact local newspaper writers or broadcasters for interviews about current business events or trends. The goal is to make yourself look like an expert in the field.

Merit Capital Advance offers a financing program that provides small businesses with fast business cash. It is the most convenient way to get a small business cash advance when you need it most. Visit Merit Capital Advance at www.meritcapitaladvance.com.

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