Four Ways to Easily Market Your Business Consistently

As small business owners and entrepreneurs it isn't difficult to get into the habit of feeling you're too busy to promote or market your business. Of course, this can be compared to stating that you're too busy to invest in your ongoing success. Find out the key 4 ways to help you make time to regularly and consistently market ' so that you can experience long-term success and growth in your business.

I think it's human nature to forget about our marketing when we've got clients coming in but as soon as the flow slows down a bit (which it will), we panic and start looking frantically around for ways to get more clients coming in.

By making time on a regular basis and continually to market, you ensure that you continue to find and maintain your most profitable clients. This is just what will give you success in the long run and growth in your business.

So, just how do you make marketing the # 1 priority?

Here are 4 tips to try...

1. Make sure you have a marketing action plan

When you have a roadmap which tells you where you're heading and ways to get there, then actually doing it gets easier. When you have a plan of action, you don't have to waste time scrambling around every time you try a new marketing activity.

A marketing action plan allows you to spend less time with your marketing and be more focused in the process.

2. Create a marketing action calendar

Having a calendar that plots out each marketing action acts as a great visual roadmap. You can see instantly any "holes" or overlaps of approaches and timing. I plan almost everything on my marketing action calendar - from newsletter submission dates, blog posting schedule, social media postings, special email reminders, networking events, teleseminars and so on.

Having a marketing action calendar enables you stay on top of the marketing you've committed to.

3. Set up marketing appointments with yourself

Set aside at least a day a week to work on marketing your business. Schedule this into your calendar and don't break it! Consider it as important as client appointments . Take this time to evaluate and track your marketing activities, research new opportunities, adjust your sales goals, write an article or blog post, conduct a client survey, and so on.

By booking appointments with yourself, you MAKE your marketing a priority.

4. Do bite-sized marketing chunks during the day

You can deal with the more extensive chunks (planning, writing, tracking, etc.) of marketing during your weekly scheduled marketing appointment with yourself. Bear in mind, there are plenty of little bite-sized marketing tasks that you can do between appointments or when you need a break from working on a large project.

Here are some bite-sized marketing tasks that can be done in 5 - 10 minutes:

* call up a client and ask for a testimonial

* sign up for your next networking event

* call a program chairperson about setting up a speaking engagement at an organization you're interested in

* email a potential referral source to set up a meeting

* jot down an outline for your newsletter content

* call a new client to find out if they have any questions on their recent purchase

* send an article, with a note, to a client you know is interested in the topic

* order a thank you gift, on the web or by phone, to be sent to someone who just referred a client to you

* submit an article you've written to an article directory website

* send a handwritten note to someone you met at a meeting recently (you can automate this process.

* write up something for your blog and post it

* check out a company's website that you are interested in possibly doing a joint venture with

Incorporate these 4 tips into your everyday work schedule and you'll soon find it easy and profitable to make marketing a priority.