As an entrepreneur or a small business, you have several marketing options available to you, but before you determine which one will work best for you, there are a few things that you need to think about:

Will you be expecting your clients from the Internet, to walk in or both?

What sort of business will you be operating and what demographic target area will you be expected to cover?

What sort of budget will your company be working with?

When it comes to promoting your business, the worst thing you can do is to restrict your thinking to one or two options. With its overwhelming reach, the Internet should be the center of any marketing plan, and the first thing to do is to put together your own website. Use this avenue to promote the kind of services you will be offering your customers and the products you will be making available (if any).

Whether yours is an Internet business or the traditional brick and mortar, most of these options will work for you:

Business cards—You never know when you could run into a potential customer. Regardless of what kind of business you are in, this resource is still the most effective means of advertising.

Email—When you acquire an email list, you have a continued connection with your customers. You can also use this resource to keep your customers up to date with all future promotions.

Magnetic signage—Placing a magnetic sign on your car or truck is an option that can really spread the word. If you don’t spend a lot of time commuting, simply look for events in your area, and cruise by at the right time.

Referral discounts—Offer discounts for your services to anyone who spreads the word for you. Provide them with a code that their referrals can use.

Networking—There are several ways to network yourself. You just need to decide which option brings in the best results. Whether you exchange business cards at a neighborhood social or at a family function, you are still getting your business name out there.

Social networking—This is a step up from regular networking and with websites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, your reach will go a whole lot further.

Blogging—When you have something important to say, people usually listen. Bloggers have a way of generating a large following. If you can get them to talk about your business, can you imagine the potential?

Affiliate blogging—If you can’t pay someone to talk about you, offer them a referral discount to bring your name up in an article.

And finally, the most valuable marketing tool you can use is good customer service. It helps you retain customers as they talk about you to their friends.

This article provided by Market Smartly, marketing consultants based in Brisbane, Australia, who understand the realities of business and provide specialists’ advice in all areas of marketing to formulate measurable and practical solutions.