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By Phil Grisolia Not everyone is a marketing guru. Even some who claim to be. But thats another story for another time. The goal here is to provide some basic help for the growing number of small business owners many with start-up ventures who have to market their own products and services The first question Im usually asked in seminars and workshops even by some of the business owners I coach is, How much should I be spending for advertising? My answers always the same, Zero! Why? Because advertising dollars should be an investment, not something you spend. Advertising should bring in more dollars than the price of the efforts many more dollars. Notice how we switched from marketing to advertising? Thats because many business owners believe the two are the same. Theyre not. Marketing includes advertising plus other activities sales promotion, public relations, plus research and development. The latter to learn what would-be customers want, what your competitions doing, plus how to improve what you sell. OK, so how much should you invest in marketing? For every $100 you plan to take in were talking sales, not profits your minimum marketing investment should be between $7 and $10. For a new business, that range should be $11 to $15 because you have to introduce your business plus what your selling. If your written business plan yes, you need one forecasts $200,000 in sales for the year, set aside at least $22,000 for marketing, even up to $30,000. Id use the high end figure because you cant run a newspaper ad, for example, unless someone creates itwrites the words, lays out how the ad will look, photographs or draws the items to appear in it. Oh, and please dont buy into the idea that your newspaper, magazine or phone directory will create the ad youll run with them. Their business is selling advertising space, not creating effective ads that deliver customers ready to part with their money. And radio guys? They sell time spots on their station. They dont create great spots. Web designers? Their name says they design. Dont expect them to write content that works. Unless you know a great deal about marketing, find yourself a marketing firm or other professional you feel comfortable working with. But keep in mind their fees also come out of you marketing budget, so invest your marketing dollars wisely. 2006, Philip A. Grisolia, CBC Phil Grisolia is the author of “101 Questions You MUST Answer BEFORE You Start A Business.” An accredited Certified Business Communicator (CBC), Phil is also an educator, business coach, and an award-winning copywriter. To learn more about Phil and the help he provides for his small-business clients, visit him at PhilGrisolia.com . While there, be sure to sign up for a free subscription to his best-in-class newsletter Making Sense of Marketing - as well as discover how you can request a free, no-obligation analysis of your companys marketing efforts. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Grisolia http://EzineArticles.com/?Marketing-for-the-Amateur&id=343371 no fax low fee payday loans five star payday no credit check rentals in orlando fl how to decide how much to claim on withholdings on my paycheck