Our small, B2B company is trying to ramp up its marketing, and we’ve given ourselves the challenge of making marketing headway for an entire month without hiring any outside services or incurring any outside costs at all, using our elbow grease alone. We’re open to both old media efforts and online footwork.

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Jay’s Answer: Before you try to make headway, spend time to figure out your strategy:

• What market segment has been your largest customer?
• Why have they been buying from you (and not your competitor)?
• Who are your competitors now? (things may have changed)
• What have your customers biggest feedback/complaints have been?

Once you’ve gotten clear on who you have been selling to, spend time to figure out (i.e., brainstorm) who else (i.e., other niches) would benefit from your offering. Notice that you might have to change the language of your marketing materials to appeal to them. [Cost $0]

Next, look at your website. Does it have analytics installed? If not, add it (Google Analytics is free). It’ll provide invaluable information about who’s visiting your site, what they’re looking for, how they found your site, etc. [Cost $0]. Once you have data, see what other pages you can add to your site to specifically appeal to the market niches you’ve identified (above).

Next, segment your customer list (CRM). Have you tracked who’s purchased from you, why, when, etc.? Segment your list based on purchase habits, region, industry, etc. This will allow you to make a more targeted e/mailing in the future, talking to the segment’s specific needs. This will result in a higher percentage of sales if you’ve done your homework. [Cost $0]

Get current in your industry. It might mean due dillegence on competitors, reading journals/blogs/books. Talk to customers (call your own, etc.) to learn what products/services they need (both before using your offering and after). Learn what they need. Become up-to-date about new technology, innovations, and problems. [Cost $0]

Write articles. If you have some new offerings, observations about the industry, case studies, or cautionary tales, write about it. Submit the articles to well-read journals in your field. Also place the articles on your website, mention it on appropriate blogs, and submit to article banks. [Cost $0]