Starting and Growing a Business: Marketing

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Marketing Options | Promotion | E-Business | Pricing | Develop a Marketing Plan | Marketing Checklist

How Will You Sell Your Product or Service?

Marketing is an essential part of running a business. Careful planning and thorough understanding of your chosen marketplace is key to developing a successful marketing strategy.

The type of business that you are in and the customers that you are targeting will largely dictate how you market your product or service. It is up to you to find your niche, or specialty, and position yourself in that market.

While developing your marketing strategy, consider the features and benefits of your product or service as compared to that of your competitors. Think about your customer base and develop promotional and marketing tools that target this base. While keeping your customer and market in mind, consider a pricing strategy that reflects the attributes of your product or service. This pricing strategy will then convey to your customer whether your product or service is high-end, moderately priced or inexpensive.

Learn everything that you can about the competition in your chosen market and don’t be shy about promoting your product or service!

Marketing Options

What Are Your Marketing Options?

Marketing Products - Frequently Asked Questions - Frequently asked questions from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development regarding how to sell a product, direct marketing and brokers
Farm Direct Marketing for Rural Producers - This factsheet discusses some of the basic components and strategies of farm direct marketing agricultural products and services
Marketing: Will It Sell? - This factsheet addresses the basic research skills needed to evaluate the market for a new enterprise
Promote for Success: Marketing your Small Business in Alberta - This guide from the Business Link introduces marketing concepts that will help you promote your product or service to optimize revenue and the success of your business

Promotion

How Will People Find Out About Your Product?

Developing a Promotional Plan - This factsheet from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development discusses some of the essential components used to develop a promotional plan such as creating an image, developing promotional products and monitoring your promotional plan
Business Basics for Alberta Food Processors - Promotion - Although this factsheet focuses on food processors the key elements discussed such as public relations, advertising and sales promotion apply to any new entrepreneur that is promoting a product or service
Ways to Promote Your Product or Service - Understanding the impact of various print and media will help you manage the way that you promote your product or service
Sign Up Alberta - This site provides information for tourism and service operators in Alberta in regard to standardizing road signs
The Business Link - Business Marketing Information for Alberta's Small Business Community - This page focuses on marketing issues and ideas with specific reference to Alberta

E-Business

How Can the Internet Help Your Business Grow?

Adding E-Business to Your Agri-Business - The purpose of this document is to provide basic information to agricultural entrepreneurs who are interested in using a website to promote their agri-business and sell their products via the Internet
Alberta E-Future Centre - These info guides focus on key topics, such as e-business planning and strategy, web site design, internet marketing, selling online, and business-to-business e-commerce
Ebiz.enable - This site from Industry Canada links to information about e-business
Definitive Guides for Small Business - E-commerce - This guide from Royal Bank offers a solid understanding of basic e-commerce issues
Understanding Your E-business Options - This bulletin was developed for potential entrepreneurs and existing small business owners who are considering e-business

Pricing

How Will You Price Your Product or Service?

The Essentials of Pricing - Setting a price for products is an important task since the success of your business relies on your ability to make a profit
Methods to Price Your Product - This factsheet includes information on cost based pricing, competition based pricing and customer based pricing
Setting the Right Price - This site from Canada Business Services for Entrepreneurs highlights key points that should be considered when setting a price for your product or service

Develop a Marketing Plan

How Will You Market Your Product or Service?

Marketing: Will it Sell? - This factsheet addresses the basic research skills needed to evaluate the market for a new enterprise.
Marketing Plan - Frequently Asked Questions - Answers to common questions about market trends and links to further information from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
Marketing Plan Outline - This outline from Canada Business for Entrepreneurs outlines the key elements of a marketing plan
Building a Successful Marketing Plan - This page is part of a small business guide from the Business Owner's Toolkit and highlights the key elements of a marketing plan
Managing for Business Success - Marketing and Sales - Industry Canada provides links to further information about marketing and sales
Small Business Owner/Operator Competency Guidelines - Prepare Marketing Plan - This is part of an overall business planning document from The Alliance of Sector Councils

Phone the Ag-Info Centre, toll-free in Alberta at 310-FARM (3276), for assistance.

This document is produced in cooperation with AFSC

For more information about the content of this document, contact Kathy Bosse.
This document is maintained by Mary Ann Nelson.
This information published to the web on April 24, 2007.
Last Reviewed/Revised on March 4, 2008.