So you’ve decided to take the plunge and really go for it with your new business in 2011! That’s all really exciting, but it can be quite difficult to know where to start marketing yourself to potential customers. Hopefully the following guide will help get you going.

You should firstly contact your local business centre and run through your ideas with them. They will give you pointers and tips on how to refine your business to get you on your feet. Some of the centres also offer much needed financial advice, along with useful workshops to help you get more out of your first few weeks as a business owner. Chances are, at this stage you will recognise the need to market your business.

Online marketing is now essential to most businesses and that starts by building a brand, but how does it all work? The foundation for a good brand is a well designed logo, that is usable anywhere such as on your letterheads, business cards, signs and vehicles. Our top tip to remember here is that a really good logo should look good when really small as well as on a larger scale, and it should also work in black and white. Especially when online, customers need to feel trusting of your business and what you are offering to get in touch with you, and this is where a professional brand and website really helps.

Building Blocks

Once you have a solid brand in place you have the building blocks of a good style and look for your business and you can work on other materials. A good website is essential in getting your message across to your potential customers. You will need to work out what kind of site you need. If you have a shop in the real world it might be good to look at selling some of that lovely stuff online too, an eCommerce site would be the best option. If you are looking to get an online presence without spending as much on a complex solution, then a brochure site will still do a good job of promoting your services. Generally this type of site has a few pages, including some information about your business and different ways of contacting you.

You might also want to throw open your virtual doors and do some social networking too. Social media has taken centre stage over the last few years with Facebook taking over most peoples world online, and other services like Twitter and Foursquare also making a big impact. I wrote an article last year about how you can use social media to help grow your business and your online presence. Check it out here.

Hopefully this guide will give you some pointers on how to use online marketing to help you achieve your business goals.