Whether the economic times are tough or not, it is smart to build a professional image for your business from the very beginning. It’s tempting to run right out and order business cards and letterhead before any market research has been done, but it is much more efficient and effective to answer some questions first.

Marketing materials of any kind should be created with a target audience in mind. Whether you are a home-based business, a bricks-and-mortar storefront or any other type of arrangement, you must create a marketing plan. When a business is starting up, the marketing plan should focus on basic start-up requirements with an eye to the future. In the beginning of your business, you would be wise to focus on what might be needed to promote your business for the first year and then plan on re-visiting your marketing requirements every 6 months or so for the first couple of years so adjustments can be made accordingly.