Basics First

While you toy with the bright and shiny, don't forget the tried and true.

Writing in USA Today, strategist Rhonda Abrams reminds business owners it's essential to cover the basics before investing in trendy, new "marketing options." Owners should be sure to:

• Attend industry conferences and join organizations;
• Set up free business pages on line;
• Contact your top 10 prospects every month;
• Build your brand with a logo, colors and typefaces;
• Repeat, repeat, repeat your message;
• Tell people what they get, not what you do;
• Publish an e-newsletter;
• Develop a tagline and use it;
• Exhibit at trade shows;
• Build a Website and learn social media; and
• Install a contact management system.

"Most important, make marketing a priority," Abrams adds.