3. Think about type of people who will be easiest to reach, AND who will be most receptive to what you are selling. These will be people who KNOW they have THE problem you can solve and are LOOKING for a solution.

4) Know that just because you select a particular group of people to focus your marketing on, does NOT mean you can't help others who may come to you. It only means you're going to focus your proactive marketing efforts on target group you select.

5) Lastly, don't over-think it. Listen to your gut, pick a group you feel you can really help and proceed with development of your marketing plan. Marketing is a fluid process. The important thing is to start. You can always refine your audience and your plan later as you learn more.

(C) 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Here are five more ways to generate ideas and content:

1. Add a page to your web site where visitors can submit questions. You could title it "What is your most pressing question about [insert your topic of expertise here]. Make sure page is visible and accessible from all of your web pages. Consider promoting this service throughout your web site to drive people to that page to submit a question.

2. Purchase domain name "askYOURNAME.com" (where "YOURNAME" is your first and last name) and publicize it as a service and great place for consumers to get their most pressing questions, in your subject area, answered. Registering domains is cheap, and you can always point it to a page in your existing web site if you don't want to pay additional web hosting fees.

3. Include an email address, or web page address, in your e-newsletter or any other form of regular communication, inviting your prospects and clients to submit their questions. Odds are if one prospect or client has a question, there are many others who also have same question.

4. If you do presentations or seminars already, hand out a survey at end to find out what attendees liked best about your presentation (it's always a good idea to get feedback anyway), and to find out if there are other relevant areas they would like to see you speak on, or if they have questions they'd like answered.

5. Keep your eyes open and your customers in mind when you read trade publications, magazines or newspapers. If you come across something you think would be of interest to your prospects and customers, share it. Is something going on in news that is relevant to your product or service? Write about it.

In addition to using this information to drive newsletter or presentation content, you can also use it to develop articles and content for your website, or to write Special Reports, Tips Sheets, or How-To Guides you can sell or use for marketing to your prospects and customers.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketing