The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is esoteric or stratospheric, so let’s take mystery out of it so you can devise and implement your own business marketing strategy that fits in to your small business plan.

Strategy comes from a Greek word “stratagein” meaning “to be a general”. Think of a strategy as an overall plan of action needed to win a war. The smaller, detailed actions are called tactics. You can have tactical plans which help you achieve your strategic marketing plan or overall business marketing strategy. That’s simple enough, isn’t it?

A business marketing strategy or strategic marketing plan is an overall plan of marketing actions you intend to take in order to accomplish a specific goal for your company.

Start with a goal: $2 million in sales this year; expand into new premises by a certain date; double size of company in 2 years… whatever goal may be. Something realistic but challenging. That's "war" you want to win. Guess who general is.

Then work out a simple, overall plan of major marketing steps needed to accomplish that (for example):

1. Publish a newsletter for all existing customers and mail out quarterly.

2. Work out 4 special offers in year and promote them to all our customers.

3. Set up on-line shopping and expand web site.

4. Direct mail campaign promoting web site to all customers.

5. Get mailing lists of (target markets) and do a series of 3 mailings of postcards to them and follow up on and close all leads.

6. Etc.

You get idea. Don’t rush this. Do your homework. What worked in past? Read up on successful marketing campaigns. Your business marketing strategy needs to be laid out in right sequence and you should have some idea of budget when you write it. “Run a series of 30 second TV ads during Superbowl” might sound like a good thing to do but can you afford it? On other hand, when you build your business marketing strategy you mustn’t try and cut corners. If you don’t promote heavily, it doesn’t matter how good your product or service is, no one will know about it and you will go broke. What really works when it comes to marketing?

Many business owners don't have a good enough answer to this important question. I learned by a combination of study and trial and error.

From my own hard won experienceI have discovered that a real marketing campaign will take into consideration at least seven points which are outlined below:

1. Target Your Market

Your marketing will produce best results for lowest cost when you target prospects with greatest need for what you offer.

Identify best people to send your postcards to. Design your postcards to appeal to their greatest need.

C’mon, guy ripped off so many Hans Christian Anderson and Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales! And he never paid said authors any royalty fees! Granted that they’re dead, but shouldn’t their families be entitled to proceeds from their works? Such would be a small price to pay, considering accumulated wealth of Walt Disney’s billion dollar enterprise.

But alas, Mr. Walt Disney, you see, is a marketing genius. He knew how to exploit allowable usage of public domain information, and he built for himself an empire in process.

And if Walt Disney can do it, so can you! After all, we all have access to public domain information. We don’t even need a touch of that famous Disney magic. We just have to weave our own creative spin on things.

But first, basics…

Public domain information is defined as any body of creative works and other knowledge that is not protected by US copyright laws. Copyright protection needs further verification, but by force of statute, works done prior to 1923 are public domain information. The law also includes works done prior to 1978, for as long as life of author plus seventy years does not exceed current year.

The term “body of creative works and other knowledge” includes literary works, music, movies, artworks, scientific ideas, and inventions, just to name a few. So, quite literally, public domain information is an ocean of many promises and splendid discoveries for anyone who would decide to dip their feet in its inviting waters.

And public domain information is free. Everything that you’ll earn from it is net profit!

Walt Disney made good use of public domain information by making updating old classics into movies for new, during his time at least, generation. That was creative spin he used to market works that are quite archaic to make them seem new and fresh. He found his audience, and he made his fortunes. There’s no reason why you can’t do it.

Ah, budget constraints you say. But we are internet marketers, dear friend. That’s beauty of web, you see. Seldom do we have to spend a substantial amount to invest on something. Many avenues are available for us to make good use of free public domain information!

Here are some ways to use public domain information. They would surely earn you significant gains!