A recent research study by Yahoo! And Grey Worldwide, San Francisco provides some priceless information to you online marketers.

The report indicated business owners reported Web sites topping list of "critical" marketing tools (69%), followed by search engine keywords (36%), and community relations (35%).

Other "critical" marketing tools included email marketing (24%), direct mail (22%), and Yellow Pages (12%).

Now other key piece of information you need to know is why buyers go in search of your Web site. The answer: to find information.

Interestingly Thomas Industrial Network's study indicates that 55% of buyers found lack of specific product information to be a chief complaint and reason for going elsewhere to do business.

One of obvious challenges for very small and home based businesses is competing with advertising budgets of larger small businesses and midsize companies.

But if small and home based businesses focus on providing value driven quality content there's an opportunity to get buyers attention using focused campaigns that make best use of applied resources.

I have found several tools that are helpful in managing a strategic advertising system that focuses on relationship building. So don't let budget limitations deter you. Study what "big dogs" are doing and modify it to fit your business.

I'd like to share with you seven of mistakes that are among most common that are made. This information is value critical if you intend to see marketing efforts drive sales increases. Since all successful relationships, professional and otherwise are based on meeting mutual needs, both parties have to leave metaphorical table feeling satisfied that they got what they needed and wanted out of exchange. Anything less and relationship is less than successful. This is reason that relationship marketing forms framework for mistakes and solutions to them offered here.

Market and Sales Departments must move along parallel tracks. Effectiveness depends on both being under control of a knowledgeable marketer to ensure both short and long term grown.

This actually gives one-person small business operations an advantage over larger corporate entities. One of major reasons this advantage exist is increased ability to respond quickly to changing market climates or in implementing new information. In this case, coordinating sales and marketing to produce consistent results.

Internet advertising generated an astounding $1.92 billion in 1999, double from amount generated in previous year.

According to Association of National Advertisers, nearly half of all American companies are selling online. The American City Business Journal reports that businesses that use Internet grow 46% faster than those that don’t.

Online advertisers beware; marketing trends in this industry often become outdated faster than you can say “pop-up”. Here are some of most common outdated online marketing techniques that should be avoided:

- Pop Ups Ads- Pop-ups ads are like billboards of information superhighway—you can’t go anywhere without seeing at least one. The Internet has become so saturated with pop-ups that overall web traffic times are slowing down. Most web users are downloading software that eliminates them from their system, so they are not best way to reach prospective consumers.