If you love marketing your business, you know it’s fun at the start. But, hundreds of dollars in and you’re realizing it’s not really clear who your new pieces are designed to reach, things aren’t so fun anymore. It a common oversight that’s easy to avoid.

Small businesses, have neither time or staff to perform anything resembling a marketing survey. Yet, the need for accurate information about your client base is no less critical. So, here is my handy guide. If you can answer these questions fully, you’re probably ready to start designing a marketing piece that will be worth your time and money.

In detail:

1. Who needs it?
   _ Existing clients
   _ Referred leads
   _ General public
2. How do they get it?
   _ Print
   _ Electronic
   _ Print & Electronic
3. When do they get it?
   _ Before meeting you
   _ After meeting you
4. What should they do upon receipt?
   _ Call Write
   _ Go to your website
5. What will you do when they respond?
   _ Talk to them yourself
   _ Put them on a mailing list
   _ Send more materials

There are many other relevant questions to ask, but these are standard for any project. Any you can’t go wrong having these answers before you start.