For new business owners, starting a business is often its own reward. They are delighted to be their own boss and to successfully start a business. They are often happy just to keep the dream alive.

But every business needs to grow. That doesn’t mean you have to reach a bigger market, it means working to increase your share of the market you’re targeting. This will keep your business healthy enough to survive obstacles such as tough economic times.

To keep moving forward, we need to constantly market our businesses. We need to dedicate a certain percentage of our resources to building our brand and reaching our target market. Here are some simple things you can do to help your business grow.

Have a clear picture of your target market.

Find out what types of people use the products and services you offer and respond to their business philosophies. If you’re not marketing to the right people, all is lost.

Research, research, research.

Determine how best to reach your target market and what they expect from your offers. Study your competition carefully and take note of what they are doing right and wrong.

Choose your marketing channels wisely.

If your target market rarely reads, there’s no point in advertising in a magazine. Use what you’ve learned about them to find the best possible channels for your message, and focus your marketing efforts there.

Give your advertising a chance.

Studies show that consumers require repeated exposure to a product before they even consider purchasing it. So don’t be surprised if an ad post doesn’t produce spectacular results. If you’ve done your homework and found a viable way to reach your market, run your ad at least two more times before evaluating the results.

Take advantage of free advertising.

Sending out press releases and finding other ways to engage the media will give you high-quality exposure and won’t break your budget.

Track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

If what you are doing is working, you should be generating more income. Use part of that income to do more marketing. If it doesn’t work, make adjustments and try again.

Sometimes you will have to take a step back with your marketing plans. But that is not a sign that you have failed. It is a sign that you are a smart seller. Sometimes the market changes and it’s up to us to monitor those changes and adjust our marketing plans accordingly. No successful business markets the same way forever. By evolving with our target market, we can make our marketing work better.