Work at home business owners often start their new at-home careers filled with inspiration and ideas for services they can provide, and what their new-found freedom will bring to them. If you’re like most, you might have looked forward to more time with the kids, more time to pursue your interests, more time spent on building the life you want for you and your family.

But in all the excitement of preparing to work at home, did you remember to plan how you would market your new work-at-home business?

When I realized that clients for my new virtual assistant business would not just show up out of nowhere, I panicked. After all the time I had invested in building a business, now I had to learn how to market it too? But then I got to work.

And I quickly found out that marketing isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s simply telling other people about your work-at-home business. Then telling them again. And again. And again.

If you create a marketing plan, marketing your work-at-home business doesn’t need to take a lot of time.

Here are some very effective ways you can market your business in three hours a week or less. Just choose the ones you have time for.

1. Make insightful posts in some popular forums for your niche (30 min)
2. Leave thoughtful comments on your target market’s favorite blogs (30 min)
3. Write an inspiring post on your own blog and share it with your social networks (30 min)
4. Submit your website to online directories. (30 minutes)
5. Connect with your target market on their favorite social networks (30 minutes)
6. Write an article (30 minutes)
7. Submit your article to the most popular sites for your market (1 hour)

However you decide to market your work-at-home business it’s important to do it consistently. Over time, your consistent effort will bring you the results you want, and you will discover your work-at-home success.

Marketing for your home business is virtually the same as marketing for big businesses, just on a much smaller scale. For your business to make money, you need to see sales of your products or services, and recruit business partners to keep growing your franchise.

Whether you personally do all of your marketing or have someone else help you, a multi-pronged attack plan consisting of market research, networking, advertising, product information, branding, positioning, and distribution is necessary.

– Market Research -To determine whom your potential customers are, and how their needs can be met by your products/services. Also, find out who your existing competitors are and what you can possibly do to surpass them. Where will you seek out like-minded individuals to join your business? What will you need to do to get them to find you?

– Networking – Interacting with as many people as you can both in person and on the Internet. Seeking out individuals that are business-minded will greatly increase the speed at which you grow your business team and move whatever product/service you are marketing.

– Advertising – Letting all of your family, friends, and their referrals know about your business is the best and easiest way to quickly spread the word. Never beat them over the head with it or you will be branded a nuisance. Just get the word out and move on. Use traditional offline marketing tools such as business cards, flyers, catch cards, brochures, CDs, DVDs, placing ads in local newspapers etc… Have a solid Internet marketing game plan consisting of free and maybe some paid advertising strategies if your budget allows ex) blogs, articles, forums, press releases, classified ads, video marketing, pay-per-click ads, banner ads, social networks/bookmarks, traffic exchanges etc…

– Product Information – Marketing materials such as brochures, online presentations, and data sheets that provide an overview of the features of your products/services. It is very important that you have a technical overview, price list/comparative rate sheet, and articles/reports written to showcase your products/services/business opportunity and the compensation plan. Always be able to highlight your company’s method of meeting its clientele’s needs in comparison to competitors.

– Branding – Establishing your name and business as one that is synonymous with quality. You must become a knowledgeable leader in your field and this must be reflected in everything that you do. Like an emblem or logo a business brand should be identified readily and is used for increased awareness of your business.

– Positioning -Identify your position within your target market compared to that of your competition. Once you are able to identify how you wants your customers to perceive your business, marketing activities can be focused on achieving the desired results. Understand your competitive advantage.

– Distribution – Delivering your products/services to your customers and seeking out business leaders to join your team. You need to decide if you will sell your products on the Internet, in a store, via cold calling, through your network of relationships, or a combination of these. Understanding the best methods or channels to distribute your products/services/business opportunity is important for maximizing your sales and growth. Your decisions in this area will greatly impact your other marketing activities.

Knowledge alone won’t bring customers to your door and grow your business team.
Many home business owners struggle with managing their time and energy to market, but without adequate marketing your odds of success are slim. Setting aside a specific time of the day and/or days of the week is one way to stay on top of your marketing efforts.

Remember, the more effectively you can market, the bigger return you’ll get for your time, energy, and money. Strong marketing efforts do not necessarily require a big budget but they do require lots of consistent hard work and results tracking. Success!