Every small business is interested in increasing marketing effectiveness. The most effective marketing strategies are those that are targeted toward a specific audience, focused on key benefits based on the audience's point of view and interests, and delivered at an appropriate time--when the audience is most likely to be attentive to and interested in the message being delivered.

SPECIFIC TARGETING
Effective marketing is targeted to a specific, not a general, audience. By way of illustration, consider the different approaches that might be taken with a product as basic as rice if selling to these audiences: retirees, young mothers or athletes. By focusing on a specific audience and seeking to understand that audience's needs, interests and desires, marketers can be most effective in achieving their objectives, says Lin Grensing-Pophal, author of "Marketing With the End in Mind."

FOCUS ON BENEFITS
It can be difficult for small business owners to view their business and their products from the outside in, but that's exactly what they must do if they hope to be successful in their marketing efforts, says Grensing-Pophal. "Too often we become enamored with our own products and services or we take it for granted that our target audiences will understand our products and services the way we do--they won't." Marketers need to learn about and consider audience needs and concerns, and identify potential objections that they can work to overcome in their marketing efforts. In doing so, they can identify key benefits to focus on that will be attractive to the target audience.

GOOD TIMING
A message about female incontinence delivered through a poster on the inside of a restroom door stall is hitting an audience at just about the perfect time. The same message delivered on an overhead announcement at a mall would probably not have the same impact. Effective marketing seeks to reach audiences when they are most likely to be open and attentive to the message. Small businesses need to think carefully about their delivery mechanisms--newspaper, radio, TV, social media, and others--and consider whether messages are being conveyed in the right place, at the right time.