One of the most important steps you can take when developing your marketing plan for your work at home business, is to identify who your ideal clients are.

But once you've done that, then what?

Pretty simple actually, you have to figure out where you can find them. And, you have to get your marketing in front of them.

Well this is often easier said than done.

Now, when marketing online, this becomes a bit easier because many online marketing strategies are designed to make your ideal clients find you.

In this case, it becomes important to have a good handle on how your ideal clients search for information online. What keywords do they use? What type of information are they looking for?

You can then use this knowledge to create content for your website, blog, and articles featuring this type of information and those all important keywords.

By doing this you increase your chances that your content will be found when your ideal clients are searching online.

But what about offline marketing?

What about situations where you need to go out and put your marketing in front of your ideal clients?

This is when it becomes very important to have identified a specific group of people to target.

What if your ideal clients are accountants, or stay-at-home moms, or artists, or burned out, high tech corporate executives?

It's clear to see that you'll find each of these audiences in a different place.

You may be able to reach accountants through an industry association, a trade magazine or newsletter, or a targeted direct mail list.

Artists may belong to local art clubs, or subscribe to art magazines, or shop in artist supply stores.

Stay-at-home moms may subscribe to parenting magazines, participate in PTA or spend time at local sports and recreation classes with their kids.

And burned out, high tech corporate executives may belong to a high tech industry trade association, they may read technology publications or they may be found at a local spa (okay, so maybe only the female execs!).

Your job as a marketer is to identify all the places you think you may be able to reach your ideal clients, and then investigate ways to get your marketing message in these places.

That may mean purchasing a direct mail or subscriber list, or it may mean advertising in a magazine or newsletter, or it may mean doing a talk for a trade association or local group.

These are all potential ways you can reach your ideal clients so you can have the opportunity to sell them your products and services.

If you sit back and wait for them to come to you, you may be waiting a very long time. You need to proactively seek them out, and market to them in the environments they frequent.

Your Marketing Step Have you identified your ideal clients for your work-at-home business? And, if so, do you know where you can find them? If not, sit down and brainstorm a list of all the possible places they may be. Then start researching ways to get your marketing message in front of them in those places.

© Copyright 2007 Debbie LaChusa

About the Author

Debbie LaChusa feels blessed to be a work at home mom who gets to spend time with her family, do work she loves and earn a great living. She founded 6FigureWorkAtHomeMom to help other working moms do the same.