[KristineS]

I've seen it over and over again, someone comes on a forum and asks what marketing techniques work best. They've tried print ads, they've tried web ads, they've tried sponsorships and direct mail and giving away product and nothing seems to work.

The first question I always ask these people is if they know who their target market is and where to find those people. If you don't know that, all your advertising efforts are just scattershot and may not hit the target they need to hit.

All of us here are working to promote ourselves and our businesses, and we need the most value for every advertising dollar. Given that, we all should be able to answer this question:

Who is your target market and where are they hiding?