There are many small business owners who think that if they produce superior work and generate word-of-mouth marketing, their businesses will expand without making any other effort. While word-of-mouth is an excellent form of advertising, you can be sure that larger businesses are also using it and will probably have tricks to use it much more beneficially than you are.

Small business owners will usually need assistance of a marketing consultant when it comes to advertising, which is often expensive and does not bring required results. While a marketing consultant will appreciate the value of 'word-of-mouth' promotion, they will be able to advise a small business operator on the most direct message that will bring best results when passed on.

The most important thing with small business marketing is your core introductory message. Many business owners are known to bite off more then they can chew and saying more then they can promise when it comes to their work. What should be done is have a neutral third party design a concise message out of the owner's first draft, and make it easily repeatable while promoting.

Other obstacles: Small businesses struggle simplify, clarify, and diversify what they offer to their customers. A professional speaker, for example, might hold a workshop on motivational speaking and encounter a fair amount of success. But with the help of a marketing consultant, that single event will be targeted so that--for example--the speech trainer holds one workshop for salespeople, one for managers, and one for business owners. By providing niche services to more specific audiences, the pitch is more targeted and is thus easier to market by word-of-mouth.

Finally, it is essential to know how to attract customers. After the intro message, where does a customer go? Your web site? Your phone number? Be aware of the path your customers must follow to learn more about your company. A marketing consultant can be of service by studying what companies outside of the market are doing, what your competitors are doing, and what can be learned from your customers' demographics. The customer must be able to find a path from the word-of-mouth introduction, so the consultant will examine the company's web address, phone number, and name.

In the end, the small business is almost never as well served by advertising as it is by smart, inexpensive marketing techniques. However, most business owners are not professional marketers. It is important to recognize when the business needs the help of a marketing consultant rather than prematurely wasting money on advertising. Once a credible marketing message has been written, advertising can be put off for some time, and be far more successful when used.