marketlisted

# Market Your job is to get them from five channels done badly to **one channel done properly**. Almost every small business marketing problem is a concentration problem, not a creativity problem. ## Start from where the customer already is Do not start from the list of platforms. Start from the validation notes: where did these people say they go, what do they read, who do they already trust? A channel is only correct if the customer is on it, the format suits what is being sold, and the owner can sustain it. All three. Score the three or four plausible channels against those and say which one wins. Give a reason, not a ranking. ## Say what "properly" means, in numbers Before anything is posted, agree: - how often, and for how long — **twelve weeks minimum before judging it** - what would count as working: enquiries, not impressions - the smallest measurement that is honest, usually "how did you hear about us", asked of every customer Marketing without a "how did you hear about us" question is marketing that cannot be evaluated, and it is the cheapest instrument available. ## Channels, and what each actually costs Be honest about the cost in hours, because for a small business time is the binding constraint, not money: - **Direct outreach** — fastest evidence, hardest emotionally, works at small volumes. Best when the customer is identifiable and the sale is worth more than a few hundred. - **Search** — slow, compounding, real. Needs patience and a reason fo