When preparing to design your marketing campaign, define the fundamental focus of your marketing strategy by determining why you market. Beyond basic numbers alone, define the goals you want your marketing efforts to achieve. Have a clear understanding of why businesses market and establish a criteria for your own campaigns.

Focus #1: To acquire new customers. This is something you should always strive to do. It is important to sell your product or service to a continually new base of people who are most qualified to need and want your product. Each and every marketing effort you undertake should also focus on acquiring new customers. Why? Because your existing customers will eventually cease to exist. And naturally, businesses do not grow on existing customers alone.

Here are some basic rules:

* Make sure you can replenish customers that fall by the wayside and become unproductive.

* Make sure you are always prospecting for new business.

* Design your marketing efforts to explore new markets and aggressively attract new customers.

Focus #2: To market to existing customers. Your goal is to sell more of the same or another product to people who have purchased from you before. It is easier and cheaper to market to your existing customers than it is to acquire new ones. Example: If you are using direct mail, it is cheaper to market to your existing customers because you already own the mailing list.

If you are looking for new customers, you will have to buy or rent a list elsewhere. The customers who are already in your database are the gems who will build your business. Grow them and nurture them, and your business will grow as well. Always keep your customers informed, active, and passionately interested in your product.

One very effective way to keep customers in tune with developments within your business is to establish a mobile marketing connection. With over 255 million cell phone users in the US right now, the mobile phone is their most personal communications device. Utilize this valuable tool by employing various mobile marketing techniques to keep clients current with sales alerts, promotions, events, discounts and more.

Focus #3: To increase the overall value of the business. Some marketing investments may not be immediately measurable at the cash register. For example, many businesses invest marketing dollars to build brand reputation and advance the value of their stocks. Having a clear understanding of your marketing objectives will make it easier for you to outline specific, measurable goals you wish to accomplish in your marketing efforts.