There are so many marketing tactics to choose from today it may seem the easy way to just copy what someone else is doing.

What works for you may not be the right way for another small business. That is why it is important not to just follow what someone else does as it could end up costing you time and money.

So before you start copying or following what another business is doing here are a few questions you should ask yourself:

• Do I have the same key customers as the other business which I want to target?
• Will it strengthen my customer relationships?
• Will it help achieve my marketing objectives?
• Is my business in exactly the same situation?
• Do I have the time or money to invest properly?
• Does it suit my business’s strategy?
• Will it add to what I am already doing?
• How can I improve (add value) to their idea to make it my own and more effective?

Learning from others is a great way to increase your marketing effectiveness; however each business is different in its own right. If you just copy another business you might just reduce the attractiveness of your business to your current and potential customers.

What do you think?

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