Using new media to market your business has many benefits:

    * It's low-cost
    * It can be a high-impact marketing tool when used correctly
    * It connects you to your customers and prospects and;
    * It's high on the cool factor.

But what good is gorgeous wrapping paper if what's inside the box isn't resonating with you or your customers? New media marketing is a highly effective tool but it cannot compensate for a business that doesn't offer a solid product to a receptive audience.

In today's dynamic marketplace, where customers are barraged with products and information, business owners have to keep their businesses fresh and relevant to keep their edge. The best way to do that is to tap into the ever-flowing well spring of inspiration: your own passion. Whether you are running a successful division of a corporation or your own lemonade stand, you can bring in new products and services into the mix that will excite you and your customer.

The key to success is to follow the tenets of Organic Small Business.

The organic movement was initially concerned with what we put into our bodies. It evolved into what we put into our environment. As New Media Mavens, we have taken this idea to the next step. It's now about what we, as a society, put of ourselves into our businesses and our communities.

Three Tenets of Organic Small Business

Truth:  You must be true to yourself.

Value:  What you offer must make a difference to your customer or client.

Commitment:  You must make a commitment to be part of your community for the long haul.

Action Steps

Take a look at your business. Ideally your entire business can rest on the laurels of Organic Small Business. Take one step at a time and implement the changes consistently for increased business success.

• Start with one product or service that you can introduce in the next 30-90 days.
  
• What can you do to inject more of yourself and your passion into your business? The answers will give your business a fresh boost that customers will feel and will translate to more fulfillment, more joy and more rewards-on every level-for your business.
  
• Ask yourself whether your values are aligned with your business? Make a list of all the items that are necessary for you to feel satisfied and fulfilled.
  
• Are you servicing your ideal clients? Make the shift now to weed out the clients that do not serve your best and highest good.

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Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. Alison Woo is the Chief Media Maven of NewMediaMavens.com, a small business technology solutions company. She is co-author of the book, "Marketing with New Media: A Guide to Promoting Your Small Business Using Websites, E-Zines, Blogs & Podcasts. Preorder the book. For more information, visit www.newmediamavens.com. She can be reached at 704-780-1968 or at mavens@newmediamavens.com.