Marketing a small business can often be more of an art than a science. Some of the factors involved include target market, goals, strategy, and budget. In order to mesh these out here is the preliminary Marketing Plan for PokerTech Reveiws.

Target Market

The initial target market is the online poker player. This segment is represented by a wide swath of people but the core target group is represented as white males, in their early twenties, with disposable income. This will be the easiest target group for initial contact and expansion encompassing the gambit of serious players will follow afterwards.

Goals

To generate 100,000 page views per month within the first three months. Within one year the page views should expand to 700,000 per month. Page views should be at 1,000,000 per month within 18 months.

Strategy

Utilize the network of poker bloggers through mention of site within posts. Banner ads promoting the site through select bloggers sites. Mention on various poker forums through means which are within the posting guidelines of the individual forums. Placing of “Review Graphics” (a graphic representing the rating given by PokerTech Reviews) at sites which have had products reviewed by PokerTech Reviews.

Budget

In keeping with the No Cost philosophy their will be no budget for marketing. The niche market nature should lend itself to intense viral marketing. The nature of which negates any need for an initial marketing budget.

That’s a little misleading.  This is not a true “No Cost” startup.  What the statement represents is the belief that where money can be saved, it should.  The philosophical approach applied is that if something can be accomplished at no cost, with the end result being the same as a paid approach, then the no cost solution should be used.  Factors including time investment and learning curve will be taken in to account when applied to a solution.  The reasoning for this philosophy is to make the business as mobile and profitable as possible.

Operationally the costs have been minimal to this point and a new expense tracker has been located in the sidebar.  By clicking on the dollar amount a breakdown of current expenses will be listed.  At this stage the breakdown covers the cost of domain registration and hosting services.  Man hours will not be tracked because the value of time invested correlates to future revenue earned.