Small business marketing 101: Take ownership and be aggressive

In order to truly engage in effective business marketing, owners must take true ownership and seize any opportunity that arises, according to a recent Forbes article.

The news source suggests that, for example, when investing in Groupon's services, small business owners must continue marketing efforts once they "reel" a customer in with an offer. They must then ensure a quality product with great service is provided to give the consumer a reason to return when everything is at full price.

"It's a function of understanding the prospective buyer in order to capitalize on any lead, be it from an ad source like Groupon or a referral," small business coach Josh Frey told the news source. "You must engage quickly, and the faster you understand the buyer's needs ... the faster you can make the sale and develop a long-lasting relationship."

The media outlet cites the example of a previous Forbes article that disparaged pizza in St. Louis, Missouri. A resident reader - and pizza shop owner - emailed the author with a free offer to try his pizza, turning him into a repeat customer. He took ownership.

The seventh annual MerchantCicle Confidence Index revealed that Groupon is thriving recently, as 12 percent of those polled said they offered a promotion using the site - a 33 percent increase from June 2011.