Let's look at two examples of how entrepreneurs put this into practice.

Mark Zuckerberg: Many think that Facebook started out as a social networking platform for colleges. In fact, it started as a network for Harvard. Initially, you had to have a Harvard email address to sign up. Then it went to all colleges, right? Nope. Then it went to the fellow Ivy League schools. As soon as Facebook captured that market, founder Mark Zuckerberg rolled it out to all colleges, where you simply had to have a .edu email address to sign up. Finally, it was made available to...everyone. Because everyone has friends they need to keep in touch with. That's the general idea that Zuckerberg started with, but his strategy for world domination began with the students of Harvard, the early adopters that he knew so well. And by limiting his product to that first niche market, in no way did Zuckerberg limit the future success or viability of Facebook.

Barack Obama: The President-elect set the stage for how political campaigns will be run in the 21st century, and it has much to do with his entrepreneurial approach. The Democrats started with an ambitious and unrealistic 50-state strategy. If it were a business plan, most investors would have passed. But it worked for Obama because he was selling the universal products of hope and change. Everyone wants to have hope, and by the end of the election everyone was looking for change. But Obama didn't start by selling it to everyone; he started with a target market of brand evangelists. These were Obama's early adopters, and they spread his messages of hope and change (sold his products) for him. By the end, he'd convinced many Republicans (Obamacans) to endorse and vote for him, including conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan, National Review columnist Christopher Buckley (son of ultra-conservative National Review founder, William F. Buckley), and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. It's worth noting that it happened in this order and that each is progressively more Republican than the last. In other words, moving from the center of Obama's target market to the outer edges. Had Obama started by targeting hardcore Republicans, the strategy most certainly would not have worked.

In general, our advice is to focus your marketing efforts in two ways. First, target those who will be most passionate about your product. Word of mouth is the most efficient form of marketing. If you can reach people who want to spread your message for you, your marketing efforts will be magnified. The second principle, however, is to target those with the wherewithal to spread your message. Just because someone is motivated to tell other people doesn't mean they have an ability to do it. This is where social media becomes a powerful tool. If you can reach someone who (a) is highly motivated to spread your message and (b) has hundreds or thousands of "friends" across the social networks, that's your ideal customer. This is the absolute center of your target market. Start here and work your way out.

Learn more about Max Gladwell at www.maxgladwell.com.

Robin Grantham is a blogger and describes her blog as caffeinated writings often riddled with dry wit. Grantham says she is most interested in entertaining people and trying to make the world a better place. Grantham believes helping people grow ideas on ideablob is a wonderful way to accomplish both.

Robin Grantham is a blogger and describes her blog as caffeinated writings often riddled with dry wit. Grantham says she is most interested in entertaining people and trying to make the world a better place. Grantham believes helping people grow ideas on ideablob is a wonderful way to accomplish both.

3.  Remember-it's about them, not you

Concentrate on what your product or service can do for your customer-not how great you are. Always write by putting yourself in your customer's shoes. Think, "what copy would compel me to do business with this company?"

4.  Feature/Benefit, Feature/Benefit. Rinse. Repeat.

Time-tested marketing copy focuses first on the features of the product or service, then the benefits to the customer. For example, "The Plasmo 2000 Slicer has a diamond tipped cutting tool, allowing you to cut sheet metal clean and fast, leaving no burred edges."

5.  Get found: make your copy keyword rich

There's no magic bullet to come up in the first page of search results on sites like Google, but the number-one technique is having good copy containing the keywords people will use to find your webpage. We can't provide all the techniques here, but take some time to learn how to write good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) copy. Google it!

6.  Do you Blog?

If you write a blog about your industry or products and services, remember to keep the posts informative and valuable to the audience. Don't just use your blog as an advertising vehicle. However, do make it easy to contact you from your blog if readers want to learn more. Also, be sure to submit your articles to social sharing sites like Digg and Reddit to help spread your content around and draw further attention to your blog.

7.  Hire a copywriter!

If you're on a budget, and a decent writer following our tips, you may not need a copywriter. If not, a good copywriter is one of the best investments you can make. Good copy can be repurposed for brochures, presentations, phone scripts and even talking points when presenting to a potential client. If you hire a writer, make sure to ask for samples, and try to find someone with experience writing marketing copy, preferably for your industry or a similar industry.

About Emerge Digital
Spanning nearly a decade, Emerge Digital has provided results for non-profits to Fortune 500 multi-nationals. If your audience is engaged in digital media, we have a multi-disciplinary team ready to deliver your message to the people who matter most to your brand.

Learn more at http://www.emergedgtl.com/ or check their blog at http://www.newmediabuzz.com/.  

Moran lives in Philadelphia with her friend Gloria and a spunky 13-year-old black cat. She is also a nightclub DJ in the city, spinning her favorite 80’s new wave music once a month at the legendary Fluid Nightclub. To learn more, go to http://www.marilynmarketing.com or http://phillymarketing.wordpress.com.  

Gloria Bell is the founder of Red Stapler Consulting.  Red Stapler provides office management and administration services to freelancers, independents and small businesses.  Bell developed a true understanding of organization and business management after spending several years in insurance claims operations and management. She was also the owner and operations director of several small businesses. In addition to her insurance industry experience, Bell has held positions as the co-owner and operations manager of Made Easy, Inc. (a deck restoration & construction company) and Maid Easy (a residential and commercial cleaning service), and as operations director of Bartek Management, LLC (technology project management and consulting firm).

These diverse positions have given her a unique perspective on the needs and complexities of running a small business or sole proprietorship.  Bell is a member of Independents Hall (Philadelphia based co-working organization) and has volunteered her time and knowledge at PodCampPhilly and BarCampPhilly.  She is incredibly passionate about promoting and supporting the Philadelphia tech and creative community, as well as sharing her knowledge and experience with other individuals, organizations and charities.