The ability to answer the following questions and to effectively put those answers into practice is essential to achieving the growth you desire for your home business.

1. Who is my target group, and what are their needs?

2. What am I marketing?

3. How am I marketing this?

The answer to Question 1 really just involves some basics of human interaction. Everybody loves to feel understood. You'll get a lot further with your target market if you understand what they've been through and what their needs are, but first, you must clearly establish who this target market is. Are they young women looking for the newest breakthrough in skin care that will help give them greater confidence? Are they those who have suffered with health problems and are seeking a new answer in nutrition? Or are they stay-at-home moms needing to earn money from home? Identify these things, and you can establish yourself as they answer they need.

Put yourself in the shoes of your target market. What kinds of frustrations and fears might they be feeling? Develop a mindset of empathy for their feelings. Empathy is a powerful thing. It works in life, and it works in business, because business is just an extension of the human relationship.

Now, don't worry that it may be underhanded to bring emotions into your marketing. It's realistic, and it adds a human element to your business. (Again, we're talking about basic laws of human interaction. People do act upon emotions.)

As an answer to Question 2, you're probably tempted to say, "I'm marketing my company's product," or "I'm marketing my company's business opportunity." The real answer is that in business, and in every other area of your life, you are selling YOU.

If you doubt that, consider that there are over 28.7-billion* people out there selling business opportunities right now. Your target market could just as easily go with any of them. So the important aspect in your marketing isn't the product or the opportunity, but the why.

Give them a reason to join you. Present yourself as an authority your field. Generate confidence by providing helpful web content that's relevant to your target market's needs. Generate familiarity by staying in touch using e-newsletters, follow-up emails, and eventually offers that pertain to their particular interests.

Lastly, consider the ways you've gone about trying to reach your ideal prospects. I could write many articles on that subject, but I'll include a few pointers here.

There are many free sources of advertising on the Internet. You can get your business, your ideas, even your face out on the web using YouTube, Squidoo, and many others. There are also paid forms of advertising like Google Adwords (a pay-per-click service) or banner ads.

Articles are a wonderful way to attract prospects who are already interested in what you offer. As you compose your articles, keep in mind the kinds of things your target audience might be typing into the search engine fields. Use those keywords or phrases strategically within your text.

If article writing is not your cup of tea, outsource your writing projects using a service like Elance or Shelancers. (Yes, there are people out there who like to do the things you consider a drag.)

You can spread your content throughout the Internet using article directories like ezinearticles.com or GoArticles.com. Keep your content fresh and updated to keep yourself in the search engines' sights.

Periodically reassess your approach to marketing, and use these tips to get qualified prospects calling YOU.

*Statistic from the Direct Selling Association.