Hitting the bull's eye.

Recently I purchased the infamous Nintendo Wii. The game play is different than any other system made and the social climate it creates makes it the hottest selling console available.

One thing my wife and I love playing is a dart game. Frustratingly we try to use the Wii remote to throw our darts as close as possible to the bull's eye. Then after five sets of darts, one of us gets to gloat about being the closest to the bull's eye.

In a business sense, everyone wants to hit a bull's eye. Some people start businesses because they believe in their products or desire to serve the public. But in the end the bills have to be paid and if you want your business to survive long term, revenue is crucial.

A way to keep your business alive might be through target marketing.

Aiming your business at certain people groups might increase your chances of bringing in customers. And if there's anything distinctive about your business, implement it into your advertising.

A great thing about small towns is that your store may carry products no one else is carrying. Then you have a captive audience and something unique to promote to the public.

And another thing to consider is doing marketing campaigns. Focus on one aspect for advertising and periodically change it.

These are just some suggestions to get the engine running.