Marketing is a vital component to the success of businesses. Smaller businesses rely on company advertising, spending, knowing if the company is networking with the right people, or joining the best organizations that lead to success (EStartup business blog, 2010). Marketing focuses on customers and what customers want. Customers are the source of sales and profits. Many small businesses face significant challenges due to failure to develop the right marketing plan (EStartup business blog, 2010). To help these companies you need to design a more appropriate or better marketing plan. Small business Internet marketing services can help businesses develop and thrive in a highly competitive market. For the highest quality Internet marketing services, hiring an online marketing company to design a custom Internet marketing campaign can be beneficial for some businesses (EStartup Company Blog and Contributors, 2010). We will identify the role marketing plays in a successful business, demonstrated through the use of two examples, the importance of developing a marketing plan, and the ethical and legal issues surrounding marketing practices (EStartup business blog, 2010 ). To be a successful business, the business owner should use the marketing mix and market research results; After identifying its key audiences, the company must ensure that it creates a marketing mix that specifically targets those people. The marketing mix is ​​a term used to describe the four main marketing tools, price, product, promotion and place (EStartup company blog, 2010). An example of each 4P is: what products are well received, what prices consumers are willing to pay, what TV programs, newspapers and advertisements they consume... middle of paper, once the marketing strategy has been defined. it's okay; the business will be successful in the future. Systems are put in place to gain market feedback that measure success against short-term goals. The marketing mix plays an important role in any marketing business strategies. This means the 4Ps, Price, Promotion, Production and Place. Works Cited • Subway-target market nd, Leading Edge Education 2007, accessed August 19, 2011, .• Start up Businesses website nd, EStartup company blog and contributors, accessed August 19, 2011, .• Marketing at McDonald's nd, McDonald's Corporation, visited on 23 August 2011, .