Exactly How To Avoid Failure In Your Small Business Advertising

Small business advertising shouldn't be done like a lot of the advertising you see on T.V. ... or listen to on the radio. There ARE exceptions, certainly. However, for the most part, small businesses shouldn't do much of the following:

 

1) Institutional advertising (a.k.a. "Madison Avenue" type advertising).

2) Public relations or simply publicity seeking.

3) Any type of reaction advertising that's non-measurable.

 

The kind of advertising you NEED TO be doing is measurable. By this I mean you can ...

a) ... control costs.

b) ... measure results.

 

Small business advertising that doesn't fit these criteria is primarily like tossing cash down a hole. (Like I stated, there are exceptions. Yet if you attempt to advertise your business using public relations you'd better have a business that can benefit from that ... plus get the help of an expert who specializes in it.).

 

Institutional ... Madison Avenue kind stuff ... does not work in small business advertising any more than it efficiently works for big companies using it. It's just that big companies commonly have huge budgets they can spend on poor marketing without going under financially.

 

 

That's a luxury most of us do not have.

 

Direct marketing is various. You can manage its costs. Tailor it to your ad budget plan. And also gauge its efficiency based on feedback to the deal in the ad or sales letter.

 

Examples of response triggers used in efficient small business advertising include:.

 

* Phone calls asking for a direct response... like a sales appointment ... or a purchase ... or an invitation to come into the store with a certain client "code" one can use to receive a gift or purchase discount.

 

* A TELEVISION or radio commercial that asks for a direct response ... like having the client write or call in as well as inform what station they heard the ad on get a totally free gift like refrigerator magnets made from strong ferrite powder or special discount rate.

 

* Any type of media that requests for a direct response ... like redeemable coupons sent out through the mail ... a sales letter send through the post or Email, with an invitation attached for a special "after hours" sale ... a postcard using a 2 for 1 restaurant special ... or an invitation to call in as well as ask for free information.

 

Your small business advertising is going to be very wasteful unless you make the right offers to the right people. Being in tune with the needs, desires as well as motivations of your potential clients is crucial.

 

As an example ... if Jack's Sporting Item shop advertises a 30% discount sale on all golf tools by sending out 5,000 sales brochures through the mail to nearby locals the waste-factor is mosting likely to be incredibly high.

 

Besides, how many of those residents are golf players? Most likely just a little percentage. And of those that are golfers, how many of them will come in for Jack's sale?

 

In this case, most of his small business advertising dollars are wasted.

 

Nevertheless ... if Jack takes that exact same offer ... and sends it directly to 500 golfers in his area the action will be much higher. He's able to get the names and also addresses of likely golfers from a list broker by renting the names of people in his location that receive golf magazines.

 

See the difference?

 

Jack does not also need to mail out all 500 letters simultaneously. If his spending plan is a little tight, he can stagger his mailing over a period of days. Or perhaps limit the sale to those bringing in a coupon received through his mailing to test the effectiveness of his direct mail campaign.
 

 

Any small business advertising failing to ...

 

* provide a free gift( s).

* provide a time limit on the offer so purchasers will be motivated to act swiftly.

* award a bonus or premium of some kind just for coming into the shop.

* present a sale or discounted pricing.

* announce something new (i.e., product, service, price).

 

... should be avoided. Actually ... the more of these elements in your advertising the better.

 

An advertisement consisting of each of the above ingredients ... targeting prospects known to be curious about the product/service ... stands a great chance of being a winner.

 

Your small business advertising does not need to fall short. When you find out the crucial ingredients you'll never again worry about throwing advertising dollars away. Be sure to check this website if this is something that interests you.