Evan Carmichael Top Header about About About facebook Twitter YouTube Google+

Advertising - is it for you?



Free PDF Download
What should your free giveaway be? - By Helen Dowling

Name: Email:


Advertising is one of those things that just about every small business owner considers at some point. After all, that's how big companies promote their businesses, right? So, shouldn't you be doing it as well?

Well, while advertising has its place in promotion, it has a number of drawbacks which means it's often not the best method for small business owners. Let's have a look at some of these.

Firstly, advertising is great for generating awareness of your business. It tells everyone who you are and what you do and people will notice you and realise that you're around. However, while it's great for building awareness, it's not too good at getting customers. Only 1-2% of people seeing, listening or watching adverts actually buy directly from the advert.

Secondly, advertising needs to be repeated often in order for it to stand any chance of being effective. You need to be repeating it at least three times: let's face it you might see the advert and mean to do something about it, but not get around to it. And if you need to repeat it, this can become effective.

Which brings me to my third point, advertising is a pretty expensive way of doing marketing - the average cost of an advert in your local paper (and I'm talking about a small advert here) is around £150+VAT. If you need to repeat your ad at least three times, that's £450+VAT before you even start. And if you do radio or television advertising, the costs can end up being astronomical.

With all these drawbacks, my preference isn't to advertise, but to concentrate on free or low-cost methods of marketing that have the same impact. After all, if advertising is better for awareness than getting customers, believe me there are at least 50 different ways I can think of, just off the top of my head that will create the same result, but cost nothing to do.

Having said that, there are some good deals around at the moment if you negotiate and are not afraid of walking away if you can't reach the price you're prepared to pay. And there are quite a few places where it's very cheap to advertise and might well be worth exploring. For instance, church magazines tend to be very cheap to do as do adverts in post offices or supermarkets.

Advertising in the yellow pages is also free and is a must for all small businesses - remember yellow pages is where people go if they know your name but can't remember your contact details. Don't be tempted to pay for an advert until you know it works. If you get business from a free advert, you'll definitely get business from a paid advert in there. Test it first.

If you'd like a copy of my 50 free ways to promote your business which is now a 14 page factsheet, please feel free to contact meusing the information in my profile.


Related Articles

  Is Online Advertising Cost Effective?
  Advertising And PR Guidelines In All Forms Of Media
  Advertising: The Nuts And Bolts Of Making It Work: Step Three: Make sure your advertising is specific, has substance and is credible
  Why Use an Advertising Agency
  What Is The Point Of Advertising?
  The Wave Of The Future May Be Logo Imprinted Products
  Advertising during recession
  TV is Dead… Long Live the Internet!
  Marketing Strategies - Banner Advertising and How to Choose Your Placements
  What's All This about "Pay per Click" Advertising
  Trigger their curiosity
  PR ROI: What is PR Worth to Your Company?
  PREPARE TO ADVERTISE!
  Copywriting Is Essential For Multilevel Marketing Success
  Keep Your Marketing at the Leading Edge in 2005
  If Your Advertising is Not Working! Here’s Some Ideas?
  Marketing on a Shoestring
  Make sure you know whats hot and whats not with your marketing
  Advertising, the major expense for a company in Dubai
  Internet Home Business Tips - Using Paid Or Free Advertising?

Home > Marketing > Helen Dowling > Advertising is it for you >

Free PDF Download
What should your free giveaway be? - By Helen Dowling

Name: Email:

About the Author: Helen Dowling

RSS for Helen's articles - Visit Helen's website

Exceptional Thinking (http://www.exceptionalthinking.co.uk) provides help and advice for small business owners on their marketing and to people starting up in business. To get your free audio on "Should you use email marketing in your business?" visit http://www.exceptionalthinking.co.uk/emailmarketinginfo.htm


Click here to visit Helen's website.
Dashed Line

More from Helen Dowling
How to explain what your business does
Focus on educating your customers
How to get business from social networking
Planning for the New Year
T is for Time to do Marketing

Related Forum Posts

Re: CopyWriting... Re: CopyWriting...
Top 19 Copywriting books Top 19 Copywriting books
Ideas for developing my business Ideas for developing my business
Good Adwords Books? Good Adwords Books?
Re: Why Some Websites Sell and Others Don’t? Re: Why Some Websites Sell and Others Don’t?

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Share for a Cause
Featured Expert



Worksheets
By: Evan Carmichael

Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

8 Powerful Steps to Finding Your Passion

Does your pitch suck?

Create a plan of attach to launch your new business.

8-Cover

Like this page? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Fear Factors in Small Business: Sales & Marketing

How To Create More Passion For Your Life and Work

The Unsung Business Tool: Public Speaking

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.