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Advertising Pitfalls You Can Avoid
By John Joyce, President
Red, Incorporated
Strategic Marketing and Design
One reason why some businesses - especially smaller businesses - are hesitant to market and advertise is a 'bad experience' they had in the past. They tell me that they 'have already tried advertising' and it didn't work for them. But after drawing them out on their experiences I find out that they have fallen pray to one of a few very common mistakes that most businesses make when going it alone. In this article I am going to address some of these pitfalls and hopefully help you to avoid them!
1) The Big Bang
Putting ALL your advertising money and effort into a single avenue is a HUGE gamble, but companies do it everyday. It doesn't matter how big the cannon is, if you aim it at the wrong target, or load it with the wrong ammunition, you won't hit anything. And, when the smoke clears, your money is gone and you've gotten little or no results. Instead, you should try out different avenues a little at a time - prioritize tracking the results - and then invest more in what
proves to work better.
2) Hit or Miss
Spreading things too thin isn't any better. Often, business owners are too busy to make marketing a real priority - so efforts are 'hit or miss'. There is little strategy, undefined goals, and unmeasured results. It's no surprise that these marketing efforts will produce 'hit or miss' results. If this is your problem, you should try to lay out some quantified objectives for your marketing, putting even a basic plan down on paper. Again, prioritize tracking results so you can evaluate what is working.
3) Off Target
Don't spend money on putting your ad in front of people who aren't prospects. Even if it seems cheaper because of the number of people who will see your ad or get your message, if a large portion of them aren't prospects you can quickly undo the apparent savings. It is usually much more effective to try to define your prospect as narrowly as possible and reach them exclusively. There may very well be a place for 'mass market' advertising in your marketing strategy, but always approach with care.
Effective advertising requires thoughtful attention and effort. Even if you have been in your business for many years, the marketplace changes, so you should test and evaluate different approaches for the best results - all the more if you are in a newer business. Be consistent, it takes time to build familiarity. Target your efforts carefully so you can get the best returns. If you apply these simple principles you can avoid the pitfalls above and enjoy increasing success in your marketing efforts.
