ADVERTISING

Advertising can make or break your business. The internet has made advertising something that the normal Joe or Jane can do. The trick is learning how to do it effectively. Now there are many schools of thought out there and many are very good but I'm going to focus on some things I've done online as well as offline.Offline MarketingOffline marketing can be looked at as traditional advertising. Whether it be magazine, newspaper ads, television or your basic flyers. Another avenue to add to this is what I consider the most effective which is word of mouth advertising. Let me go over some of the ways I've handled my advertising.Print advertising is something that our business has dabbled in. One of my favorite things to do is to write so for me this is a good fit. Now to make print advertising work you have to take 3 things into consideration. First is your budget. For print advertising to be the most effective you need to have it done consistently. Most people need to see things a few times before they make up their mind to buy. This is especially true in these times when the economy is struggling. Our business has advertised in a few of the local news periodicals in our area. I like to find the free publications that you can find all around the local area. You must follow the rules they have but if you stay within the guidelines you can effectively reach a good base of customers.The second thing to look at is what customer base you are trying to reach. Customers are what all businesses need. Anytime that you advertise the goal is to reach as many people as possible. When deciding where to advertise it is important to be sure that the publication is reaching the base you are trying to market to. When I advertise I make sure to have my ad be in line with the theme of the medium I am advertising in. This leads me into the last part of what I think is needed in print advertising.Wording is everything. If you can communicate effectively you will be more apt to get your point across. The way an ad is written makes the difference between success and failure. There needs to be something that makes you stand out from the crowd. A good product and a good catch phrase have closed many a deal. Be sure to keep up with this thread as I continue to go over the ways to use advertising to grow my business.

Adam
The Business Tutor
Teaching you how to minimize cost, maximize profits and free up time