Business Management Blog

Most businesses must advertise, to a greater or lesser extent, in order to attract customers. “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half,” said John Wanamaker, the famous U.S. department store merchant. Unless referrals or other connections can direct a steady stream of business to your door, be prepared to spend money on advertising.

Advertising can take many forms, but all of these forms fall into two broad categories: direct and indirect advertising. Direct advertising is, as the name implies, in-your-face promotion about what you are selling. Indirect advertising is a little more subtle, involving promotion of your company as well as the items or services you sell. This type of advertising involves the use of a company logo to develop awareness of your business. As the public grows to recognize your logo, it will embrace what you have to sell because of your name as much as the features of the things you are selling.

Some of the most common ways for small businesses to advertise include:

Telephone Directories

If your business is primarily local, then advertising in the yellow pages of your telephone directory may be advisable. Having a business telephone number automatically entitles you to a free listing in all yellow pages directories. But to stand out from your competitors, you need to pay for larger ads. The amount you pay depends on the market you are in and on the size of the ad you take. Also obtain a listing for your web site in Internet yellow pages.

Online Directories

Consumers are increasingly turning to the Web for all their buying needs. If you sell products beyond your locality, you may want to spend some advertising dollars for listings in Google, Yahoo!, and other search engines. The cost of advertising here is a charge for each visitor you obtain through the search engine. You may pay as little as a penny or two to draw a visitor to your site, but usually the cost is higher.

Local Newspapers and Pennysavers

This form of print advertising can be useful for certain types of businesses. For example, tradespeople and restaurants frequently use local Pennysavers, distributed weekly to all households in the area, as a low-cost advertising medium.

Community Mailers

Send out coupons to local households and businesses as inducements to buy your goods or services. PsPrint online printing is another integrated marketing and direct mail partner which will help you advertise your business through value-added services like custom graphic design, direct mailing list creation, direct mail fulfillment, and more. Unlike other expensive print shops, PsPrint combines web technologies with production facilities, delivers online convenience with lightening-fast turnaround and very competitive prices.

Advertising can be costly, but you can advertise without blowing your entire marketing budget on a single effort. Keep in mind that the key to successful advertising is repetition, although it’s impossible to say how much repetition is needed. It’s safe to say that just one ad in a magazine may prove totally ineffective in attracting new customers. It’s probably a good idea to pick one method of advertising and stick with it for a while. Don’t start one month and stop the next.

Decide whether to handle your own advertising or use an agency or other professionals to assist you. Obviously there is a cost factor to consider. Agencies charge for their services, but may be able to negotiate better placements and cheaper rates than you can.

Last but not least, make sure your advertising complies with all law requirements. For example, you cannot use false or deceptive ads and you must have proof to back up any claims you make.