IMPORTANT
NOTE: Since we all differ in the way we look at
issues, and of course in how we interprete the experiences
we have, it is possible that you may not agree with some of
the ideas offered in this article. As I always say, THAT would
be okay: Simply take what you need, and leave the rest for
others to consider. Understand also that I make no promises
or guarantees that the ideas you get from here will work for
you.
It was not that I did not try to
get help or advice from those I believed would know, but it
was that - with the exception of a few - most people I met
with did not somehow manage to get around to telling me(that
is of course if they knew) what they knew about the subject,
much as they tried to help.
Let me tell you a few things I
have since learnt about cost-effectively getting marketing/advertising
exposure for my self, through sometimes quite painful(AND
"pocket-draining"!)
experiences.
1. It Is Often Not How Big They
Are, That Matters
Consider this true story. Back when
I was in my teens, I was actively involved in competitive
school/state level handball. At one time we had a team mate
who was rather smallish(compared to the rest of us) but so
skillful that virtually everyone he played against had to
make extra effort to keep him for scoring on EACH attack his
team made. Over time he earned the nickname "Small
but mighty" and all who had faced him
in "battle" agreed that he was!
As I said in my article titled "How
To Choose The Right Web Design Company", size does
not necessarily equate to competence - or as is more appropriate
to this article: "An advert's
big size will not necessarily make it more potent or effective".
It's not so much the size that really matters, but how well
crafted the message contained in the advert is. To arrive
at what would be a well crafted ad, you will need to have
built for yourself, in your mind, a clear "profile"
or your target audience - demographics like age, income group
etc.
Sounds simple and obvious doesn't it?
Which is why I felt stupid for not knowing it. Looking back,
I think I missed it because it required doing A LOT of up
front THINKING before going out to pay for ANY advert. Unfortunately,
THAT(i.e. "thinking") was not something I did not
do much of in those early days after leaving a salaried job.
I just thought I needed to get out there, place the ads, and
start responding to enquiries that resulted. Well, my empty
bank account soon taught me to slow down - and learn!
What I write in this article, can save
you needless, avoidable pains like those I had to endure.
2. You Need To Determine The Right
Placement/Location
The placement/location of a well-crafted
advert in the medium chosen
can make or mar the advertiser’s efforts of getting
the maximum possible exposure through it. Classified ad boxes
can deliver quite good returns depending on your intended
target audience. You might want to study the different newspapers
and magazines to see what type of adverts people place in
them. A little 4.5 x 5cm ad box(like one of many that I came
across in an edition of the UK Magazine "Management Today"),
if placed on a page(s) readers know they can find advertisement,
can get sighted/read as frequently as one that is a big as
a quarter of a page.
But that’s not all. That kind of
box advert very often has the potential of generating even
greater returns for the advertiser, if complementary e-mail/internet
marketing is used to support it.
3. Research/Use The Right Advertising
Medium For Your Target Audience
You need to place your advert in the
right news medium. Instead of putting it in a general subject
news medium like many of the dailies, consider getting better
exposure in a smaller, less widely circulated publication
which is mainly consumed by persons likely to be interested
in your product or service. For instance you are likely to
get better results by advertising in a paper newsletter titled
"Weekly Insights For HR Professionals" sent out
to HR Managers of companies in your area, than placing the
same ad in a general subject weekly publication.
So, depending on the area of business
you’re into, you will have to study extensively the
most economic and effective medium of advertisement to use.
A good method would be to approach those who have been using
them and ask their opinion. That most people use Tuesday Guardian
does not mean you should. Sometimes, that edition can get
too crowded that an advert not strategically placed to catch
the eye as pages are turned will probably not be seen by any
of those who need to see it!
4. What's The Shelf-Life Of Your
Intended Advertising Medium ?
Another factor to consider is the shelf-life
of the medium you wish to place your advert in. You must try
to analyse how long you think it will take those you want
to reach, to sight the advert. Most publications have a shelf
life of 24 hours to one week depending on the type (some are
weeklies). You will have to consider this in placing your
advert, because you want to be sure that as many as possible
of the kind of people you want, get to see it before another
edition is published and the old one becomes obsolete.
Summary - AND A Warning!
Most times you need to do A LOT OF THINKING
BEFORE you decide on what advert type to place, and where.
My experiences at a point made me decide upon adverts that
announced my Excel
VB products/services or Speaking/Coaching programs
without date/time indication. My website and auto responder
addresses included in those adverts invited interested persons
to find out more. This advert was then placed in a monthly
publication whose readers generally had interest in the area
advertised, and who often read old issues of the magazine.
Since the advert did not reflect a date
or time, any reader of the old edition still found it appropriate
to follow it up - getting me the prolonged exposure I sought.
Note that these techniques I have described/strongly
advocated, help you to cut down drastically on your advertising
expenditure. In many cases you might find that using website
and e-mail marketing techniques effectively could on their
own generate multiplier effects however, that is of course
if the kind of people you need to patronise your business
use the Internet/e-mail.
A
FRIENDLY WARNING! Just in case you are "fortunate"
enough to discover your intended target audience are NOT THE
kind just mentioned above, I have this to say to you: Going
by the fact the fact that most advancement in societies/businesses
across the world today, is technology driven, I would PERSONALLY
be wary of spending much of my marketing/advertising budget
targeting prospects who have an aversion for using PC/Internet
resources! 
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