Chapter 38
Basic Advertising Strategies
Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.
—Ted Turner
Not advertising is like being alone in a dark room with the door closed. You know you are there, but no one else does. You absolutely have to advertise if you are going to succeed in business, because it is the main way new customers learn you are out there. Yet it is surprising how many small business owners assume that their great idea, ideal location, big sign, good looks, or whatever will bring people in the door. This is what brings new people in the door: advertising. Sure, marketing is very important, as is networking, customer service, and word of mouth, but advertising is the route with potentially the biggest payoff. Advertising turns the lights on.
The Process
The problem for many small businesses is that there are a lot of advertising choices, many are not inexpensive, and a costly mistake can cripple the budget. Absolutely understandable. And, as discussed earlier, one trait of great entrepreneurs is that they reduce their risk to the extent possible. That is what we want to do here. Few small businesses have the cushion to absorb a costly mistake, so here I will outline a process that allows you to greatly reduce the possibility that you will bet on the wrong horse, advertise in the wrong place, and lose a bunch of money. What should happen instead is that you will create a winning ad with less risk.
The good news is that creating a successful advertising ...
