Successful Advertising

In the 35 years or so I have been in sales, be it my magazine or paper  or selling for the large dailies or small weeklies I have learned that most small business owners  do not really understand how to market themselves. They know and understand their product or service and most work long hours trying to keep the business running. Marketing is something they know they need but is secondary to making sure the customer is satisfied. In the next few posts I am going to try to help the business owner understand how  marketing works and what I know works.

First off what you need to do is figure out what kind of advertiser you are. There are 2 types of advertisers: Shotgun and Targeted. Shotgun advertisers have somewhat of a plan but do not really believe that advertising works. They spray one ad here and another there. Like a shotgun their ads have reach and do the job but have a short reach and dilute quickly. A Targeted advertiser researches their demographics, knows where their customers come from, knows their needs and sends a direct message to them. A shotgun advertiser usually does not have a set budget and more than likely does not track their results. The targeted advertiser sets aside a set amount of dollars and knows where he is going to spend it. Along with that they know they need a method of tracking it be it a coupon, an offer that is only in one place or they continously ask "how did you hear about us". Taking some time to figure out what kind of advertiser you are can help your bottom line.

Next: What kind of ad is right for you.

For a free marketing consultation please call me at 603.568.0428 or email merrimackvalleyvoice@comcast.net to set an appointment.

Mike Cotton
www.merrmimackvalleyvoice.com