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Myth 5: Advertising does all work for you. You can't place your ad, then sit back and wait for phones to ring. Advertising is not a passive way to get business. The more active you are in promoting your business through a variety of marketing activities, more effective your advertising will be. Plus, your promotion activities will greatly enhance your advertising efforts. Most ads produce leads from people that are interested. Therefore, you have to have your follow up messages in place. One of key factors in this is to have your entire staff be knowledgeable of every ad that is placed, where, when and what their response should be. If someone calls to get more information about your ad, but person who answers phone knows little to nothing about it, bang. Dead lead. Have your staff be well prepared to answer all questions.
When a small business should advertise: *When your target market is reachable by one or more media.
*When your target market is a decent sized mass-market.
*When this is one of only ways you can reach prospects.
*When you are moving into a new market.
*When your budget permits for frequency.
*When you can reach most people who can and will buy your product or service through cost effective advertising.
*When your competition does.
When your competition doesn't.
When a small business should not advertise:
*When it is not cost effective for return on your investment.
*When your budget will not permit repetition.
*When you expect adverting will bring in customers by hundreds.
*When advertising will be your only method of reaching your market.
*When your advertising will be far less than your competition.
*When you cannot afford to have professional ads done.
Karen E. Hipp is a nationally recognized marketing consultant and the author of the ebook "Do-It-Yourself Marketing." Karen has been honored with "Marketing Director of the year in two separate industries and has won 54 Addy Awards. Karen's business, Hipp Marketing, focuses on small to medium sized businesses that need marketing help.