"Life is trying things to see if they work." - Ray Bradbury

"Try? There is no try. There is only do or not do." - Yoda (in The Empire Strikes Back)

"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something." - Frank Capra

"The art of creation is older than art of killing." - Andrei Voznesensky

"Look and you will find it; what is sought will go undetected. - Sophocles

"It's simple. you just take something and do something to it, and then do something else to it. Keep doing this and pretty soon you've got something." - Jasper Johns

"The mind is like a parachute; it only works when it is open" - Unknown

" Every new idea looks crazy at first." -- Alfred North Whitehead

"Je ne cherche pas; je trouve." (I do not seek; I find.) -- Pablo Picasso

"Without deviation, progress is not possible" -- Frank Zappa

"Lady -- if you don't know, don't mess with it." -- Louis Armstrong (when asked exactly what jazz is)

"The life of creative man is lead, directed and controlled by bordeom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes." - Saul Steinberg

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"People learn more from observation than they do from conversation." -- Will Rogers

"You can observe a lot by watching" - Yogi Berra

(c)Burek Group 2002

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as byline at end of this article is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

If you have to sacrifice one of these, it should be frequency. Your 12-week radio campaign can become a 10 week campaign. Or instead of 6 spots per day you can reduce it to 5. Reach should be left untouched, simply because you selected a particular group of customers for one reason: you think they might buy your product or service. So don’t cut them out of equation. Instead, hit them less often with your marketing message.

Look to PR: Advertising is expensive. PR (Public Relations) is essentially free. If you can gain some exposure through your local media outlets, you can be sure that it will generate a better response for your small business than your typical ad campaign. One article about your business in a local newspaper or an appearance on a local TV show is better than advertising because of credibility it brings to your business. You could easily drop a few ads from your campaign if you land some publicity for your business. By keeping your local media informed of your business activities, including things like major sales, expansions, or trends in your business that customers would find interesting, you may open doors to free publicity and save advertising dollars along with it.

By piggybacking your ads with those of other companies, slightly reducing your frequency, and seeking PR opportunities for your business, you will be able to reduce your advertising costs without greatly affecting your advertising response rates.