Advertising Your Small Business? Here’s What You Need to Know
Table of contents for How to Become a Marketing Superstar
- How to Become a Marketing Superstar
- Advertising Your Small Business? Here’s What You Need to Know
Have you ever spent a lot of money on a traditional (print, television, radio) advertisement for your business and have it not work? I have, many times. And then in frustration I would claim that “Advertising doesn’t work.” But if it doesn’t work, why do companies like Geico, Coca Cola and Macy’s spend millions of dollars on advertising every year?
The truth is that they wouldn’t spend money on something that doesn’t work. And for companies like these, it makes sense given the massive numbers of people they need to buy their products every day in order for them to be profitable.
The reason that they use these mediums is simple; because television, radio and print is a very effective way to reach massive quantities of prospective buyers on a consistent basis.
Reach and Frequency
The marketing concept we are talking about here is called “Reach and Frequency.”
Reach is the total number of prospects who hear your marketing messages. Frequency is how often they are marketed to.
Seth Godin uses a colorful and appropriate analogy about reach and frequency in his book Permission Marketing.
Think of it this way: Marketing is like planting a garden. Which is better? Planting many seeds and watering them only once, or planting fewer seeds, but watering them consistently over time?
Just like your seeds will die if you only water them once, so will your marketing messages die in the minds of your prospects if they only hear/see them once.
Frequency Builds Trust
When consulting with one of my clients recently I asked about how our marketing and advertising was working. The question was, “Why are more people calling? Is it because of our radio ad? Newspaper insert? Website? “ I was surprised by his answer. He said “It’s not just one thing; it’s everything.”
When customers call they say that they saw our insert in the paper, but then they had driven by a few times and seen our place, but then they also heard us on the radio, and they had seen us on TV too. And they had finally decided they needed to come in and see us.
My client says that it’s all about “Reinforcement.” Another term for this would be frequency; and frequency builds credibility and trust. All of the marketing strategies we use on a regular consistent basis work together to bring more customers in the door.
Your reach and frequency needs will determine which advertising media will work best for you. Just don’t do what I did and run only one advertisement and then give up. Plant an assortment of seeds, water them regularly and then harvest bushels of success.
Always be marketing.
Related Posts:
- How to Become a Marketing Superstar
- 5 Small Business Marketing Secrets from Big Box Retailers
- 5 Easy Ways to Turbocharge Response to Marketing Materials
Wendy Kenney is the best selling author of How to Build Buzz for Your Biz, Tap into the Power of Social Media, Publicity and Relationship Marketing to Grow Your Business, available on Amazon.com. She has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Newsday. For more information go to http://23Kazoos.com.
February 28th, 2011 at 8:59 am
Hi Wendy,
I really enjoyed reading through your article. For a newbie like me it has been utmost beneficial and eye-opening. Few of the strategies that you pointed weren’t adopted by me earlier but now I’ll definitely incorporate them. Keep up the excellent work. Looking forward to more material from your end.
Thanks
March 1st, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Great Post. I guess my current marketing efforts is not a waste of time!
March 5th, 2011 at 9:38 am
As a fellow on-line entrepreneur, I will admit that it can be a bit dizzying trying to keep up with all the different media I use to stay relevant - Twitter, Facebook, blog posts, article writing, reporter articles/PR, telecasts and interviews. Ugghhh. But the true is that your audience - ANY audience, does not live in just one medium. They move around - both in the virtual world and the physical. Your message needs to cover both realms.
Regards,
Mark Ryan
www dot directmailsecrets dot net
April 4th, 2011 at 1:03 am
I have opened an office for my financial planning business. There is a vacant space on the sign out front of the small shopping center. I want to put my name on it so when I give new prospects directions to my office, they can see my name easily. The highway out front is the most traveled in my town. Instead of just my name, what about putting my website address, since it has my name in it?
Instead of Bill Berry, CLTC, put http://www.BILLBERRYfinancial.com. My thinking is that the website address has my name in it, so the recognition will be there, but if someone actually takes the time to type in my website address, it will tell my whole story to them in one click.
Is this a good idea, or not.
Thanks,
Bill
February 6th, 2012 at 12:30 am
Hi Wendy,
This is very helpful. If we need to brand our business, then we need to get it in front of our customers as often as possible. Coca Cola has built an impact deeply in our minds because of years and years of repeatedly advertising.
Thanks for the knowledge,
Judy
April 9th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Marketing is such a daunting task. How do you share enough without circling back to your product? I found myself burned out after a year of solid blogging. How do you get such a tremendous following in responses? No one likes a one way conversation right?
Erika Burton, PhD.
Stepping Stones Together, Founder
Empowering parental involvement in early literacy skills
http://www.steppingstonestogether.com
August 10th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Ladar Cleaning Service start up
http://www.indiegogo.com/ladarofmistartup
Ladar Cleaning Service is a woman owned and operated Commercial cleaning services. The purpose of this is to help bring in some capital to buy cleaning equipment