What's the Best Type of Advertising for Small Biz?

The type of advertising that is really effective for small business is known as Direct Response Marketing. This technique serves two useful purposes. It targets your ideal client and requires them to take some form of action NOW, such as buy something NOW (by a deadline), make contact for more information (and get a bonus for doing so), make a donation, or some other form of action.

This technique is great because it also provides statistical information to enable you to know which ad format works best, which form of media, etc. In turn, this enables you to tweak and hone your ad until it works perfectly. You can also grow your database by collecting (with their permission) email addresses, phone numbers, and so on. No more wasted dollars on advertising that doesn't work and an easy way to grow your list, all in one.

Naturally, to really work, you MUST know who your target audience is. This type of advertising is not something you waste on the public at large. Place your ad where your ideal clients are likely to read it. If your ideal client is an outdoors type into hiking, hunting and fishing, you'd be wasting your time placing an ad in "Good Housekeeping" magazine. Also don't waste a brilliant direct response campaign on something ordinary and everyday. Your offer must be extraordinary.

A direct response advertisement, as with other advertisements, requires a catchy headline that will stop people and make them read more. The body will describe the benefits and it will finish with required action the reader takes next.

Compare this with a normal advert that displays little more than a company logo, a brief "aren't we great" type message and maybe a phone number. It doesn't require the reader to take any action or make any response. The most popular advertising in this area is by companies who want to establish brand image or keep their company "in your face". Both have benefits for their specific purposes – think of the large insurance companies and brands like Coke cola. For small businesses and one man operations, however, this type of advertising would be a waste of money.

If you need help getting your advertising and marketing campaigns off the ground, or maybe you don't even know where to start and want "from scratch" help, check out my program here: http://ping.fm/ElyXB Actually, why don't you take it for a "test drive"- that way you get to dip your toe in to test the waters without actually having to jump in! You can take it for at test drive HERE.

Until next time…
Terri