Advertising & Marketing
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Score Big With Low Cost Ads

If your advertising budget, assuming you even have one, is low to start with,
blowing it all on a single high-profile ad placement isn’t likely to yield
significant long-term results. It might make more sense to try a variety of low-
cost outlets to find something that works.

Small business owners face a daunting task of breaking through today’s non-
stop ad clutter to reach buyers. But don’t give up. There are ways to win the
small business advertising game. “For the average business owner, creating
and placing an ad is like learning a foreign language,” says marketing
consultant Andrew Griffiths. “But advertising works and the more time and
energy you put into your advertising, the greater your results will be.”

Time, energy and creative thinking are key. You can find low-cost options in
almost every advertising category. While display ads in magazines and
newspapers cost a bundle, advertising in the classified section costs less and
is often overlooked. Readers flock to the classifieds in many trade and
specialty magazines. Look for publications that specifically target your
customers. Try a few test ads to gauge response.

Advertising online through search engines is inexpensive and has become the
single most popular new advertising outlet for small business. You’ll find
complete details and guidelines on creating and managing pay-per-click ad
campaigns at search giants such as Google and Yahoo!

A lower-cost option in the direct mail arena is postcards. They are simple,
timely and easy for customers to read quickly at a glance. And they are
considerably less expensive than typical letter-and-envelope type mailings.

Choosing the right ad medium, however, is only part of the battle. You still
need to create a plan for your ad program and craft a message that works. A
few tips:

·        Choose words and images that appeal to your customers and prompt
them to action.
·        Create a message that stands out from the crowd, but keep it simple.
·        Don’t advertise on impulse. Create a plan; select several ad methods
that can support each other, and don’t give up before your ads have a chance
to work.

To learn more about advertising your small business, contact SCORE
"Counselors to America's Small Business." SCORE is a nonprofit
organization of more than 10,500 volunteer business counselors who provide
free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small
business owners. Go to www.scoredm.org on the web or call (515) 284-4760
between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.