There's a common belief among business owners telling us low cost advertising is either ineffective or impossible. And it's wrong. The first mistake they make to lead them to this conclusion is advertising costs at all. Good advertising doesn't cost a penny, because it makes you money.
Because the second mistake they make is assuming a bigger, more colourful ad is better than a smaller, plainer one. And this is rarely true. The only was to know for sure is to test, but that's another (very important) subject. But none of this is to say it's not a good idea to pay as little as we have to for our advertising. Because if we halve the amount we pay in advertising, we double our Return on Investment (ROI).
Why Low Cost Advertising Can Be More Effective
The problem with ads run by most small businesses is they try to make a "sale" right off the page (whether the "sale" is actually to sell something or sell the reader on the idea of coming into the store).
In fact, most of the time, ads don't even do this: they're basically big, expensive business cards stuck in the newspaper: logo, company name, and something about how long they've been in business. Newsflash: no one cares. But properly crafted smaller ads which get your reader to take a specific action for their benefit rather than yours is often much more effective.
Here are some ways to lower the cost of your advertising.
1. Use Permission Advertising
This is a term coined by Seth Godin, but has been around for a long time before that. Basically, it's where you advertise something for free -- perhaps a free report or a free sample. And in return, you get the reader's name and address (or perhaps email address), and implicit permission to market to them. They've put their hands up and indicated interest in your offers.
The reason this is perfect for low cost advertising is you can place a very small ad in the press and have it direct people to a web-site or recorded message where you can tell your whole "story" very cheaply.
2. Pay Less For Your Ads
At the time of writing this, print advertising is very cheap. The recession means most businesses are pulling their ads and slashing their marketing budgets. Supply and demand means the cost of advertising space falls.
So if you're advertising and it's paying its way, call the publication and ask them to cut the rate you're paying. Aim to cut it by 50%. No need to be nervous: the worst result is they say "no". Chances are, though, their businesses are suffering terribly and they'll cave in and give you a substantial discount.
It's that simple - one more way for you to get some low cost advertising for your business.
3. Make Your Ads More Effective
As well as making your ads smaller and paying less for them, you can make them more effective.
How? By studying the fundamentals of what makes an ad good or not (the AIDA principle, strong copywriting, having an offer and call to action... all the things you can learn for free almost anywhere and everywhere on the 'net).
You'll often find by concentrating on making your ads more effective (removing pointless white space and graphics, etc. you'll also make them smaller, less colourful, and consequently cheaper).
Low cost advertising does NOT mean ineffective advertising if you stick to the principles we know work well.
Low Cost Advertising
Does NOT mean 'cheap and ineffective'.Because the second mistake they make is assuming a bigger, more colourful ad is better than a smaller, plainer one. And this is rarely true. The only was to know for sure is to test, but that's another (very important) subject. But none of this is to say it's not a good idea to pay as little as we have to for our advertising. Because if we halve the amount we pay in advertising, we double our Return on Investment (ROI).
Why Low Cost Advertising Can Be More Effective
The problem with ads run by most small businesses is they try to make a "sale" right off the page (whether the "sale" is actually to sell something or sell the reader on the idea of coming into the store).
In fact, most of the time, ads don't even do this: they're basically big, expensive business cards stuck in the newspaper: logo, company name, and something about how long they've been in business. Newsflash: no one cares. But properly crafted smaller ads which get your reader to take a specific action for their benefit rather than yours is often much more effective.
Here are some ways to lower the cost of your advertising.
1. Use Permission Advertising
This is a term coined by Seth Godin, but has been around for a long time before that. Basically, it's where you advertise something for free -- perhaps a free report or a free sample. And in return, you get the reader's name and address (or perhaps email address), and implicit permission to market to them. They've put their hands up and indicated interest in your offers.
The reason this is perfect for low cost advertising is you can place a very small ad in the press and have it direct people to a web-site or recorded message where you can tell your whole "story" very cheaply.
2. Pay Less For Your Ads
At the time of writing this, print advertising is very cheap. The recession means most businesses are pulling their ads and slashing their marketing budgets. Supply and demand means the cost of advertising space falls.
So if you're advertising and it's paying its way, call the publication and ask them to cut the rate you're paying. Aim to cut it by 50%. No need to be nervous: the worst result is they say "no". Chances are, though, their businesses are suffering terribly and they'll cave in and give you a substantial discount.
It's that simple - one more way for you to get some low cost advertising for your business.
3. Make Your Ads More Effective
As well as making your ads smaller and paying less for them, you can make them more effective.
How? By studying the fundamentals of what makes an ad good or not (the AIDA principle, strong copywriting, having an offer and call to action... all the things you can learn for free almost anywhere and everywhere on the 'net).
You'll often find by concentrating on making your ads more effective (removing pointless white space and graphics, etc. you'll also make them smaller, less colourful, and consequently cheaper).
Low cost advertising does NOT mean ineffective advertising if you stick to the principles we know work well.
Lead generation and direct response marketing specialist and copywriter Jon McCulloch is the author of " for Small Business ".
This book reveals the strategies he has used with his clients to realise response rates over 300% better than traditional techniques... and for a limited time you can download 'BIG marketing Muscle for Small Business' right now. His clients have mailed over 1 million pieces using the exact same strategies he reveals in this book - so you know they're tried, tested and proven to work in the real world.
This book reveals the strategies he has used with his clients to realise response rates over 300% better than traditional techniques... and for a limited time you can download 'BIG marketing Muscle for Small Business' right now. His clients have mailed over 1 million pieces using the exact same strategies he reveals in this book - so you know they're tried, tested and proven to work in the real world.
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