Post: 1,488
To my friends out there in the business world ..... this a WARNING to beware of charlatan ad men, fast-talking, statistics-twisting salesmen and slick, manipulative marketers!
Your business cannot afford to waste its limited advertising budget in 2011. Times are tough. You've had to lay off workers, cut your overhead operating expenses to the bone and reduce the salary you yourself take from your business.
Now you know you have to spend some money on advertising to promote the products or services of your business. But how much? And what is the most effective use of your precious advertising dollars?
Just remember that, when it comes to advertising, it doesn't matter one wit how many subscribers a newspaper or magazine has, it doesn't matter one hoot in hell what the weekly "traffic" numbers or "pageviews" of an online "news/adsheet" website are, nor does it matter how cute the youth soccer team or Little League team you sponsor looks in the bright new uniforms you provide. The only thing that really matters is whether or not the advertising dollars you spend are helping you bring new business through the front door.
So, be skeptical of the online publisher who spouts statistics about "subscriptions", "weekly traffic", "weekly pageviews" and "click-thru-rates". That's inside baseball. It may not pertain to you, and it may not help you increase sales in YOUR business. Newspapers will tout their "subscription rates" and "readership demographics". That's all fine. But can they help you increase the sales of YOUR products and services? While it may feel good to sponsor a soccer team or Little League team in 2011, will your sponsorship create good will in the community and will your sponsorship expenditures bring new business in through YOUR front door?
The claims made by the various advertising media that compete for your ad dollars usually emphasize internal performance statistics which attempt to quantify their "reach" out to YOUR potential marketplace. But they rarely know anything about, care anything about or are able to quantify the "pull of or response to" ad campaigns run by their paid advertisers. They won't tell you how many other ads will appear with your ad. Don't let your ads be drowned out in a sea of ads that all look the same.
BOTTOMLINE: When it comes to advertising, don't be fooled! Do your homework!
Reciprocal Links: http://www.AccuWeather.com (Weather Forecasts), http://www.DSchaefer.Vemma.com (Nutrition For A Lifetime), http://www.Heart2HeartLyrics.blogspot.com (Song Lyrics Seeking Singer-Songwriters), http://www.HermannMoNews.blogspot.com (The 'Drudge Report' of Hermann), http://www.RivertownRecipes.blogspot.com (Great Local Recipes)
Other Recommended Links: http://www.HermannAdvertiserCourier.com (Gasconade County's Newspaper of Record), http://www.MUTigers.com (Official Website of the Missouri Tigers), http://www.Time4Pie.com (Great Pie, Coffee & Conversation), http://www.ToedtmannGrosse.com (Obituaries), http://www.WatkinsOnline.com (Watkins Natural Products)
Thanks for pointing out the 'Smoke-and-Mirror' tactics of online ad men. Making a $20 donation to a worthy cause just to get a free ad, seems very self-serving. That strategy has never factored into where I spend my hard earned dollars.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see other web sights figure out the great pr man is nothing more than smoke and mirrors! Keep up the good work and Happy Shouveling!
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