Trust and Advertising
By Alyice Edrich Date: 1-2-07
Word Count: 517
As I reflect on my business and where I want to take it in the new year, I can’t help but think about my weakest link: advertising. It’s easy to tell people how to do things; it’s easy to put pen to paper and write about whatever comes to mind, then use that article as a free marketing tool; and it’s easy let my reputation speak for itself and have past clients refer my work or my business, but what’s not easy is understanding how to effectively market my business with paid advertising dollars.
I never know what aspect to concentrate on, what area to advertise, what product would draw the most attention, or if I am even in the right vicinity. And that’s what makes advertising difficult for all small businesses. Without the budget to pay unbiased third parties to handle the advertising campaigns, small business owners are left to their own devices.
How many times have you forked over xx dollars just to watch that money go down the drain? Have you ever wondered what went wrong or what you could have done differently? I know I have.
Advertising is truly a game of hit and miss. It’s also a numbers game. The more someone sees your company, your product, or your name advertised or talked about by columnists and reviewers, or they more that person hears about it through a trusted friend, the more his/her trust for you and your product grows. And without trust, there simply is no way you or your business can win!
So how do you and I build that trust? That’s what I’ve been pondering the last few weeks and I have to say the only way to build trust is to create trust. And to create trust, you must:
- Be patient. Trust doesn’t happen over night. Most people don’t willingly give trust away, you have to earn it.
- Pay for regular ad spots. You don’t pay for a one shot deal, but you pay for 6 months of advertising in the same publication. You give the publication’s readers a chance to familiarize themselves with your company and your products or services.
- Send samples of your product to people who can and will tell others about your product.
- Ask for testimonies from past clients and/or customers. Then you use those testimonies in all your marketing and advertising materials. And if a testimony is vague, you ask for specifics. (Think of those infomercials. You don’t just hear that a product works, the guest tells you how it worked or why it worked.)
- Send press releases on a weekly basis. It’s not enough to send a yearly press release. There is simply too many companies competing for the same free publicity. If your current press release doesn’t draw enough attention, perhaps the 2nd or 10th or 50th attempt will.
About The Author
Alyice Edrich specializes in helping families money on their cell phone bills. Visit her website, http://edrichcommunications.com, to use her best rate calculator or learn how you can get a free cell phone. Or stop by http://thedabblingmum.com/joinezine.htm to subscribe to her free business newsletter!