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The Truth About Advertising by Maria Gracia The second that most people go into business, the majority of them immediately run newspaper or radio ads. And most, if not all of them, end up disappointed with the results. There are a number of reasons for this, and I am certainly not going to say that advertising doesn't work. In fact, it can work beautifully if all of the proper steps are taken. Here are a few little known secrets about advertising that you should always consider before spending lots of money on ads. 1. DON'T BE FOOLED BY JARGON. Most television, radio and print media will use terms such as reach or circulation or cost per thousand (CPM). You'll hear statements such as: "our radio station reaches an audience of 100,000," or "our newspaper has a circulation of 50,000," or "the cost per thousand for our media is much less than our competitor's media." This has very little to do with you or your business. Just like everybody who reads the newspaper or listens to a radio station is not in the market for a car, or a foot exam, the same goes for you when you run an ad for your business. There is only a very small percentage of readers/listeners who are going to have an interest in or a need for your product or service. And the people that may have a need, might not be ready to purchase today. Basically, that leaves very, very few people out of the 50,000 that you even have a chance of selling. 2. LOW BUDGET ADS GET LOST IN THE CROWD. Now, take that small percentage that I just mentioned, and realize that only a tiny percentage of those people are even going to see your ad or hear it on the radio. Newspapers are so overloaded with ads and editorial material that your ad will most likely get lost in the crowd. Think about it. How many ads do you remember from the last newspaper you read, or from this morning's radio program? By the way, the smaller your ad is, the less chance you have of your prospects seeing it, among all the other advertising clutter--so you're not saving money by running tiny ads. 3. NO MATTER WHAT, ONE-STEP ADS ARE INEFFECTIVE. If you run basic ads with your company name, a few services and your phone number, I guarantee you that you're going to get little, or no response. These are called one-step ads--because they attempt to get you to buy or call in one quick and easy step. Many newspapers will tell you that you have to run your ad 7-12 times before it gets noticed. They say, "It's only through repetition that you will finally break through." Don't do it. The only marketing method that is truly effective for organizing businesses is the TWO-STEP approach, also known as the Give to Get Marketing Solution Remember, the newspapers are in the business of selling space. Radio stations are in the business of selling time. Neither is in the business of teaching you how to effectively market your business. It's up to you to learn how to do that. 4. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YOU CAN GET FREE ADVERTISING. How? Through press releases. Newspapers, magazines and radio stations will promote your business for free, if you have something to offer that will benefit their readers or listeners. But, be careful. Read about how to write effective press releases and do your homework. Your press releases must be "newsworthy" to get noticed and published. Click to Return to Article Index 
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