Advertising

We all want to make sure we are getting our name out there. Why? Because we want more clients. But just having a banner ad up on a website or having a pay per click campaign doesn't automatically mean our phone is going to ring.

When I started my business I was so eager to get my name out there and would throw my money at almost anything I could think of to try and attract more clients.  Turns out that my most effective marketing strategies were those that cost me the least: personal referrals through networking. Sure it did cost me my time, but that didn't put a dent in my bank account. On the other hand, those expensive pay per click ads were bringing me nothing.

A good piece of advice I got was: if you as a consumer don't pay attention to a particular form of advertising, then why as a business owner are you willing to throw your hard earned money investing in it?

Yellow pages? Sorry, I throw those in the recycling bin the minute they hit my doorstep. Yelp? Please stop calling every single day. I ALWAYS ignore the sponsored ads.  Pay Per Click? How many of us go straight to the first organic listing before ever clicking on something we know is paid for even if we have to scroll past it to get the info we want?

I've learned to put my money where it will be best utilized and find free ways to advertise. I'm not a marketing expert, but I do like to feel like a certain amount of common sense can help me avoid some costly mistakes.

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