Starting and running a small business can be an exciting opportunity for anyone. But far too many small business owners overlook the importance of advertising as a revenue driver. The fact is that advertising is the engine that drives global business, representing around $500 billion annually. But even though major international companies have been consistently advertising, demonstrating their recognition of its importance, the small and local business market has been slow to catch on.
Either these small and local businesses either are not advertising at all, or, when they do, they make considerable mistakes doing so. After all, small business owners are not typically trained in the details of marketing, so they are deprived of the basic understanding of how to create an effective advertising campaign. And to make matters worse, most small businesses don’t con side the importance of learning how to advertises, or how to engage outside help to be successful.
So what often happens is that, after a few negative ad campaign experiences, many small and local businesses cease advertising, and struggle to find other ways to promote their business. A phrase commonly heard among this crow goes something like “advertising just doesn’t work for our business.”
Worse yet are the small businesses who get mediocre results from their advertising. They may be aware that something is wrong, but are unable to identify what exactly it is that is limiting their effectiveness. There’s a famous saying on the subject that goes something like “I know half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” This notion is particularly important for small and local businesses, because they can’t afford to waste the budget that they have spent on advertising. That’s why it’s crucial for small businesses to recognize the common mistakes they need to avoid, so their ad campaigns can be as successful as possible.
Some mistakes include not recognizing who they are advertising to, and, as a result having a weak message that doesn’t resonate with anyone. Another very common problem is lack on constancy in the message of the ad and the destination website where an ad points. Finally, many small businesses neglect to take advantage of capturing leads and following up with them, even though the technology and the systems are so readily accessible.