Be Cautious When Deciding to Advertise

If you're considering adding advertising to your marketing and business development repertoire, especially if you're a small business, be cautious. An article from MadScam does a good job of listing some pros and cons and making a pros and cons list is a good idea to do anyways, but the number one question is: are you selling a product or a service? If you're selling a service, 9 times out of 10, you're successful because of the relationship that you've developed with your current clients. Advertising can't sell that relationship - it can give viewers a call to action to contact you for more information - but it won't sell that relationship.

On the flip side, you have a product that you want to advertise. You've already decided that the pros outweigh the cons and you're taking the plunge. First, look at your products current demographics - what does your customer look like? Male or female, age, household income, kids or no kids, etc. Once you've determined your demographics and developed your product's customer profile, then you can match that with an appropriate publication or media, whether it's an online ad or a billboard.

Before you get to the decision to advertise, you should do this demographic research beforehand. This information will be an asset to you in developing a strategic marketing plan, no matter what tactics you plan to implement.