As a business owner, you want to make sure you are getting the best “bang” for your advertising dollars. Most local advertising options give you either a print option OR an online option, but seldom both as a package. The traditional yellow pages are being used less & less each year & the recycle bins are overflowing. Magazines, for the most part, have a shelf life of MAYBE 3 days & most of the users are the business owners who are advertising in them.
Ask yourself, “When was the last time I needed a product or service & looked for a magazine to find a Plumber, Attorney, Electrician, Physician etc. I think you get the point. Magazines are a form of Creative Advertising designed to keep your name in front of your potential customer. However, without effective Directional Advertising, in the form of a “local” business directory, you are wasting your money. This type of advertising is what folks use at the exact time that they need a product or service. When you do Creative Advertising, you are going after customers. In Directional Advertising, the customer is looking for you!
There are others out there that think just because they use the Internet exclusively, the rest of the population does the same. When a child is ill or a toilet is overflowing, most people don’t take the time to search online for a business. In order for your marketing to be successful you need both Print & Online exposure. Most importantly, you need to track it!
I have run into quite a few business owners lately whom I have challenged to track where they are getting their customers, but they don’t seem to want to do that. There are only 2 effective ways of tracking. One option is asking your potential customers, “Where did you get my number?” at the point of the first phone call (NOT “How did you hear about us?”). The other is by using a Call Tracking Number. This is a distinct phone number, placed in a publication, that call-forwards to your business line. You are able to track all the calls you receive from that particular media.
The bottom line is that money is getting tighter & customers are getting fewer, so we need to market our companies smarter. We are very fortunate to have a direct-mailed print product that actually stays in the homes & businesses for at least a year. Along with our print product is a “Google Friendly” product that is less expensive than any other out there, our own iPhone App, driven by National search results & a “Look & Feel” online product that is just fun to use.
We now offer Call Tracking Numbers, not only for our product, but for your other media as well for as little as $25 per month. I challenge you to invest in a proven tracking method to find out just how well your current advertising program is working. I bet the results will surprise you!
Paul Gray
President/CEO
