In other words, does your online advertising work? These new dot-corn start-ups, flush with IPO cash, blow unconscionable amounts of money on cute, hip promotions that don’t attract real customers. When you’re starting on a shoestring, you don’t have the option of luxurious advertis-ing. Every dollar must produce an increased return on your investment or you’re out of business! Experts have often said that one of the greatest causes of small-business failure is running out of money.
I disagree. I think that often the cause of small-business failure is too much money and wasting that money on ineffective marketing. I like marketing that must make a profit. It forces you to get real about what you say.
Let me put it this way: Suppose you were down to your last $1,000 and had to buy advertising that would not only return your $1,000, but would produce an extra $1,000 in sales so you could continue to advertise. Suppose the life of your business depended on placing the right kind of ad in the right placeif you succeed, you stay in business; if your ad is a bust, you close the doors. It would focus your thinking, wouldn’t it?
Before you make your final decision, don’t you think you should do a little free testing first? Place 20 or 30 free classified ads with various headlines to see which one seemed to pull the most leads? Before you rolled the dice, wouldn’t you try to refine your offer, add some bonuses, give a great guaranteeand then bounce that message off several thou-sand people to see if they would be willing to vote with their wallets? Or would you place your last $1,000 and the future of your business in the hands of some kid who just graduated from college with a degree in advertising? Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Yet that is what happens every day in millions of businesses.