The other day Dirk (a client) asked me if he should spend $300 to place an ad in the local community magazine. Now, it’s only $300 but this kind of thoughtless marketing really is wasteful. I’m not suggesting that advertising in community magazines is a bad idea, in fact it might be the perfect place if you’re a handyman. But Dirk isn’t a handyman as his wife Julie will attest. Dirk runs a successful business consultancy and even though many of Dirk’s clients live in the neighborhood serviced by the magazine, after a bit of strategic thinking, we decided he would be better served by buying a 3 month banner ad campaign on the local Chamber of Commerce website.
Whenever you’re thinking about spending marketing dollars ask yourself these questions:
1. What do I hope to achieve
2. Who is my target audience
3. How much can I afford to spend
4. How long should I sustain the effort
5. How will I measure the results
You’ll be surprised at what you discover and if you’re not sure of the answers or where they are taking you, talk to your marketing buddy – he’ll straighten you out.