Happy New Year! 2016 is here! That means it's time to look at your company's sales performance for the year.  Although some have already done this, there are still many trying to decide on the best way to add that special bang for the buck into their marketing plans.   Reviewing your past year may help you see something that was less than completely successful in your plan, as well as those things that worked very well.

One component many companies tend to forget is advertising. I'm sure you've heard it called the "necessary evil."  Don't let this necessity slide because you're cutting back costs.   Ensure that 2016 and beyond hold a bright future for your company!

I once worked for a business where marketing consisted of one person driving business for the company.  When the company decided to let this person go, referrals essentially stopped. Since no real marketing plan had been designed and implemented for the business, the outlook was dim. The business essentially had to start over completely, find new clients and train new management, including a new marketing department.  

This was also a company that didn't believe in advertising.  Those who ran it believed that as long as the person in charge of sales was doing a good job, the referrals would continue to come in and community relations were still good.  Things didn't exactly turn out so well, referrals stopped, sales dropped off.  Something was needed quickly to turn the business around.  The company decided to hire someone and properly advertise this new hire, introducing this person into the community effectively and quickly to get sales up.

So how does a company decide where and when it should advertise? First off, a business should always be advertising constantly.  Remember the story above? If that company had been advertising properly its referral source might not have dropped off and it would not have had to hit the "business restart button."  This is not a position any marketing director or business owner wants to be in.  One point to remember is that it takes an average of 6 to 8 repetitions for your advertising message to be remembered.

Consistency is key. This is yet another reason why running a campaign over a course of months works better than advertising just once.  Media companies such as Paperitalo Publications can also walk their clients through different campaigns and designs to assist companies in gaining the growth they desire.

Now let's get down to where a business should advertise.  Online media, such as Paperitalo Publications, assist companies in a more cost-effective way compared to newspaper placements or TV spots.  Online banners are still relatively inexpensive, with Paperitalo Publications recently recording over 23,000 "touches" per day. You also gain instant gratification.  Your customers can see your ad, shop and buy (if your products are available online) without leaving their office or home.  That sort of convenience is hard to beat.

If you create a brochure you must print it and distribute it before you are able to measure response.  But on the Internet, response is lightning fast.  Also, switching out banner ads is relatively simple; therefore, online advertising gives you the ability to test creative campaigns and fine tune messages. This can help greatly to increase the effectiveness of your campaign.

Find that niche audience that allows you to create localized messages on sites giving you constant online Internet exposure to hard-to-hit pulp and paper industry targets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  If you are in the pulp and paper industry and need to make more sales now, there is one place that can help you create a media package that will assist you quickly.   Paperitalo Publications reaches over 80,000 pulp and paper industry listeners, including CEOs, purchasing agents, chief engineers, mill superintendents, and more!   Online, 24-7.