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 Hello, :
I call this "The Lure of the Great Unknown." Oh, the billions of dollars (that's with a "b") that business owners waste each year, by falling for this thinking.
The facts are simple: one-shots don't work, period. Furthermore, when you market to people who haven't a clue who you are and what you do, they don't respond quickly. It takes a campaign commitment of a minimum of 13 weeks to begin to build up recall and interest. If you can't afford that much media, not to worry. There are plenty of other marketing strategies that cost little or nothing, that will actually show you faster results.
The more expensive your products or services, the more specialized your products or services, the greater the negative overtones of your products or services (think lawyers, consultants, any aspect of the construction industry, to name a few), the longer it's going to take people to respond to your promotion.
Save the media campaign for when you can utilize this strategy well and continuously, without donning sackcloth and ashes over the cost.
Here's a hint: aim for the strategies that are face-to-face, voice-to-voice and educational. Avoid the Unknown strategies.
Is there an ongoing theme here? You bet. That's because these are the strategies that work. If you persist in doing what you've always done with one-shots into the vast Unknown, you'll get the same results you've always gotten; and we both know how frustrating that can be.
Check in with former clients/customers who already know how terrific you are. Create a schmoozing schedule (www.azobleassoc.com for our Schmoozing Calendar).
Write a two-page Marketing Plan that targets doing business by referral and generating additional business from your existing base (www.azobleassoc.com for our "Do-able Marketing Plan" workbook and our "10-Minute Marketing Plan").
We welcome your calls to acquire some consulting assistance that will steer you in the right direction. (970) 282-1150. We will not respond to email questions, since the responses usually take too long. Voice-to-voice is much easier and more satisfactory.
It's a new year, which means it's a new opportunity to realize impressive yields from your marketing activities . . . provided you know what you're doing. Let 2013 be the year of marketing smart.
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