I say start small if you have to, but the key is to start somewhere. Go with a proven company (newspaper, publication, radio station, direct mail company, TV etc.) to minimize your risk. Make sure whoever is designing your advertisement (headline, content etc.) has a proven track record of designing advertisements that have worked for many others. I was going through my notes and found this quote. I will have to say the author is unknown, but it’s a great quote about why you should advertise.
Your advertising budget is like a country’s defense budget. Those massive advertising dollars don’t by you anything; they just keep you from losing market share to your competition.Leaders should not look on their advertising budgets as investments that will pay dividends. Instead leaders should look on their advertising budgets as insurance that will protect them against losses caused by competitive attacks.
What should a brand leader advertise? Brand leadership, of course. Leadership is the single most important motivating factor in consumer behavior.
- Heinz, America’s favorite Ketchup
- Budweiser, king of beers
- Coca-Cola, the real thing
- Visa, it’s everywhere you want to be
- Goodyear, #1 in tires
- Papa Johns Pizza, Better ingredients better pizza
- The Wellness Hour, The Leader in Medical News and Information
Since most people want to buy the better product, most people buy the leading brand. Which in turn keeps that brand the leader and gives that brand the perception that it’s the better product.
Advertising may not pay for itself, but if you’re the leader, advertising will make your competitor pay through the nose for the privilege of competing with you. Many won’t be able to afford it; those who can won’t bother. Instead they’ll be content to nibble on the crumbs around your huge piece of the pie.
Written By Randy Alvarez, host of The Wellness Hour
