On our way to see a client the other day we, at Atlanta Marketing Consultants, were discussing the changes which have occurred over the last several years in advertising. The subject of small businesses and the "shotgun approach" to advertising was brought up. It's just become such a shame business owners are throwing away large sums of money without being able to effectively track their ROI on their money spent. At Atlanta Marketing Consultants, we feel your pain.
So many small business owners are spending a literal fortune on yellow page ads, newspaper ads, money mailers, community magazines, billboards and such, yet aren't able to determine how these methods actually translate into paying customers. The fact is, several of them aren't working at all, which means alot of money is being wasted. Obviously, this is not something a small business owner needs in today's economy!
So why aren't these tactics working? Atlanta Marketing Consultants knows it's because people aren't using them as frequently as they once did. Instead of going to the yellow pages or scouring the newspaper, local magazine, or money mailers, people are getting on their computers to find what they're looking for. And, does anyone really have time to drive around looking for the billboard which might direct them to what they want?
Many small business owners have become so disgruntled with these types of advertising, they just think they can't afford to advertise anymore. They've tried the old school tactics and know they haven't worked--so they've given up. As we were heading to the clients location we, at Atlanta Marketing Consultants, found it interesting that the only time these business owners actually do spend the money is to advertise their "Going Out Of Business" sale!!!
Of course, our first thought was, man if the only would have called Atlanta Marketing Consultants before this situation presented itself.
To the business owners who feel that they just can't afford to advertise. And to those business owners who are throwing away their hard earned dollars on these methods. The truth is, in today's economy you really can't afford not to advertise. You just can't afford to use the "old school" methods anymore.
