Should I pay to Advertise?
Advertising can be like gambling if you don't know what you are doing. Often you throw money at a number and wait for the phone to ring. You find yourself spending more time staring at the phone or checking email, wondering why no one is calling, you did buy an ad. If they do call, often times they aren't interested. (Much of this has to do with expectations. They are expecting a job, and do not want a business. Or, the business does not entice them. You have 15 seconds to sell them and it's hard to do when you don't understand their wants and needs.)
Home based businesses are not about advertising. They are about RELATIONSHIPS. Without a relationship, you have no connection.
I've done the advertising game. The worst was for a publication distributed at movie theaters. The sales person was good. He used the "deadline is today" technique and roped me in. I paid $500 and received 0 phone calls or hits from that.
This is not to say all advertising is bad. It's not. But, it needs to be done right. You need to research the publications, do enough of it, and it needs to be done in a campaign to be effective. It is hard on the internet if you are competing with others in the same company because your dollars may benefit someone else. The average person needs to see a message 3 to 10 times before they will act.
If you aren't sure how to advertise, how do you get the word out? Below are some strategies to help you market your business.
