To advertise or not to advertise? That is the question.

Can a business exist without advertising? They probably can. Is it a good idea not to advertise? Absolutely not! Here’s how I see it. 

If you have been brave enough to take the step towards being an entrepreneur, then you have made the decision to take your destiny into your own hands. Starting up and running a business is by no means an easy journey, but it’s a journey worth taking as you, get to dictate how your life is run, when and how you work,  and probably most importantly, how much income you will be able to generate. Now here’s a real challenge for you as an entrepreneur. Should you or shouldn’t you do something, anything to promote and generate awareness for your business?

One of my favourite books of all time is called ‘Screw it, Let’s do it’ by Sir Richard Branson. I love this book so much for all the sound business advice and experiences Sir Richard shares. On page 17 of this book, Sir Richard writes “Advertising, publicity, promotion- call it what you will, works! Even nature puts on a show – flowers, birds, even beetles, display themselves. There is so much competition in the world that if you have something to sell, no matter what, you have to get it noticed.” Sir Richard wrote this with reference to the methods he adopted in promoting himself as a brand and his Virgin enterprise. No one on this planet can claim that they know nothing about Sir Richard Branson or his multi-billion pound brand and this is purely as a result of his consistent use of the media to create innovative and very captivating ways to ensure that his brand remains in the minds and heart of his target audience.

On a local level, you need to consider all the ways that are available to you to enable to promote your business and ensure that your target audience thinks of YOU first when they need YOUR products and/or services.

 Here are some ideas for you:

Friends and family: Your friends and family want you to succeed, so employ them as your marketing arm and let them know that you are on the lookout for new clients and you need their help in attracting new customers.

Recommendations from your current customers: If you have a few clients/customers, then make sure you over deliver when it comes to the service/products you offer. Customers are likely to talk about you when they feel you have gone above and beyond the price value of whatever you are selling and this will in time lead to more word of mouth advertising for your business.

Distribute leaflets/Flyers door to door: This is quite labour intensive especially if you are doing distributing the leaflets yourself, but is often considered as one of the most cost-effect ways to advertise.  Do bear in mind that you may have to distribute your leaflets a repeatedly in the same area to generate a high call rate.

Networking: This is a great way to meet other people in business and some networking groups have a more relaxed approach to networking so you can socialise and do business at the same time. If you are based in Bridgwater, you are fortunate to have 2 very good networking groups right at your door step. One is 4Networking held every fortnight (visit www.4networking.biz for details) and the other is Mums the Boss held primarily for mothers in business held on the 2^nd Tuesday of every month (Visit http://www.mumstheboss.co.uk/avon/index for details). Both events are held at the Brewers Fayre, King Sedgemoor Inn, Express Park, Bridgwater.

Newspaper Advertising:  You have two very well established papers at your doorstep carrying local news as well as information on local jobs. Both papers are the Bridgwater Mercury and the Bridgwater Times. Depending on the size of advert you want and how much your advertising budget is, this might be a great way to promote your business.

Local Community Magazine Advertising: You are also very fortunate to have a very well established community magazine in Bridgwater and North Petherton. It’s very well known that Townlife Monthly has been serving Bridgwater and North Petherton for 17 months and it’s an ideal medium for businesses to promote themselves even with a very small advertising budget. The magazine is run by a local resident (me) so I live, work and socialise with a lot of you. For more information about using your local community magazine to advertise, visit www.townlifemonthly.co.uk.

Other methods to consider: Online advertising (eg. Google & Facebook)

Final tips on advertising: Create a plan and stick to it. I would advise that you chose at least 3 to 4 methods listed above, and try as much of possible to be very consistent with your advertising. Here’s why: REPEATITION IS KING. Consistent advertising works consistently. Your target customers need to be reminded constantly that you are there to be of service to them. So don’t take an un-necessary break from your advertising effort because you think your advert is not working for you. If you find that what you doing isn’t working, pause briefly, review your advertising message and method then make adjustments where necessary.  Stick with it long enough and you will create a lovely snowball as your enquiry rates start to rise.