The Advertising Mix.. The Whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.

With traditional and online media competing for people's attention, one MUST identify all of the possible advertising venue's available, evaluate each one and put the ones that are high on the list into your mix and stick with them. Traditional media is changing, fragmenting and segmenting to fit the needs of readers and advertisers. One traditional media that has changed FOREVER is the Yellow Pages. Once a staple of every retail advertising scheme, many I have spoken with have pulled back or pulled out completely. Daily newspapers have also taken a hit. But this does not mean these traditional media are going away, they just need to change and develop a new business model for the times. Many have. These print advertising venue's as well as online, television and radio are all of value in their market. You must evaluate the value vs. cost. In many cases the cost of yellow pages does not put value back into your business. Daily newspapers may also be costly to those with one location. Paying someone to manage your online presence may also not be of value for some businesses. Here are the mediums you should consider: Local Television, Radio, Daily Newspapers, Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, eBay, Craigslist, Blog, Trade publications, Community Newsletters, Google, Yahoo, Direct e mail, Ethnic publications, local real estate news, Direct Mail, Sponsorships (local community and city/nation wide), Event programs, trade shows, branding within the business (ie printed bags, cups etc.), Banners and signs, posters, business cards, brochures, booklets, fliers, networking, advertising premiums and a Press campaign. Obviously you can't do them all, nor should you. Evaluate each, not only for cost, but time spent. Think outside the box, there may be something I haven't even mentioned?



Tuesday night Online marketing expert Stuart Crawford shared a website with us at our Crossroads Business Association event that will help you obtain press coverage, called helpareporter.com. Reporters from all over North America are looking for sources and you might as well be one!

Now that a new year is upon us, it's time to look over your advertising and re evaluate what you need to do to move forward. Look at the venue's that worked in the past and make sure they still do by keeping things fresh, sometimes less is more. Look at new venue's and fit them into the mix. Most importantly, add value to your ads and give people a reason to act. Be of service and the business will follow.