Advertising? Think about this!

Monthly, we get to review with store managers their P&Ls using a program we call the Profit Explorer. Inevitably, and usually when a store first enrolls in the program, the question arises regarding advertising: Should I or shouldn't I? All of the people asking the question already know the answer of course. Advertising is accepted as a necessary function of operating a retail business. That said, it's easy to see where the question comes from.

It varies a little but most people, when asked, will say that the ways they use to advertise are not as effective as they once were. That shouldn't come as a surprise with the world changing as rapidly as it is. So it just makes sense that newspaper advertising and general distribution circulars would be rendered less effective by the migration to digital medias. So the better question would be: "how do I get more bang for my advertising buck?"

Cost Per Contact.

When looking at the cost of advertising vehicles it's easy to focus only on the invoice total. The more effective way to analyze advertising costs is to compute exposures per dollar. By doing so, you may find that the low-priced local shopper paper is actually the highest priced communication. Conversely, the exterior digital sign that you've considered but decided against because of the cash outlay may well be the lowest priced medium, given its life expectancy. The SBA, in a study on advertising cost effectiveness, agrees.

A Couple Other Ideas.

If you haven't explored setting up a Facebook page for your business, that makes sense too...especially if your business is one that appeals to ages 30 and under. Websites, if optimized and written with the ability to allow you to make your own updates and conduct email campaigns can be tremendous values in contacts per $. But does email advertising work? Well, the short answer is that you're reading one right now...so the answer is definitely yes.

We offer direct from the factory pricing on exterior digital signs, optimized Websites and other very cost-effective ways of reaching your customers. We'd love to talk to you about these things or just your business in general.

We can be reached at (888) 292-6531.

Free E-Book Offer.

We recently made available free for registering for our newsletter an E-book titled "10 Suggestions for Improving Your Store Tomorrow". I have heard from several who registered before the offer who wanted their copy. If you would like yours, just shoot us an email and we'll get it to you!

Have a great selling month in September and we'll talk to you later!