The Perceived Value of Advertising
by Nach Maravilla
PowerHomeBiz Publisher

In the Internet, where the customers' trust is vital, advertising is a powerful tool to convey trustworthiness.

Customers possess inherent special skills in evaluating and determining the value of a product by simply viewing its advertisement. Product advertisements not only convey the business identity, but also the quality of the company's product and service (including the deepness of the pockets).

In the Internet, where the customers’ trust is very vital to expected sales, it is imperative that a home-based entrepreneur must convey that trustworthiness by the way he/she handles advertising.

How do you accomplish that?  

One important factor they use in judging a company or a product is how and where it is advertised. They can sense how well you stand in your claims about your product by the size of your ad, which section is it located, and the dollar value. Why do you think big corporations buy full pages in national newspapers, in primetime television or in the front or back covers of magazines and other strategic pages. The reason is not necessarily because they want to show off but because they want to seen, identified and recognized. The result-- they get what they expect to accomplish.

Customers always become wary of a company whose advertisements are small and obscurely located in the far corner of a page or probably in a FREE advertising section of any media, no matter how sensational the product is.

In the Internet, a lot of people try to sell you an opportunity to make millions of dollars in short periods of time through their “secret programs” but most of them cannot even afford to pay for a $20.00/month paid ad. Yet they claim to be Internet millionaires. Would you believe that they have made even a few thousands?

The people who cash-in in the Internet are the people who spend money in advertising their product or services. The more expensive, the better. Why? Simple. Because they are willing to pay for advertising, targeting the right market through the right vehicle. 

And the same thing applies to us—SMALL businessmen!

Advertising is one necessary “evil” when you are in business and you have to crack your brains out to find a way that will work for you. There is no “surefire” method, and everything is a game of trial and error. Sometimes, a mistake might even produce the right result.

That is the beauty of being in the business by yourself. You can experiment without having to present your idea to anyone else. However, if the budget is on the low side, the pros and the cons related to how and where the ad money should be invested must be treated with caution.

For home-based internet businesses, here are some suggestions.  

Ezines, newspapers, paid classified ad sites, specially newly established one, usually have special rates at specific periods of time. You should find them and grab the opportunity. Some ezines will even get out of their way to give you special bonus placement for free. It’s up to you to negotiate.

Save your time placing ads on Free For All Links and Free Classified Ad sites. If you make that mistake, you will be spending three days to one week cleaning up the junk that will clog your email. Imagine the time you will be wasting. Don’t even think that you can use those emails as leads. Most people in the list connect links with an autoresponder and a lot of them does not even want to receive a reciprocal email. Some are even non-existent. Additionally, people who go to the Free Classifieds go there to place their own ads and fish for prospects. The result is that each one will be “shooting” at each other with their own “special” offers.

One successful way of promoting your business is by exposing yourself to as many businesses which has similar products or services as you have. Offer reciprocal linking between your site and theirs. One best example of successful linking practice is used by most Ezines. Since the information business has such a vast resource, it is practically impossible for one to cover every bit of information. Hence, linking with each other has become a normal process. This way, they are able to provide for the need of the customer as well as getting the exposure that they need. 

If business is bad—you have to advertise !

If business is GOOD –it Pays to Advertise.

Put aside a certain amount of money or always provide yourself with a reasonable advertising budget not necessarily as much as the big boys have but that will keep you well-exposed in areas where you want to be at any given time.

[ICBS Knowledgebase Home]