Don't buy advertising until you know your objectives!

First of all, don’t tell any advertising sales people about this blog, or they’ll know that we’ve got ‘em figured out. We’ve figured out a simple way to separate the good ad reps from the not-so-good ones. When you talk to a publication’s sales person, the first question they should ask is, “What are your objectives?” Unfortunately, the first question many of them ask is, “What’s your budget?”

Assuming we’re talking to the right ad rep, we need to have a good answer to the ‘What are your objectives’ question. Have you thought this through? Most of us haven’t when confronted with this insightful question. So, what are your objectives when it comes to advertising/marketing/promotions?

Consider these possibilities:

1. X number of new customers (say, 100 or 100,000 or 5)
   
   
2. A sold out event (example: 100 tickets sold)
   
   
3. X units sold on your online store (10,000)
   
   
4. Entry into a new market (a new city, state, or age bracket)
   
   
5. Introduce a new product/service (Introducing!)
   
   
6. Create a brand or identity (not a typical small business objective)
   
   
7. Increase traffic on the website (increase traffic by 50%)
   
   
8. Return on Advertising (NOT to pay for itself, but to return 10:1 Sales:Ad expense)
   
   

When defining an objective, it is important that it be clear, measurable, and realistic.

---