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5 Mistakes To Avoid In Small Business Advertising

As I opened a newspaper last Saturday morning, a flyer fell out that read “How to build profitable websites fast” and right underneath, a phone number to call.

Being a small business owner, I immediately recognized the signs that this person was just starting out and trying his best to promote himself. I was impressed with his courage, but at the same time I felt a bit sorry for the person, because he/she had committed one of the 5 mistakes peculiar to small start-up business print advertisements.Some of these mistakes I have committed myself and I learnt my lessons, the hard (and painful) way!

The 5 mistakes to avoid in small business advertising are:

Don’t Look Cheap:

Being a small business owner doesn’t mean you have to look cheap! The first major mistake evident in the flyer I mentioned earlier is that it was a photocopy! He ran several black and white copies of his flyer. This automatically raises the question in the readers mind “…How can you teach me to build a profitable website when your flyer doesn’t look like you’ve made any profit yourself!”

As a small business owner, you must be willing to splurg on professional marketing collaterals (business cards, letterheads, flyers etc). These are the first things that will aid you to grab attention of your potential customers. When I started out, I had a plain business card in which one of my mentors described as highly forgettable! Then I decided to spend on a more professional one which brought better response in terms of advertising my small business.

Don’t Do It Yourself:

There’s this tendency amongst small business owners to want always look for a DIY solution, thinking it’ll help save a few bucks. Well, when it comes to small business advertising, this is not true! The flyer mentioned above was obviously done by the person. But for a better ROI you have to hire a Pro. In my case, hiring a professional brand consultant was one of the best investments I’ve made. In fact when I think of all the money wasted in previous attempts at DIY advertising, I feel so bad.

Don’t Pretend To Be What You’re Not:

Focus on what you do best. If you’re a graphics designer specializing in print, say so. Don’t pretend to be a web designer, web developer, etc. I often let my clients know that we design for the web and not for print.

But I must mention here that as a small business owner, the chances are that you a one-man-show and you’re the CEO, Marketing Exec and Telephone answering guy etc. There’s noting wrong in letting the client know as you can read in this article. So don’t pretend.

Don’t Promise What You Can’t Deliver:

The best way to shoot yourself in the foot in your advertisement is to promise what you can’t deliver! Woe betide you, if you collect money from the client and you can’t deliver. You’d have surely murdered sleep and your business as well.

Don’t Try To Be Everything To Everyone:

In your advertisement, always put your best foot forward by stating your core areas! Clients are very wise these days and would be able to spot your  areas of specialization straight off! In fact, your clients would appreciate your candour if you let them know your limitations.

Once you avoid the above mistakes, your adverts will surely grab attention and yield the necessary results.