This can only mean one thing for the coming future: Competition. The market for Online Advertising is getting more and more crowded every day and as the trend continues, small businesses are more likely to have their ads lost somewhere in the digital fray, costing them hundreds, if not, thousands in under-performing campaigns. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways of side-stepping this issue and ensuring that your ads are always visible and compelling.

Know Your Customer

You’ve probably heard this old adage before, but it’s especially true when it comes to advertising online. Businesses that are able to think like their customers are more likely to place ads in places where their customers will see them. What search engine do your customers use? What are they searching for? What websites do they visit daily? The answers to these questions are vital when placing an ad for maximum effect.

Get to the Point

Your customers don’t have the luxury of wasting time with frivolous words and neither do you.  For instance, LinkedIn limits you to a 25-character title and a 75-character message. That’s not much space to convince your audience to click through to your site. Make sure your call to action is simple, obvious, tailored and persuasive.

Check Your Results

If your ad has been running for six months and you’ve never received a single click, it’s time to try something different. Use the analytical tools in your advertising account dashboard to track your ad campaign’s success.

Use Relevant Images

Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to select a small image to go with your ad text. Use professional images and logos on each and every ad campaign. Grainy photos, photos taken with cell phones, and photos taken in poor light will give your advertising audience the wrong impression.

Run & Test Multiple Campaigns

Create and track results for several different campaigns. Keep an eye on the analytics to determine which ads are generating the most leads and clicks, and then try to repeat or improve your success on new campaigns. At the same time, remove less effective ads from the rotation.

While these simple tips can help ensure that you are getting the most from your online advertising dollar, there is no way to overstate the success you can achieve when you partner with a firm that has the talent and experience to maximize your marketing potential. This 89 second audit will help you see how.

Sometimes we can get lost in the details. Whether it’s completing that next order or dealing with day-to-day challenges, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Eventually, there comes a time when it’s necessary to stop, look around, and remember why you are in your business in the first place - to make money!

How are you doing? Are you attracting as much new interest as you’d like? How’s your flow of leads or rate of customer retention?

These are all questions that every business owner must periodically ask themselves because every business has one thing in common, CUSTOMERS. Sometimes, they can seem fickle, unknowable, and in this economy, just plain hard-to-come-by. And, the Internet has fundamentally changed many industries. USA TODAY recently listed the more connected nature of markets now as one of the “Seven Trends You Can’t Ignore.”

In today’s interconnected world, it’s imperative that you understand your prospects’ expectations and are matching your firm’s value proposition to those expectations. At Lauterback Marketing, we’ve developed a tool to give you some insights. Get a free, completely confidential report emailed directly to you when you test your firm’s marketing skills in our exclusive, "89 Second Marketing Audit." It’s quick, simple, and we guarantee it can lead your business to a more poised and profitable market position.

The audit is a simple tool to assess your marketing strategy and identify problem areas. At Lauterback Marketing, we have a long history of experience with small and midsize businesses. One of the things we do really well, as part of driving successful marketing strategies, is craft hyper-focused, benefit-driven messages that will heighten your customers’ expectations.

“We teach our clients how to find customers.”

Marketing Services for Small & Midsize companies

Customers and growth are the lifeblood of all businesses. However, maintaining a steady flow of new clients can be a challenge for any establishment, regardless of their experience or knowledge of the market. Some larger businesses operate entire departments dedicated to identifying prospective leads and marketing their product accordingly, but what about those who can’t afford such an extravagance?

You mostly likely have a pretty good idea of your own market, but if there are two things as certain as death and taxes, it’s that there’s always room for improvement and always room to expand. What a company in this situation needs is a “Marketing Playbook;” a quick-reference step-by-step guide to growing your business, and a coach who knows exactly which plays to call.

Lauterback Marketing can offer small to mid-size businesses both at just a fraction of the cost of a full time, senior-level marketing executive. You can’t do it alone. Let us help you grow. ]]> http://lauterback.com/2011/12/22/growth-is-a-team-effort/feed/ 0 http://lauterback.com/2011/12/22/growth-is-a-team-effort/