DON'T ADVERTISE!

It never ceases to amaze me how some entrepreneurs think. Business is slow. Aha! I will cut back my advertising or better yet cancel all my advertising and put the money I save in my pocket. Yes sir, that's the cure for my slow business. The Ten Commandments Of Soon To Fail Businesses.

1. DON'T ADVERTISE. Just pretend everybody knows what you have to offer.

2. DON'T ADVERTISE. Tell yourself you just don't have time to think about promoting your business.

3. DON'T ADVERTISE. Just assume everyone knows what you sell.

4. DON'T ADVERTISE. Convince yourself that you've been in business so long, customers will automatically come to you.

5. DON'T ADVERTISE. Forget that there are new potential customers who would do business with you if they knew who and where you are.

6. DON'T ADVERTISE. Forget that you have competition that is trying to attract your customers away from you.

7. DON'T ADVERTISE. Tell yourself that it costs too much to advertise and that you don't get enough out of it.

8. DON'T ADVERTISE. Overlook the fact that advertising is an investment in your business, not an expense.

9. DON'T ADVERTISE. Be sure not to provide an adequate advertising budget for your business.

10. DON'T ADVERTISE. Forget that you have to keep reminding your established customers that you appreciate their business.

WISDOM FROM ROCKY BALBOA...........

Here I am in Marietta, Georgia sitting in my recliner watching TV. It has been a long day for NIARCHOS MEDIA SOLUTIONS helping clients increase their R.O.I. I was trying to zone out when all of a sudden, as I sailed through my 150 channels, I stumbled on the movie Rocky Balboa; the last chapter of the Rocky movie saga. All red blooded American guys are suckers for a good Rocky movie, even if we have seen it 20 times. There was a great scene in the middle of the flick where Rocky is talking to his grown son, on the street, outside Rocky's restaurant. His son is pleading with Rocky not to fight in an exhibition with the young, current world boxing champion. The son whines unmercifully about how tough it has been to be in his famous dad's shadow. The son blames his loving father for him not getting any further in the world. Finally Rocky could not stand to listen to his son's weakness any longer and lays down some harsh reality to the young buck. He informs the kid about how tough and cold the world can be. He enlightens the lad about how only cowards point the finger at something or someone else to blame for their own shortcomings. He then gives his son the most succinct chunk of wisdom, that in my humble opinion, sums it all up. The legendary champ emphatically tells his son, "It's not how hard you can hit that counts; life can hit you harder than anybody!" "It's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward!" Wow!!! Is that not what separates the winners from the losers? What divides the people with character from the bums? You bet it is! I have spent over 28 years in the world of advertising and have had the privilege of working with countless entrepreneurs in almost every area of business. Without exception, the folks that had tenacity and intestinal fortitude always came out on top; good economy or bad economy. Never, never, never quit! It is easier said than done when life's circumstances have knocked the air out of you. Don't let the S.O.B.'s get you down. Most businesses are going to pull in their horns and withdraw their little heads inside their turtle shells. They stop believing, they stop selling, they stop advertising. When "I wore the clothes of a younger man", as Billy Joel once sang, I would hear all the proud stories of the ancient Greeks. My ancestors came from an area called the Mani Peninsula and are decedents of the ancient Spartans. In the golden age of the Spartan city state, the Spartan mothers would tell their sons just before they went off to war, "Come back wearing your shield or come back on it!" In those days the shields were as tall as the warriors because while under attack, they could actually crouch behind it for protection. Another use for these large shields was to carry the dead on it like a stretcher. Thus you see now the cold, determination of those Spartan mothers. They in no uncertain terms, made their sons understand that they should come back victorious or come back dead, rather than defeated. Gee, I bet that motivated junior! Never the less, the Spartans were undefeated in war for centuries and even dominated the ancient Olympic games for 300 years! Obviously, they never quit. NIARCHOS MEDIA SOLUTIONS comes in contact every day with modern day "Spartan like' entrepreneurs. They are out there leading the way. They won't quit and neither should you. Always remember what the "Italian Stallion" said, "It's not how hard you can hit but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward".

SMOKE AND MIRRORS......

After reading one of my past blogs, a guy I know asked me "why I was against Search Engine Marketing". I was shocked because I believe the Internet is a critical part of any marketing plan. I just can't stand to see clients taken advantage of by unscrupulous scoundrels. They are masters of what I refer to as SMOKE & MIRRORS. They are fluent in that romantic language known as GEEK SPEAK. All other media is yesterday's news and all of a sudden is useless. TV, Radio, Outdoor, Yellow Pages, etc. is a waste of money....right??? Well, the economy is tough and a lot of people are looking for a Messiah to save the day. It is the "perfect storm" for the pay-per-click predators to rape and pillage. Unfortunately, many advertisers are not up to speed yet when it comes to Internet advertising. These charlatans come in and get them to commit to budgets that force the advertiser to forgo all of his/her other marketing. These well meaning, innocent entrepreneurs are thinking that most of the i.e $5,000 per mo. is all going to their Google account to purchase their clicks. Oh no, the shell game begins. Only half of the the $5,000 per mo. is going to buy clicks. The other half is going into the pockets of the Internet Posse. They get you up on Google with one or two key words/phrases (most business need many key words/phrases to effectively convert clicks to customers) and you get all excited. You think, "Hey these guys are really good". They show you a click report that convinces you that all these potential customers visited your web site. Then after a couple months you realize that you have not made any money. No worries; they have the answer! You need to increase your budget. Well of course you do. The more you increase your budget the more money they make. It still does not work because the truth is, in most cases your web site is terrible and needs a redesign. It is not converting the clicks to business. They are not interested in that (even though they knew it from the beginning) because that would take time, attention, hard work and delaying their residual income from pay-per-click. So now you have been taken to school by these impostors and you send them down the road. Unfortunately, by that time your business has suffered terrible loss of market share. Are you still with me Vern? I hope so because this is important. I know you are probably staring out in space, feeling like Goober from an old Andy Griffith Show rerun. All you can keep asking is "Say it again Ange". Okay, here are the basics: Interview several companies and ask for referrals. Verify how they are compensated. Never, never sign a contract that is not a set, reasonable monthly maintenance fee. In other words, if you spend $2,000 per month or $20,000 per mo. it is not related to their fee. Next, make sure the company you are dealing with is the company that will be managing your account. Most of these bogus experts vendor out the work. That is a big no-no! Last but not least, before you do anything, make sure your web site is up to par. A web site that is not optimized is useless. It will not convert period! It does not matter if you spend $50,000 per mo. on pay-per-click. There is much more to discuss on this whole issue but at least you have been warned and are a little smarter than before. Next time one of these slicksters approach you with their SMOKE & MIRRORS....tell them no thanks. You would rather go watch Chriss Angel on TV. At least he admits it's all SMOKE & MIRRORS.