Think big to be big(ger)!

Scared? Some experts say we should be. Our national fiscal outlook isn't good, they say, given the debt ceiling carnival and the resulting stock market fluctuations. Down 600 points yesterday, up 500 today, down 400 tomorrow. Like many folks, the personal impact of the market on me comes via my 401k and one could go nuts trying to chase results by changing your options every day. Historically, you've got to ride it out to be successful long term. I just read a blog on the Observations website that quotes a study showing average annual stock growth, including dividends, to be about 9% per year when you look at 25 year blocks of time. Not a bad record and it's trackable.

Marketing your business with effective advertising works the same way. You've heard it before, but it merits mentioning again. Studies show that consistent advertising results in sales growth, especially when things are tough. The most famous study, one by McGraw Hill, shows that companies that maintain advertising when things tighten up improve their sales by 250%-plus as compared to those who cut back. Not a bad record and it's trackable.

When our local account managers explain this concept to local advertisers, we hear things like "I'm not a big player...those things are for the big companies, the national companies." Yes they are. But just like my little 401k, small companies need to follow the same advice that has made the big companies big. Make sense? Large, successful operations don't follow these marketing trends because they're big; they're big because they follow them. They understand that when things are tight, you build market share (AKA: stealing loyal customers from your competition) when you advertise consistently. When you get even more aggressive, the results multiply even more.

It's not as simple as just advertising, though, just spending money on print, electronic or other media. Ads today have to be creative, effective and really speak about value to targeted audiences. We can't give you stock market advice, but we can help you get the most value for your ad dollar and help you capture customers. E-mail us at info@scotsmanmediagroup.com if you'd like to explore the possibilities. Thanks very much!