Local Small Business Advertising Advice – Is Like Shooting Hoops

Local Small Business Advertising Advice – Is Like Shooting Hoops

With local small business advertising, using a correct message to an incorrect audience is like shooting hoops without using the correct technique, without aiming dead center on the target, and with the incorrect amount of power. The advertising promotion flies right over the target into space and scores you nothing.

You also have to know where you are in relation to the basket [target audience] so you have to know where that audience is to find them and get them to take in the promotional message. The old adage, fish where the fish are, is even more meaningful today since we are in the age of business internet advertising. And it’s very valuable to the local business owner to expand your business.

To be honest, that is why we started a second company doing local small business internet advertising for our clients. They say they love our business money management software; that it is indeed getting them to their financial goals, but they need more sales to have more money to plan with to reach their goals faster.

In local business internet advertising, the correct technique is to use every available avenue to reach the customer where they are when they use the internet. We use these techniques consistently to get in front of the customers who are shopping for a particular product or service. We use numerous research tools on the internet to find out exactly how something is being searched for on the internet, so the search engines dish up the correct answer.

Then we take that knowledge and package it into the scripts for voiceovers for internet video ads, use it to write articles and produce podcasts and many other services that get the clients’ ads in front of the person who is shopping for that product or service at the exact instant they ask for it.

Local Small Business Internet Advertising Works for You 24/7/365

Now I’m not saying that off-line marketing is no longer valid. Direct mail can still work great. Internet advertising is just more in “real time” and talks to the potential customer when they are looking for that product or service.

With a piece of direct mail, your investment is working for you as long as the customer is holding it in their hand, before it goes in a drawer or in the trash. Internet video ads, articles and listings are there working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with no additional financial expenditure. Your chance of getting a great return on your advertising investment multiplies exponentially.

The game then becomes how fresh and relevant your content is in your internet video ads, articles, etc. so that the search engines recognize your stuff as being fresh, relevant content that they are willing to dish up to the customer who is searching on the internet for that specific product or service.

The other aspect that is really important is how wide the distribution is on the internet of each ad. For example, we distribute ads to over 80 media channels, listings to over 140 directories, and we don’t stop there. We aim dead center for the exact customers that are asking to buy with the ads we create for our clients.

So next time you get ready to shoot hoops with your company’s money, make sure you are using the best technique and aiming dead center at the correct target.

If you want to learn more about internet advertising and how it can help your company, call Brian at 727-448-1011. He can research your company and compare how it’s doing in relation to your competitors. And you can schedule a 20-minute personal online consultation and report, and he can share it with you while you are sitting right at your computer in the comfort of your own office or home.

To see an example of an internet advertising video we produced for our own company, check the resource box at the end of this article.

As a professional small Business Broker I am occasionally asked by some small business owners when and what are the appropriate times or reasons to have a formal business valuation or appraisal performed. Although I can often give small business owners a general idea (using traditional pricing guidelines) about what their existing business might be worth for selling and listing purposes, there are many times when having a more formal business appraisal performed by a professional appraiser is much more appropriate and prudent. Below you will find a list of some of the most common scenarios that you should consider having a professional and independent appraisal performed on your business.

Legal & Litigation Issues:

Unfortunately its a fact of life that if you own a small business there is a decent chance at some point you will need to have a business appraisal performed for some legal purpose. In my experience as a small business broker the most common legal issues that precipitate the need for an appraisal are personal divorce and partnership disputes. Less common reasons would include shareholder disputes, the establishment of an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program), and eminent domain related issues. Regardless of the specific legal issue, an appraisal report created by an independent and professional small business appraiser is often one of the most important tools used (and often required) to help settle or resolve small business legal issues.

Tax Related Issues:

Tax related issues such as gift and estate planning will require a detailed business valuation report to be prepared and updated on regular basis. Generally its considered prudent to have a valuation prepared in advance to help address the inevitable transfer of ownership that will occur at some point down the road as well as possibly help mitigate any tax burdens due to the owners passing. Its prudent to always consult with your financial adviser and CPA as well when doing estate planning.

Business Financing:

I can tell you from experience that most small business lenders will automatically require a detailed business appraisal performed as part of their due diligence before approving financing for any number of reasons. A third party and professional appraisal can also be an important tool to have on hand when an owner is seeking new partners or private investors to help grow the business. Having a recent appraisal report included in your presentation package could help validate your business model and show your potential new partners or investors that you are well organized and mean business.

Business Sale or Acquisition:

Whether you are selling or buying a small business having a professional and independent appraisal or valuation performed can be very helpful indeed. For sellers an appraisal report can be used to help validate and support the asking price of your business which will ultimately maximize your return on investment. For buyers an independent appraisal report can potentially be very helpful when negotiating the final sales price and terms of a business acquisition. It can also give you peace of mind that you are not grossly over paying for a business. A third party appraisal report is also indispensible when determining the value of a business in preparation for negotiating the terms of a potential partner buy out as well.