Don't Waste Your Money on Placing an Ad

Many out-of-province suppliers are trying to make inroads into the busy Saskatchewan mining and resource industries, and many are not finding much success. So, to create awareness of their company, they decide to (wait for it...) PLACE AN AD. Then, they try to figure out where they should place it. Then, they invest $400 or $1,500 or $5,000 and sit back to wait for the orders to roll in. And they sit. And sit. And sit. And wait. And nothing happens.

Many companies think about advertising as an event; something you do once - you PLACE AN AD. And, they've heard that you have to measure results, so if that one ad doesn't produce results, they come to the conclusion that advertising is a waste of money. And, when approached as an event, it largely IS a waste of money. Placing one ad is generally a waste, an expense. Not an investment.

Instead, we need to think about what we would do, not to create awareness, but to maintain awareness of our companies. To maintain awareness, we need repeated little touches with the people we want as customers. They need to see us in a magazine, read an article about us in the paper, see our name as a sponsor at their industry golf tournament, see us speak at a conference, and get the feeling that we're part of the fabric of their industry, and their community.

To maintain awareness, we need to think of advertising as a continual process, a series of touches, nudges and reminders. We need people to know that "We're here! Remember us when you need ..."

Don't waste your money on an advertisement to create awareness.

Do invest your money in a methodical campaign to maintain awareness.