How To Find An Online Advertising Company That’s Right For You

By Author: Abe Cherian
Total Articles: 37
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Let’s face it…

Over the last few years, tough economic conditions have spawned a lot of “chicken little’s”.

Are you familiar with the story?

In this context, we’re talking about those who have seen other markets failing and, as a result, have put a death grip on their advertising budgets.

With (free) trends like social media and video marketing, as well as traditional word-of-mouth advertising, many business owners have built the illusion that these things alone are powerful enough to remain profitable.

Yes, it can happen. But a majority of businesses that have already made the attempt, have found it to be a fatal mistake and are now struggling to survive.

You might compare advertising to insurance:

Most people happily pay a premium every month, but not all get sick or injured. And that’s ok, because it’s all about security.

Deciding to stop advertising is like waiting until your business is on life support to make the necessary changes.

That’s because marketing and consistent promotions are the driving force behind cash flow and growth, ...
... for any company. A steady investment pays back many times over, but many advertisers get confused with where to start.

There are a lot of companies to help you deliver your message to your market, but many of them look and act the same. (How ironic?)

So what makes a marketing and advertising company stand out?

What should you look for when searching for one?

Here are a few things to help you decide which company is right for you:
Transparency

Do a little detective work and dig around their website.

Look for more than the plain-jane generalities like above, and see if there are any case studies that relate to your specific type of business.

Accessibility

This is where a lot of companies drop the ball.

You may have even experienced it for yourself:

You request information about a product or service, receive a number of follow-ups and calls (even when you don’t want them), decide to invest your money…and all communication stops.

If you want to contact THEM, you practically have to hire a PI to find their number.

So when we’re talking about accessibility, look to see if the company makes their full contact information available. It may also be a good idea to get the number to talk directly to whoever will be handling your campaigns.

Friendly

This one is pretty obvious.

Even if a company knows what they’re doing, it’s still important for them to have a willingness to spend time and listen to your specific needs and budget.

Source

Be sure to become familiar with the best practices in advertising and ask the company about how they acquire their prospects’ information.

For example, there are strict laws when it comes to e-mail marketing.

Although it is somewhat unlikely a major company would do so, there are individuals who purchase illegal lists of email addresses.

Sending promotions to these people would be considered (illegal) spam.

Fast Delivery

The faster you’re able to get a campaign off the ground, the sooner you can measure results and tweak it accordingly. Start with a small test project and see how long it takes for them to deliver.

Accountability

As with any other type of service, it’s important to work with a company that can provide accurate, real-time stats.

Honesty

“Never ask a barber if you need a haircut, because the answer’s always yes.” – Warren Buffet

In other words…

With some companies, if you ask whether a particular service is necessary, they will be happy to tell you it is, regardless of that being the case or not.

This could be due to greed, or simply not being experienced enough to make a proper decision (in which case, they should be honest about their uncertainty!).

It happens in all types of businesses, not just advertising.

Obviously, you want to do your homework and make sure the company you’re working with is honest with their suggestions and business practices.

Main Takeaway: Not advertising your business often costs more than investing the money to spread your message. Advertising doesn’t have to be a painful process, if you take a little time to learn more about your options.

Abe Cherian is an Internet Entrepreneur since 1999. As the founder of AdClickMedia.com, a pay-per-click advertising network, and the CEO of Multiple Stream Media, an online Advertising and Marketing firm, Abe and his team has helped tens of thousands of online advertisers reach 'the right market' at 'the right time', with the 'right message'. To start advertising and driving traffic click here to open your free account: http://www.rent-a-list.com