Posted by Apptivo Business Advisory Team

The object of any business is to make a profit and for that profit to exceed the expenses thereby creating revenue. Over time most businesses hope to increase their revenue and while there are several ways that can be achieved one of the most useful, yet most overlooked is the advertising budget and the manner in which you use that budget.

Advertising is key to getting the word out to potential customers. After all to buy your products/services they need to know they exist. But they also need to know what makes you stand out from others that are selling like or similar products/services. Start by changing the way you think about advertising. Begin to consider the possibilities that the internet has to offer.

All advertising needs to have good copy. It’s not enough to give your business name and say what you sell. Then again it’s not enough to advertise your products/services at a discount because that’s what everyone does and you’ll just blend in with the rest. What you say needs to make the recipient act on it! Let’s look at some online advertising methods that your business can utilize and how to get the most out of them.

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  • Online Advertising – We have a more detailed post on this here. This is one of the cheapest forms of advertising with the widest audience. However, you are going to want to target your audience unless you sell on a global scale. You can provide all kinds of information on your products, create a newsletter, set up a forum, and take advantage of sites such as Facebook and Twitter. You should never underestimate the power of setting up a page or group on Facebook.
  • Email – This is another tool that’s free and allows you to target new customers as well as existing customers. It’s important to keep your message short so as not to come across as spam. You also need to have the person’s permission to send to them or an opt out option at the bottom of the email. You can introduce new products, tell about upcoming sales, or provide helpful information on your products.
  • Press Releases – Here’s another exciting tool that your business can use. Best of all there are many free online places to post a press release and newspapers will often run a press release for free. Introduce a new product line, talk about your expansion, or anything else that’s news worthy. Be sure not to turn it into an advertisement.

These three advertising methods offer you the maximum amount or revenue growth for the least amount of investment. Take advantage of them.