Wasted Ad Dollars And What To Do About It

It seems like some of them never tire of their idiocy. I made the mistake of reading the Sunday edition of our local paper and I saw about a gajillion dollars worth of wasted advertising.

Want a quick list of those who like to spend their ad dollars unwisely ? Well, if you happen to sell ad space you do. And if you’re a blogger who wants to earn more than what Google is paying you, what some like to refer to as ‘ Dollars For Drivel ‘, you need to keep reading.

• Car Dealers
• Chiropractors
• Dry Cleaners
• Dentists
• Doctors
• Restaurants
• Furniture Dealers

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I wish they did. Of course, those that sell ad space don’t want them to find out that they could be getting more leads for less money, so don’t expect the mainstream media to grab this post and print it in their paper or feature it on the evening news.

The fault lies with the business owner who’s either too stupid, too lazy or too busy to learn the right way to spend his ad dollars.

They continue to pour money into campaigns that have no chance at bringing in profitable customers, yet they continue to ignore the customers who have proven themselves by using their service or buying their product.

I hate an ad that says “ … For New Customers …”.

What in the world are you thinking ? What part of my money did you not like ? How about something for me, your faithful customer.

If we didn’t absolutely need vehicles, most car dealers would have no shot at staying in business. They have to be the shoddiest of the lot. The dumbest. The laziest.

They continue to change campaigns every other week and the deal that they gave me last week is replaced by a “ better “ deal this week. Like Dr. Phil would say, “ How’s that workin’ for you ? “ Not very well, for me, thank you. I was there with money in hand and you told me it was gonna be the best deal for the year. Now, 2 weeks later, there’s a bazillion dollar rebate, free upgrade on the squirrel tail on the antenna and free fuzzy dice for my rear view mirror. Think I’m gonna go back there next time ? Nope.

How about this instead. Take the time to mail a coupon for a free car wash or detailing to current customers. Maybe an Owners Only key ring ? A hat ? Special T-shirt ? Think that’ll bring me back next time ? Or have a catered dinner for current customers, showing them next years models BEFORE everybody else can see them. Bring in a few and put them in a secret location and only invite those that have bought from you in the past.

Do they run specials for “ New Customers “ all the time ? Do they neglect those of us who regularly spend $20 to $150 per month. How about this Mr. Dry Cleaner. How about your ad saying that there’s a super-special discount for all current customers. That would make me, your current ATM happy and would make all those who aren’t current customers want to be, so they’d get the discount next time. Scarcity, jealousy, it’s all good…for you !

It’s not that hard to mail to your current customers and a lot more profitable than scattering your dollars all over town.

Next time I’ll give you a few tips on how to bring in dollars during your slow time.

And the part about bloggers making more money than just writing for AdSense ? I’m starting on that post as soon as I hit publish on this one.

Bookmark this site or subscribe to my RSS feed, ‘cause there’s some good stuff coming up.