Advertising...Free or Paid?

[Ashley Franks]

I've been doing alot of free advertising,but would like to try some paid advertising as well. Any suggestions on what works best? Something that's not too expensive?

[BradleyB]

that's a simple question, but its a complex answer Without spewing out ideas, an intelligent way to go about it might be to look at the free advertising that you are doing and sort the ones that are producing a positive ROI for your business. So maybe take the top 3 free ways you are advertising and start paying for this advertising would you generate more/better results? for example, if I paid $0.00 on advertising and made $100 in sales, how much money could I get in return if i spent $150 in advertising? could you generate $1,500 in sales?

Your question is rather vague, but this answer could be a good starting point for yourself.

[rehouseavet]

Have you ever thought about the BEST FREE LEADS gathering there is? The one that the BIG fortune 500 companies, Non profit foundations, celebrities and even smart, every day people use to get seen by thousands...sometimes even millions of people around the world?

One word: Media! It doesn't cost you a cent to get a story done on your local news which could then very well be picked up on the affiliate wire and the next thing you know...you're getting calls from people to join your business or interview you locally and all across town, the nation and possibly even world wide!

Stories are done all the time about people starting home based businesses and when you are featured on your local news...? Guess what? People want to know how they can join you! Getting featured on the news as opposed to advertising VALIDATES you as legit and someone to do business with! Think outside the box..and Good Luck!

Did a Youtube search and came up with this: "Homebased businesses on the news This lady has learned the power of media marketing FOR her and is validating herself as a formidable business woman to join in her business. This is how you do Rock Star marketing and separate yourself from everyone else in your niche and group!

[nattiesmother]

I am doing a little of both as well as participating in an upcoming online vendor event.We will see how things work out.I think you can only get so far with free advertising though.Most people in addition that pay for advertising do other things as well such as lead programs etc.

[mountainmom5]

I think it all depends on what you are selling...

I have done a variety of things online and offline and here is kinda my experience... with me by no means being an expert yet!!

1) If you are just looking for customers, then you can try some paid advertising and see what happens. I use some paid advertising for a furniture website I have, to get targeted traffic to it.

2) I used to pay for leads for a home business I did where all the training and team building was done online .. so all we did was call them and get them to more information and training via phone and internet.

3) I will never pay for advertising for my Natures Pearl business as it is a word of mouth type of business

4) For most network marketing businesses, social marketing seems to work the best which is free.

5) If you DO decide to pay for some advertising, it would be worth it to get some training on it as there are so many scammers out there trying to get your money SAYING they will advertise for you but you never see results. And you can lose your shirt bigtime with google adwords unless you know what you're doing!

That's just been some of my experiences ....

[Younique By Charlene]

With paid advertising you are not guaranteed any sales or people that are interested in your products, services or business. So I would be careful to how much money you put into paid advertising and where you choose to advertise make sure they target people in your target market, and people that have interest in the kinds of products or services you offer. I have found facebook ads to be pretty good at getting traffic to my business but sometimes it is not within my advertising budget so I don't do it all the time.

[*In*2*Win*]

My favorite advertising is word of mouth.
Have fantastic customer service and they will advertise for you!

Bonnie

[Angela in Oz]

whatever means of advertising you use, whether it be free or paid, always remember customer retention is key. Once you have a paying customer, try to keep them by giving outstanding customer service, great specials, or whatever. It is much cheaper to retain an existing customer than to source a new one

[AllanJames]

Originally Posted by Ashley Franks

I've been doing alot of free advertising,but would like to try some paid advertising as well. Any suggestions on what works best? Something that's not too expensive?

Ashley, let me guess. The reason you 'would like to try some paid advertising' is that free it's like watching grass grow! You can make some sales, but it costs you a huge amount of something you can't replace or could better use elsewhere ie with your family or friends, or on holiday traveling the world etc.

May I correct something for you?

If you spent $100 on paid advertising and that returned you $150, would that be a cost, an expense?

Of course not - but it depends on the advertising you use doesn't it?

What you need to access is closely targeted, EXCLUSIVE, high converting BUYER leads!

What are you wishing to promote then I may be able to point you in the right direction.

Oh, and how much are you willing to invest each month?

[Marci Miller]

Originally Posted by Ashley Franks

I've been doing alot of free advertising,but would like to try some paid advertising as well. Any suggestions on what works best? Something that's not too expensive?

I would start with inexpensive button and banner ads, solo emailing, and maybe an ad in a print/online newspaper.
Plus if you want to spend a little more you can do "promote a post" on facebook and get some more Vista print things to "paper the town" like sticky notes, biz and sizzle cards, and 1/3 page flyers.

Also don't forget about ads in church bulletins, local newsletters etc.
(usually free)

Good luck!