Advertising When It’s Tough

The economy is down and your sales are off. So to help, you cut back on your advertising budget. The problem is that your sales are still down. Henry Ford once said, “A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time”. Chew on that thought for a moment. By cutting back on your ad budget to save money so often the opposite occurs. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Well you’re an ad guy so of course you’re going to say that!”. Just hear me out and you can always throw me under the bus afterwards.

A down economy offers some interesting opportunities that aren’t available in a thriving economy. Here are three: 1) People, companies and individuals, are taking a closer look at the products and services they use and are seeking better alternatives. This provides you an opportunity to be among the new brands they will consider. 2) Getting your message to break through all the other marketing noise your target audience is being hit with is a challenge for any company. In a down economy there is less noise to compete with making it easier for you message to be heard. 3) Ad rates for all types of media are lower because of weak ad sales allowing you to get more eyes and ears for less money.

So don’t put your ad budget on the shelf and hope for better days. Let the other guy sit on the sidelines and not be heard while you gain market share. Get your message out while the field is not crowded and people are looking for better options.