What comes to your mind first after hearing the word “myth”? Most likely, it’s ancient Greek or Roman gods and mythology in general, which were a way for people to explain things they couldn’t explain otherwise, and were inseparable from their culture.
Today, however, the word “myth” has a negative meaning when applied to modern life as it refers to a belief that is not true, or mistaken. In our present post, we shall attempt to uncover and bust the most widespread advertising myths to blaze a trail for fresh views and successful beginnings in the industry.
1. Advertising is too expensive
Many companies don’t engage into advertising because of their shoestring budgets, creating their vicious circle – they can’t get more customers and profits without advertising, and if they don’t have decent profits, they can’t advertise. The truth is, NOT advertising can cost businesses more than doing so, because they seriously lessen the chances to win new markets and grow.
On the one hand, advertising requires investments (check out our recent post on guerrilla marketing for ideas that require little to no financial resources), but, on the other hand, what comes in return? New leads, customers, more “business”, wider popularity, and consequently – increased profits. So, is it that expensive, then?
2. TV ads are dead
Although stats may show the decline of TV ads, they are far from being dead. Even though most younger people don’t watch the traditional TV, many people still do, especially in their leisure time and this is why TV commercials are still in place. According to a Nielsen research, in 2016, people in the USA were spending the majority of their time watching TV and listening to radio compared to using their smartphones, tablets and other gadgets.
TV lets reach a wide audience fast, make the advertised company seem “more real” for consumers, and allows to impact them with audio and video combination for stronger effect. Depending on the industry, for some brands, TV is one of the main advertising channel. As live TV is getting more and more popular, it presents perspectives even for smaller businesses that want to spread the word fast.
3. Online advertising is too complicated
Well, you cannot say online ads are a no-brainer, since learning to launch and run effective digital ad campaigns does take time and efforts, but what doesn’t? However, you are deeply mistaken if you consider online advertising a rocket science – there are so many various services, software and information on the subject that with due determination one can satisfy their own business needs.
However, if you’re not ready to take up digital advertising, Tracklam.com advertising network can lend you a hand and tackle both digital and offline campaigns.
4. Reputation is the best advertisement
Definitely, a company with a good history and reputation in its industry may be sceptical about running ads, when it receives excellent recommended from its clients as a form of the so-called “word-of-mouth” marketing. But your potential customers may be newbies in the industry and unwilling to spend time for research. Ads are the fast and simple way to let them know about you, because if you fail to do so, your competitors will (and not necessarily with such a great reputation as yours).
5. Advertising can be stopped when things go up
Believing this would be somewhat equal to seizing to search for new customers once your sales goals are met. Ads don’t necessarily evoke immediate reactions. For some people it can take time to finally decide on a purchase, but if your company doesn’t stay top of mind, the potential client will buy from someone else.
Take big brands as an example – their ads are ongoing, though it is highly unlikely their business is too slow. Naturally, businesses experiment with different media, ad channels and types, messages and ad frequency, but stopping a campaign altogether isn’t a good idea for business growth. It would be much more beneficial to reduce frequency and ad costs to save money, yet appear in front of your audience from time to time.
If you view these advertising myths as hurdles on the way of progress and business prosperity, you can consider 5 hurdles overcome today. Congrats and keep on going!
