Advertising a Startup Business : Get Started!

Few startup businesses do much advertising in the early going. Advertising a startup can seem expensive and many entrepreneurs arent always confident advertising can work, or that they can measure it effectively. But if growth is initially sluggish and you need to perk up sales, advertising might be your answer.

Funny thing about advertising – we are all constant consumers of advertising, after all were inundated with it every waking moment of the day. But grasping how the advertising medium really works and what it can and cannot do for a startup or small business is tougher than it seems.

Advertising is one tactic of your broader marketing strategy. Advertising can take numerous forms, including print (magazines, newspapers, directories), online (search engine advertising, banner advertising), radio or TV ads, billboards, flyers, direct mail and others.

Before you spend money on advertising a startup business, it ’s crucial to understand what advertising can and cannot do for your business and to draw up a blueprint for moving ahead.

Advertising experts agree that ads can achieve several goals for your startup

• Attract new customers, prospects and leads
• Encourage existing customers to spend more on your product or service
• Build credibility, establish and maintain your “brand” or unique business identity, and enhance your reputation
• Inform or remind customers and prospects of the benefits your business has to offer
• Promote your business to customers, investors or others and slowly build sales

Advertising your startup probably cannot

• Create an instant customer base
• Solve your cash flow or profit problems by producing an immediate sales windfall
• Cure poor or indifferent customer service
• Create benefits that don’t really exist or sell products and services that nobody wants

In short, advertising won’t guarantee quick sales for your product or service by itself, but it will get you noticed if you do it right. Marketing expert Andrew Griffiths, author of “101 Ways to Advertise Your Business”, says these are the five keys to launching a successful advertising effort for your startup.

5 keys to a successful startup advertising effort

• Planning your message: You must create and execute the precise message you are trying to put forward. “A lot of advertising sends a very confusing message to potential customers,” says Griffiths . Plan your advertising carefully and keep the ads simple. Give customers a compelling reason to call, visit your website or stop by your business.
• Knowing your audience: Before you can decide how and where to advertise, you must be clear on exactly the type of person you want to reach. Advertising folks call this your “demographic.” Gender, age, marital status, profession, income, net worth, location, home ownership status, interests, habits, previous purchases and other items are all considerations. “The clearer you are about your targeted customers, the more effectively you can plan your advertising,” says Griffiths .
• Making your advertisement distinctive: If your advertisement fails to stand out from the crowd, you’re sunk. Be prepared to abandon the boring and staid and create something that catches customer attention.
• Ensuring your advertisement is seen often: Frequency is one of the hallmarks of advertising success. Getting people to see your ads as often as possible will deliver better results. Advertising in more than one medium can help.
• Giving your advertisements time to work: As Griffiths notes, it’s rare for a potential customer to see your advertisement once and rush to contact you. “It takes seeing an ad several different times (and preferably in different places) before consumers are convinced they want your product or service.”

BizBest Media Corp.

Announcement!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ruth Holcomb (405) 470-3605 email: ruthmichael@cox.net

RuthMichael Takes Busy Women from Scattered To Gathered, With Style

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK; November 9, 2007

The ever-increasing quest for organization was the driving force behind the creation of Oklahoma City based

design company RuthMichael’s key product, The Carrier®.

Owner/designer Ruth Holcomb had been making handbags and window treatments for individual clients

and interior designers when a friend asked if she could design something that would help her maintain

order in her car, that home away from home for many families with active children.

The Carrier® was the result; a tote for the twenty-first century. Large enough to accommodate almost

anything that a busy family on the go would need, its firm design ensures durability, and the pouch and

side pockets provide plenty of places for a wide array of medium and smaller sized items, such as cell

phones, toys, water bottles, or keys.

Although its original purpose was to help busy moms, The Carrier® has found fans among crafters,

nurses, teachers, executives, and sales representatives as well…and the list keeps growing. And if its

reasonable size (14”x7”x7”) and remarkable functionality weren’t enough to recommend it, The

Carrier® also comes in 6 different fabric combinations, ranging from classic to trendy, compatible with

a wide variety of style personalities.

“Women that have bought our Carriers® absolutely love them,” says Ruth Holcomb. “They’ve become

an essential tool for organization, but not at the cost of style and fashion.”

RuthMichael’s product line also offers handbags, organization and baby items, and in 2008 will expand

to include cosmetic cases, overnight bags, and bedding. Visit their website (www.ruthmichael.com) to

download a catalog and see a full list of stores.

# # #

Support the new Hybrid Bill – OK

I would like to bring to your attention recently introduced legislation for the 2008 legislative session by Oklahoma Senator Jonathan Nichols (R-Norman) that provides a tax credit for alternative vehicles that meet strict air pollution requirements. The text of SB 2043 is below. I urge anyone who supports this bill to contact their local Oklahoma state senator and representative urging that the bill be enacted.

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STATE OF OKLAHOMA

 

2nd Session of the 51st Legislature (2008)

 

SENATE BILL 2043                   By: Nichols 

 

AS INTRODUCED 

 

An Act relating to revenue and taxation; providing for income tax credit for investment in alternative motor vehicle subject to certain requirements; defining terms; clarifying eligibility for claiming credit under specified conditions; establishing basis for credit and amount thereof; allowing credit to be carried forward; requiring Oklahoma Tax Commission to promulgate rules and establish certain procedures; providing for codification; repealing 68 O.S. 2001, Section 2357.22, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 186, O.S.L. 2003 (68 O.S. Supp. 2007, Section 2357.22), which relates to income tax credits for investment in certain property; and providing an effective date. 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

 

SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 2357.105 of Title 68, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

 

A.  For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2009, there shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed by Section 2355 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes for investment in an alternative motor vehicle if:

 

1.  The original use of the vehicle began with the taxpayer;

 

2.  The vehicle is a model year 2008 or later or was placed into service after December 31, 2007;

 

3.  The vehicle was acquired for personal use or to lease to others and not for resale; and

 

4.  The vehicle is used primarily in the United States.

 

B.  As used in this section, “alternative motor vehicle” means a new vehicle that:

 

1.  Qualifies or originally qualified for a federal tax credit as an advanced lean burn technology vehicle, qualified hybrid vehicle, qualified alternative fuel vehicle or qualified fuel cell vehicle as provided in 26 U.S.C., Section 30B; and

 

2.  Has been certified by the California Air Resources Board or its successor agency as having one of the following vehicle emission ratings:

 

a.   Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV),

 

b.   Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV),

 

c.   Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV),

 

d.   Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT PZEV), and

 

e.   Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).

 

C.  Any vehicle which meets the requirements of subsections A and B of this section shall qualify for the credit provided in this section regardless of whether or not the federal credit is claimed by the taxpayer or the federal credit for a specific vehicle has become subject to phaseout due to the volume of vehicle sales.

 

D.  The credit provided for in subsection A of this section may only be claimed one time for any alternative motor vehicle.

 

E.  The credit provided for in subsection A of this section shall be based upon the vehicle’s California Air Resources Board vehicle emission rating as follows:

 

1.  Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) for any qualified vehicle certified as a Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV); Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT PZEV); or Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV);

 

2.  One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for any qualified vehicle certified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV); and

 

3.  Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for any qualified vehicle certified as a Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).

 

F.  If the credit allowed pursuant to this section exceeds the amount of income taxes due or if there are no state income taxes due on the income of the taxpayer, the amount of credit allowed but not used in any taxable year may be carried forward as a credit against subsequent income tax liability for a period not exceeding four (4) years following the qualified investment.

 

G.  The Oklahoma Tax Commission shall promulgate rules and establish such procedures as may be necessary to implement this act.

 

SECTION 2.     REPEALER     68 O.S. 2001, Section 2357.22, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 186, O.S.L. 2003 (68 O.S. Supp. 2007, Section 2357.22), is hereby repealed.

 

SECTION 3.  This act shall become effective January 1, 2009.