Consumers’ View On Advertisements During Tough Times
As a small business owner, you are also a consumer, so you’ll be able to completely relate to how advertising your business affects consumers. Whether you are advertising at the current moment or not, you’re sending out messages to your prospects and customers about your company, some of which you may not want to be sending. It’s important to understand what your customers think of your business so when they talk about your company, they can send out positive messages that will help your company prosper. If you’re wondering, “Should I advertise my business?“, consider how it will make you look to your prospects for years to come.
When consumers think about businesses who advertise during tough economic times, two things come to mind.
1. They perceive your business to be financially stable.
Consumers know it costs you money to advertise and they put value on those companies who have the ability and budget to do so. They understand that although advertising your business is a necessity, it requires extra money to facilitate. Knowing that you have the finances to put money into your business tells them you’re not on the verge of going out of business.
Think of it like this; aren’t you less likely to spend your money with a company you fear will be closing soon? Well, your prospects and customers feel the same way. They wonder about warranties, returns, service or maintenance they may need down the road, upgrading or adding to their previous purchases. They may even wonder how good your customer service is. If you’re not advertising, they may just assume you can’t afford to pay your employees, which leads to unhappy employees who do not take care of customers very well. If you wouldn’t invest your own money into a company as such, you can’t expect your prospects to do it either.
Bottom line, you don’t want to give the consumers any reasons to think you’re hurting for business. More business is always better but tell them you’re doing well with what you’ve got.
2. Seeing more small businesses advertising provides consumers with comfort that prosperity is possible and still happening.
With all the boohoo about how down the economy is, it’s a breath of fresh air for consumers to hear of small businesses that are still around. They respect a business owner who can still create a presence for their business even with all the economic problems that so many people are complaining about. Advertising your business says, “If I don’t like the way something is, I’ll do what I need to change it rather than complain about it.”
It seems that advertising your company builds character, respect, and superiority as if “only the strong survive”. Wouldn’t you agree that when you see a small business advertisement, it makes you feel good, like things are moving along? It’s the idea of possibilities that excites society and advertising helps create those ideas.
It is a proven fact that businesses who continue to advertise through hard economic times beat out their competition, even decades down the road. I strongly feel it’s not only because they are putting themselves out there but because of how well consumers respond to their efforts. The next time you ask yourself, “Should I advertise my business?”, the answer will be VERY clear to see.
Contact Your Marketing Crew for more small business advertising tips to give your business a boost during tough economic times.
