Advertising Seems Broken

Whenever I see an advertisement on a billboard or in a newspaper or magazine, I die a little inside. This is because print advertising, and also television advertising is incredibly ineffective. I can not recall one time in my life that I saw a commercial on the television, or read an ad in a newspaper and actually visited the website or retail store for whatever was being advertised. Also, I feel as if though when watching a show, or reading the articles in a newspaper, many of the advertisements that business owners are spending money on are ones I don't even notice. If you were to ask ten people on the street if they pay any attention to ads on tv or the ads that distract them while reading the newspaper, I would bet that the majority of them would say they do not take notice of most advertisements. Companies and businesses who buy ads from the cable companies or newspapers, also make whoever has to read their ads do work to find their product. If I read a print ad, I have to turn on my computer, look up the website of the company that ran the ad, go through the company's website to see what they have to offer, and then think of buying something. My advice to business owners is do not do any advertising through print or television ads. To me, doing so is supporting an industry that doesn't provide a valuable return on investment.

Not spending money on any print or television advertising raises the question of what small businesses' ad budgets should be spent on. My advice, would be to invest in online advertising, whether it be through a service such as Google Adwords or Facebook ads. Imagine a world in which you could target specific people with specific interests or tendencies or target specific search queries related to your product. Also, with online advertising, everyone who clicks on your ad doesn't have to do any work as it takes them directly to your website or web presence. If I'm already on the computer, and see an image or some text to something that might help me, I'll actually notice it and probably click on it too. Doesn't that sound appealing? To me, it is very appealing, and is why you should at least try Adwords and Facebook ads. I'll be on the lookout for other platforms on the internet that are helpful.

You can follow me @kaufman_jack.