I don't know about you, but the longer I am in this business the more calls I get with people trying to sell me advertising. I have been solicited for phone book ads, newspaper, maps, google, high school sports and so on and so on. I have been very shocked at the price of much of these ads. Another thing I have noticed is that every salesman tells the the same thing. "This ad will bring you SO much business, this is REALLY going to make you look good!" I have decided these guys have the art of flattery down to a science. I have heard it all... "You are a good looking guy, You guy like you needs a big ad, You have such a professional look....." (Do you think this will work for selling homes? "This house makes you look SO thin. A house like this with you living in it will raise your social status ten fold.")
I must admit, I am a sucker for a good sales pitch (and flattery) and have bought way to many ad that are PURE crap. My biggest blunder was a 1/3 page yellow page ad. It was a VERY expensive ad and I signed a multiple year contract. The salesman lead me believe that this was the Silver Bullet to getting me new business. Wow have I learned an expensive lesson. I get a few calls a year but have been able to turn very few into sales. I learned that people DO NOT pick a Realtor from the phone book. Now I do think I need a presence in the phone book, but a very small ad is sufficient. Just so people can find my number after I build that great name recognition.
I just found a new waste of money. I had a company call me telling me they were going to put my ad on this GREAT county map. This was around a year ago. Well I had forgot all about the ad until they sent me copies of the printed maps with my ad on them. WOW what crap. I think someone printed these up on their home printer. I am embarrassed to give these maps out with my name on it. Secondly there are 2 other Realtors on the map.
Then the other day I had an agent call me up to ask me about an ad I had done in the grocery store. I had bought advertising on the grocery carts. The salesman was the typical pushy salesman telling me how awesome this is going to be for my biz.... He told me that if I really wanted to have a catchy ad I needed to run "Buy or Sell with me and get a $500 grocery gift card." So I took his advice and gave them $1300. Well then 4 months down the road they call me to find out how I like my ad and that it is time for me to give them another $1300 for another 6 months. Well I was shocked, I thought I had bought a 12 month ad. To ad injury to insult, I NEVER got 1 call from the ad.
Well the agent wanted to know how my experience was with the company. She had just gave them money and they promised to have her ad up in June. She has not seen her ad, but there was 3 other Realtors there, I was one. (Another shock, I was supposed to be the only Realtor in the store). Needless to say, I did not recommend the company and told her she should ask for her money back. (FYI it was Cartvertising)
So, to get to the point. I would like to here everyones success story's and failures when it comes to advertising your business.