So I realize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I'm going to go out on a limb and hope for the best.
I have a small business, and it's a business that people love.
When I first opened my business I was getting almost no customers because I had no way of informing people about my business.
With advertising, I'm getting clients and my business is doing well. I don't use manipulative tactics or remarketing, but I do use targeted ads to find out what kind of people are looking for my services and market to them by including a short direct blurb about what I do.
As a result, people who need my services can get it at a price they can afford. Another happy result of advertising is I am able to have my own business and bring greater competition to a market place that is dominated by old boys type businesses. The only down side is that some people who didn't want to see a blurb had to see it.
Why is this bad?
Maybe manipulative advertising tactics are bad, maybe advertising that relies on building brand recognition rather than stating value is bad. But I really don't understand why paying to inform people that my business exists and tell them what I do is a bad thing. I think it's a great thing.
I can say this, without modern affordable advertising my business wouldn't exist. Not because I don't provide value, not because there are better more competitive businesses but because people would have no way of finding out that I exist. I don't have the money for a fancy storefront with a fancy sign. I don't have the money to be at the front of the yellow pages. I don't have the age and established connections to get people through referral. All I have is a good idea, and the only way to communicate that idea to the public is advertising.
Maybe there is bad advertising and abuses of advertising. But please let's think twice before throwing out the baby with the bath water.
There was that famous study by Lee Benham who found that eye glasses were 20% cheaper in places that allowed for advertising. I don't know how much we can generalize that finding but I do think that a strong argument can be made that information is big component of the competitive marketplace. Meaning basically I have to be able to inform people about my product. If only huge businesses that can advertise on TV or get sports endorsements or have politicians or celebrities mention them have the capacity to inform people about their products, then they will dominate the market. Internet marketing is the great equalizer that gives little guys like me a chance.
Instead of unsolicited ads why would it not work with targeting people actively looking for things only?
Right now I’m researching a product I’m about to buy, because I have an actual need. In the process I consult various sources listing and comparing products of that category. Allthough most of those sources can’t be trusted to provide unbiased information, I’m pretty confident the sum will give me a pretty good overview of the search space.
I have a small business, and it's a business that people love.
When I first opened my business I was getting almost no customers because I had no way of informing people about my business.
With advertising, I'm getting clients and my business is doing well. I don't use manipulative tactics or remarketing, but I do use targeted ads to find out what kind of people are looking for my services and market to them by including a short direct blurb about what I do.
As a result, people who need my services can get it at a price they can afford. Another happy result of advertising is I am able to have my own business and bring greater competition to a market place that is dominated by old boys type businesses. The only down side is that some people who didn't want to see a blurb had to see it.
Why is this bad?
Maybe manipulative advertising tactics are bad, maybe advertising that relies on building brand recognition rather than stating value is bad. But I really don't understand why paying to inform people that my business exists and tell them what I do is a bad thing. I think it's a great thing.
I can say this, without modern affordable advertising my business wouldn't exist. Not because I don't provide value, not because there are better more competitive businesses but because people would have no way of finding out that I exist. I don't have the money for a fancy storefront with a fancy sign. I don't have the money to be at the front of the yellow pages. I don't have the age and established connections to get people through referral. All I have is a good idea, and the only way to communicate that idea to the public is advertising.
Maybe there is bad advertising and abuses of advertising. But please let's think twice before throwing out the baby with the bath water.
There was that famous study by Lee Benham who found that eye glasses were 20% cheaper in places that allowed for advertising. I don't know how much we can generalize that finding but I do think that a strong argument can be made that information is big component of the competitive marketplace. Meaning basically I have to be able to inform people about my product. If only huge businesses that can advertise on TV or get sports endorsements or have politicians or celebrities mention them have the capacity to inform people about their products, then they will dominate the market. Internet marketing is the great equalizer that gives little guys like me a chance.