Monday, December 1, 2008

Free Vs Paid Advertising - The Battle Continues

By Kylon Trower

The bottom line is that you absolutely have to market and advertise to have success in the online world. If I were to break it down, I would say that seventy to eighty percent of your time should be focused on these activities. The age old question is which is better, paid or free advertising?

Just so that we are clear, I don't believe in free advertising. It's not that you can't advertise your business without pulling out your credit card but you can't advertise without paying a price. It's either time or money and ultimately both have a price you'll have to pay.

Now that you understand that there is no free lunch you must make careful decisions as to how you will either spend you time or your money. The first question is how much is your time worth. The next question is how comfortable are you with doing certain things on your own.

There are some pros and cons to each from each type of advertising but I think the concept that you must keep in mind is effectiveness. If something is free and it doesn't work very well then that is of no benefit to you. Compare that to a paid ad that works and I'll take the paid ad every time.

Let's look at the upside when it comes to free advertising first. Free advertising gives you hands on experience and the necessary background to make more informed decisions when you decide to use paid methods. It also allows you to get a feel for the marketplace and become an expert in areas which drives up your perceived value in the online community as well.

When it comes to automated (paid) advertising I recommend starting small and gradually building up to larger marketing campaigns. This allows you to test the waters and improve your conversion ratios as you go. This will also allow you to accomplish other things in your business while your advertising consistently runs in the background.

Now regardless which way you decide to go I recommend you set up tracking systems so you can test your results. Not knowing what's working and why it's working is one of the worst positions you can be in as a marketer. When you understand the source of your results you can make wiser decisions with both your time and money.

At the end of the day you must determine which method (paid or free) is right for you. I recommend trying out a few types of both advertising methods and master them before moving on. Spreading yourself too thin will ultimately have an impact on your results as well. Find an advertising method you feel comfortable pursuing and become very proficient is the best way to move forward. - 16732

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