1997 How to save money on advertising

Editor’s note: How do you decide where you should advertise? In this 1997 article, the author came up with one solution you might want to try.

When I began to practice, I was a sucker for all kinds of advertising, including these: Yellow pages covers, billboards, gadgets that attach to the telephone, park-bench ads, supermarket coupon ads, bowling alley scorecard advertising, direct mail coupons, calendars, and police and firefighter associations.

I was new in practice and had almost no money, but I had bad sales resistance. I didn’t know how to say “no.”

Then, one day, I received a call from the police, who wanted me to run a small ad in their police magazine.

I agreed, especially since he said that I could send him my business cards and he would put them around the station house. I envisioned that my waiting room would be filled with cops.

MAKE SOME CALLS

I mailed them a check and waited for the phone to start ringing. Three months later, I got my first call from the ad. It was the same police officer who had sold me before. He asked me to “re-up.”

“Well, I’d like to help you out but I really didn’t get any business from the last ad.”

He answered, “The ad didn’t work because it was too small. You need a quarter-page at least.”

I agreed after he said he would bring me a copy of the last ad. A few afternoons later, Officer Greene gave me a copy of the “magazine” — a tabloid. I couldn’t find my ad, but I found a large ad from a chiropractor across town. I decided to call him to see if the ad worked. He said he didn’t get a single call.

I then called other advertisers. They said the same thing.

I decided not to advertise. And I decided to use this same strategy — calling advertisers — the next time I was approached to advertise.

The more I did this kind of “ad research” the more money I saved.

If you are asked to participate in a brand new, first time, ad campaign, magazine, coupon book, mass mailer and cannot check references, just say “No, thank you.” Advertising is enough of a gamble. You don’t need to make the odds worse.

If you are new to an area and want to know what form of advertising is best, ask the people advertising. Ask chiropractors dentists, podiatrists, massage therapists, and other health professionals which advertising avenues have worked best for them.

In certain areas of the country, for example, the telephone directory is a very good source of new patients. In others, it’s not. In some places, supermarket throw-always work. In other areas they don’t.

Be careful. Be cautious. It’s your money.

— Tedd Koren, DC
Jan.-Feb. 1997