Recently released this month, a global study by Nielsen Research based on research of more than 26,000 online users, showed that Internet advertising is near the bottom of the list in terms of how much it’s trusted by consumers.

The second place position, with 63% of people saying they trust print newspaper ads. TV commercials and magazine ads placed a few percentage points behind. Search ads were trusted by 34% of consumers, and banner ads were trusted by just 26% of respondents.

Guess what method was number one? Word of mouth.

A dear friend of mine once said, “The person who saves money by not advertising is like the man who stops the clock to save time.” In today’s fast-paced, high-tech age, businesses have to use some form of advertising to make prospects aware of their products and services.

Even a famous company like MicroSoft, continually spends money on advertising to support recognition of their products. Last year MicroSoft spent more than $1 million to keep its name in the forefront of the public’s eye. So the question isn’t whether or not you can afford to advertise, you simply must if you want your business to succeed.

Some questions you should consider before buying ads are:

1. What advertising company is the best to use?

2. How important is creativity?

3. Is there a way to buy space and time that will stretch my advertising budget?

When it comes to advertising, a lot of people really don’t know what they want, where to get it or what to do with it after they have it. Advertising is an investment in your business’s future. And like any investment, it’s important to find out as much as you can before you make a decision.

Abe Cherian
CEO, Multiple Stream Media, LLC.

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