Are you falling for this money-losing marketing assumption?

Just last night my six-year-old son walked up to me, grinning from ear to ear. The reason was as plain as day: he had finally lost another baby tooth, and the gap was as big as the Grand Canyon. OK…. Why is there is such joy over losing something in your mouth that you need every day? It’s one of the mysteries of childhood.

Do you have a gap in your marketing plan? Recently I spoke to pet shop owner about building a website. “I can’t afford one right now,” she complained. However, she was paying for a Yellow-Page type of online business listing and maybe the printed version, too. But what was she getting? A brief online listing of her business, and oh, by the way, a listing with all her competitors. I checked, and this listing does not come up high on the search engines. I know that she must be paying at least $500 a month for getting kicked in the teeth, results-wise.

I know a doctor, a frugal man, who has canceled all his Yellow-Page type ads, both printed and online. OK, I’ll admit it, he gets nearly all of his patients as referrals from other doctors, so he does not need to appeal to the general public for his patients. But his action shows that the direction of advertising has changed.

The Yellow Pages and YellowBook were always the standby for businesses. “Oh, I have to have a listing there,” everyone thought. But how many people use the printed Yellow Pages any more, and how buried do you want to be on search engines with your listing?

At TreeFrogClick, we have developed the TFC SearchRank program that will put you high on the search engine list, and which provides social media exposure. Hey, we can beat YellowBook’s online listings. Why waste your money? Wake up, folks — search engine optimization and social media is where it’s at today. If your marketing program has a gap like a missing tooth, you can fill it in with new growth. And then you’ll have something to smile about.