Digital Burn!

Small Businesses Deserve Better Than Surprise Ad Bills

If you’re a small business owner, chances are you’ve been burned by digital advertising at least once.

You set what you think is a modest $240 monthly ad budget on one of the advertising platforms to kick the tires and then a few weeks later, you’re staring at a $405 bill. When you ask what happened, you’re told it was part of an “enhanced distribution upgrade.” But nobody ever told you your ads would start showing up in counties you don’t serve and that your budget would be adjusted without a hard cap. That adjusted amount would be ok if you got some real solid leads! The notable enhancement in that plan are the explosion of spam telemarketing calls questioning your poorly performing upgrade.

Does this sound familiar? I’ve heard this story during my networking and lived it myself with my website clients.

What’s Going On?

Many platforms like these operate on daily spending ranges rather than hard monthly limits. That means your “$10/day” ad budget could balloon, every day, without you knowing. Multiply that by a month, and you’re kick the tires budget is hundreds over your intended spend.

Even platforms like Google and Facebook require constant monitoring to be effective. And if you’re not a marketing expert, you’re flying blind. You might rack up clicks without conversions. Or worse, pay to show your ads to people 50 miles away even when you distinctly plugged in a few area codes. Or even how the leads and impressions for folks needing roofs are sprinkled in for the interior remodeler business which you are paying for. That is another subject altogether which your work with John Tracey Media will avoid as well.

Here’s a few ways how we’re different just on the digital side:

• Fixed Rates. No surprises.

Our sponsorship packages are clearly priced, with no variable spend or surprise charges.

• ZIP-Code Targeted Network at the foundation.

Every issue goes to exclusively targeted households in specific neighborhoods to get the rest of the platform to do its thing, guaranteed. Not “anyone in the region” and certainly not directed to the exclusive target we do that should be your customers.

• Integrated Brand Storytelling.

You’re not just an ad in a sidebar, you’re featured as part of the community and the tentacles reach out from a solid base through look alikes and a highly refined persona that is loaded with intent data. Real people, real stories, real results. Bringing the best and showing your best.

• High-Trust Impressions.

Your business is seen within a connected social network who trust what they’re reading because they have a connection and interest with it. That’s something no paid click can buy. That word of mouth created by this platform is measurable because of the foundation created and that which springs from that.

No Guesswork, Just Growth

One of my partners locally, has a sponsor that got too many appointments from what we do. We don’t charge by impressions, clicks, or geography creep. We partner with trusted local businesses to put their story in the hands and devices of the people they most want to serve. I could go on why this models produces the best advertising ROI but let me just thank you for reading to this point. I appreciate you.