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Take this fun quiz and learn important tips for growing your business

By Kim T. Gordon

    Polish your marketing smarts for 2007 with this handy quiz. Just answer True or False to these eight questions, then read the expert answers for important tips and insight to improve your marketing.

Questions:

1. On a small-business marketing budget, it's smarter to advertise a few times each in numerous print publications than to advertise often in just one or two.

A. True B. False

2. When shopping for broadcast advertising on a tight budget, you should look for the media proposal that offers the greatest number of spots for your money.

A. True B. False

3. Customers prefer to receive branded company information in editorial materials, both off-line and online, rather than through ads.

A. True B. False

4. To yield the highest click-through rate on promotional email, you should offer a percentage discount off your sales price.

A. True B. False

5. Since senior citizens rarely use the internet, marketers should direct their dollars to other ways of reaching this target audience.

A. True B. False

6. Retailers using customer rewards to increase sales from Latino shoppers must build special elements into programs that feature frequent-shopper cards.

A. True B. False

7. The best way to build positive word-of-mouth is to affect the media to which "advice-givers" are exposed.

A. True B. False

8. When reaching and motivating business-to-business prospects, general media sources such as consumer magazines and television are more effective than niche business-to-business media.

A. True B. False

Check your answers:

1. B. False

Advertising with low-frequency in numerous publications is like throwing your money away with both hands. Advertising requires frequency for your message to be remembered and acted on. It's much smarter to choose the best-targeted publications that contain content that’s well read by your core group of prospects, and use larger-size ads and considerable frequency. In marketing terms, you should go for frequency first with the right prospects, even if that means using just one or two publications, then expand your reach into other media as your budget grows.

2. B. False

Beware of any media outlet pitching a proposal based on a high number of spots. Chances are many will be ROS (run of station), which can air during the middle of the night or during other less-desirable hours and programming when spots are typically free or sold at an extremely low cost. Instead, focus your buy on the programming that reaches your core target audience with appropriate content and run your spots with sufficient frequency during those programs or hours.

3. A. True

A study conducted by Roper Public Affairs showed that most consumers preferred receiving information from companies through branded editorial content rather than ads. In fact, 85 percent said they preferred custom publications to ads and 75 percent felt better informed after reading them. Branded content, generated by a company primarily for marketing purposes, may range from the company brochure you send following a customer’s inquiry to a specially branded custom publication, and offers an excellent opportunity to directly connect with and inform customers.

4. B. False

Promotions that promise a specific dollar amount off a sales price enjoy 45 percent higher click-through rates than those offering a percent discount, according to a study from email services provider Silverpop Systems Inc. It seems it’s more advantageous to offer $10 dollars off, for instance, than an equivalent percentage. So be sure to use this handy nugget of information to raise response rates on your next email promotion.

5. B. False

According to Pew Internet and American Life Project data, with 55 percent of all Americans aged 60 to 69 and 26 percent of 70 to 75 year-olds online, it's beneficial to make internet marketing a part of your media mix. When marketing to this audience, it's important to build trust, such as by providing a phone number for assistance with online transactions. It's also best to stay away from the flashiest technology, since older consumers are less likely to upgrade their computers every two or three years and many of the latest design bells and whistles may go unseen or simply cause frustration.

6. A. True

According to Advertising Age magazine, the results of a study by Unilever in four major markets found Hispanic shoppers highly resistant to using frequent-shopper cards because of concerns about privacy. Although over half of those in the study had frequent-shopper cards, only 44 percent of cardholders used them. Entrepreneurs targeting Latinos should construct customer rewards programs that highlight privacy protections.

7. A. True

A BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey of more than 15,000 people revealed that "advice givers" don't always formulate their counsel on personal experience alone. Their sources may include articles on a product, newspaper inserts, internet advertising, and more. To build word-of-mouth for your product or service, it's essential to identify where your influentials are getting their information about what you market, and to use advertising and PR tactics to shape their opinions.

8. B. False

Executives report they're more engaged and involved with business-to-business media than with general magazines, television, and newspapers according to a study by Harris Interactive. The best way to reach your b2b prospects this year is through b2b magazines, trade shows, websites, conferences or seminars.

How Did You Score?

Give yourself 10 points for every correct answer.

70-80 points = You’re a marketing maven!

50-60 points = Keep reading for tips and advice

40 points or less = Time for some brushing up

Kim T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by more than 3 million small-business owners each month.  She is a small-business expert and the author of four books, including Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business.