Someone asked me the other day about the merits of radio advertising.

This is always a difficult one, and it's not just about radio advertising - so what has that got to do with my wife's shopping antics...?

Having a marketing plan and a budget to support it is absolutely vital to ensure that the business gets VISIBILITY.

However, knowing your precise target market - and ensuring that you are visible into THAT target market - is the key to ensuring that it is money well spent.

The important thing to remember is that YOU DO NEED TO SPEND THE MONEY, but you also need to be sure that the spend will get you the visibility in the RIGHT target market.

I always find that it is best to NEVER MAKE AN IMPULSE BUY - just do what my wife does when buying a new dress. See what you want when you go into the first shop, but then traipse around Solihull for four hours, looking in every shop to make a comparison, have a coffee, and then either go back to the first shop she visited and BUY (safe in the knowledge that you have done the comparison and are happy) - or GO HOME, with purse firmly closed..!

I suppose that's why BNI works so well - the chapter members carry out the quality check for you, and save you the time traipsing around the marketplace.  They take you straight to your target market...

I wonder if there is a BNI member who can help Janice with her shopping exploits..?