Barry S. Lee

Get the best. Always pay the least.

   How to advertise cheaply and still get more bang for your buck is the basic theme of this blog.

Its message is directed to entrepreneurs and existing owners of small to medium size businesses who find it "impossible" to attract customers using a meager budget.


CONTACT INFORMATION:   EMAIL: leebar143@gmail.com        PHONE: 516-510-3803         MAILING ADDRESS: Barry Lee, 22501 Chase #15212, Aliso Viejo, CA  92656

CheapAdvertisingGuy

When the best things are not possible, the best may be made of those that are. Richard Hooker

FREE 15-PAGE REPORT BY EMAIL!

Click anywhere on the article that interests you.





1. Just to make certain that we're on the same page.

If you're here at this blog of mine because you were led to believe that I can show you ways to promote yourself or your business without having to pay big...

2. Avoid job hunting disappointments by creating your

own business.

As both an unemployed worker for several years and a self employed business owner seeking customers, I have the same gripes as everyone else. So let's...

3. For the beginner in business, jump-start your visibility (any way you can).

Big business or small, everybody's in the same boat getting the word out about their new enterprise. Showing yourself off is key, not rely on insiders to...

4. There's always a way to do serious advertising without spending a fortune.

The disappointments you face when you initially launch your site on the internet or open the doors of your brick and mortar store can be disheartenibg...

5. Why you are in definite need of a website.

If you're among the reluctant few who still have no internet presence, you know you're losing business to competitors who do, and you are probably...

6. Smart way to use van signage to expand your business potential.

When times are tough, learning about new ways to make a few extra bucks or expand your clientele is always welcome. For you folks out there who are...

7. A bad economy is usually a good time to advertise.

I'm a creature of habit, so when I went out to dinner recently to discuss a new business venture with my brother it was at a restaurant I frequent regularly...

8. Can your company afford to advertise on television?

It's been said that there's no business like show business. If you're among the many small to medium size business or service owners who agree, you...

9. A few words about designing your logo and stationery.

It's time to have some serious fun. I say "serious" because what you do now will define the feeling your entire business projects to others, For want of a...

10. Don't try to fool the public with your advertising because the joke will be on you.

You're excited about running your new ad and you're equally certain that this one's going to be a winner. Maybe some of your facts are a bit fudged, but you...

10. Start building your list for an email campaign.

Getting the word out to potential customers can be done quickly with a well thought out email campaign, but doing it yourself is a big responsibility, since it's...

12. Adding content to your email campaign for maximum effect.

You can do a really fine job of contacting people by email right from your current email provider, or you can utilize a service designed primarily for that...

13. Bartering could be a very big step in the right direction.

Bartering comes naturally. You give me some of those for some of these and we'll callit even. Although you can't survive running your business...

14. A really creative idea often begins with a sense of humor.

Out-of-the-box thinking most likely starts with a sense of humor, being able to see things that make you laugh inside. Taking serious subjects and...

15. Where does one begin planning a video for a website?

Planning a video is like I would picture writing a novel. You walk around, sit around, and no matter what else you do around, your thoughts are all...

17. Average testimonials I receive about once a month.

Sometimes affirmation for a job well done through positive testimonials make business owners feel good about what they do. In my case, negative...

18. I can only offer you the advice; Your acceptance is optional.

The decision to build a site and launch it online is a big step for many. But the whole experience can be a pleasant one if you plan it out with someone...

18. When choosing a name for your website, you can pay now or pay dearly later.

Money doesn't count, especially when it comes to domain names. Although you can buy an average domain name for about 10 bucks, most people...

19. How to overcome the uneasiness of asking for the money due you.

Nobody ever questions the terms of payment to their cable company, HMO, or a lawyer who asks for a retainer. But when it comes to certain creative...

2. Here's something I tried in an effort to stir up business, and it worked.

Business sometimes slows down because clients and potential clients are caught up in everything surrounding a major holiday, or it's generally...

21. Local publications often give you more bang for your small business buck.

The pandemic was a way of showing us how sensitive to change our businesses really are. So learning about an option that will serve to retain...

22. When opportunity calls be confident enough to answer.

Like every other business owner during the pandemic. Long Islander Jim Frazzita experienced an economic void the moment a quarantine...

6. Local hand delivery continues as the remarkable low tech solution to successful advertising results.

Some things just never seem to change. Who would've thought that hand delivery would make a resurgence of sorts in the year 2020, just when...

17. Banners are an important element in your powerful advertising arsenal.

As businesses continue to suffer from one compromising social event or another, such as a global pandemic, it becomes quite evident that...

7. Put more bang into your buckslip.

Most people don't even know what a buckslip is. If you ever received a mailing from a utility, usually an invoice, with an accompanying 3.5" x 8.5" (or...

8. Can register tape advertising register profits for you?

Partnering with supermarkets and national advertisers can bring a steady payoff to local businesses who want to take advantage of...

19. If you have a great business with very little money, you should ride along with me.

As you may have noticed, I've adorned the header on each of my pages with a quote of inspiration from a notable human being. But the most ntable of all,...

23. The television advertising every local business can afford.

I used to buy affordable TV time for my smaller clients on local cable television, but even when the cable company let me select the geographic areas...

24. Paying $30 a year for business rent sounds like a steal of a deal.

It's in a popular neighborhood surrounded by a large variety of businesses, big and small and easy to get to from anywhere. In fact, it's the biggest mall on...

20. Being an optimist is different than being a dreamer.

Dreamers often hinder their own opportunities for success by creating an illusion based on the premise that everything eventually will get better on its own...

3. I honestly don't know what to make of this.

From all my years in advertising I understand the motivation of buyers well enough to create successful advertising campaigns that draw them...

16. Why it's important to advertise your website on Craigslist.

I'm always amazed with the reactions I get when I suggest to a new client that they include advertising on Craigslist as part of their marketing effort...

25. Taking a realistic look at where you're going from here.

Any season is a season of introspection and strategic planning. Thinking ahead to your economic well-being by laying down some robust goals...

11. How to go about packaging your product.

Packaging can be a complicated and tricky undertaking that's not for the faint of heart. By the same token, it can be one of the most exciting and...

FREE DOWNLOADS

No Credit Card Info needed

No Name or Email Info needed

You're Welcome!

Just click on the image you want.

26. You've got to read this if you live with a canine

companion.

If you reside anywhere in the New York tri-state area (New York, Connecticut, New Jersey) with an unruly, downright unmanageable canine companion that you...

27. Thank You for making the decision to accept my

free offers.

If you can realize that within you lies the power to end the devastating effects of this economy, then you can take your first step in learning how only you hold the key...

There's always a way to do serious advertising without spending a fortune.

The disappointments you face when you initially launch your site on the internet or open the doors of your brick and mortar store can be disheartening to say the least. Not only doesn't any human being know you're there, but the mere absence of recognition by the web itself creates a major panic in your head. You'll no doubt put in a call to your tech support team to find out why you cannot locate your site. Although lots of wacky things can occur, it's most likely something very simple. Relax, I'll tell you all about how it works and how to get yourself up and advertising right away, without confusing you with a bunch of tech talk.


If you're a small to medium size business that wants to turn a product name or a company name into a household word in a relatively short time span, it would be a lot easier to accomplish if you had some big budget backing that would empower you to broadcast your name on every cable and network channel until people remembered it whether they liked it or not. But few businesses are blessed with that type of financing, so it's time to learn what mere mortals like us can do to overcome these financial shortcomings.


It's not rocket science.



First of all, the outlet that will spread your name everywhere, yes, everywhere on earth, is free to use. It's called Craigslist. Usually, people are so used to seeing it and hearing about it that they forget just how good it can really be and in how many ways it can accomplish what we're discussing here. So please don't tell me that you've tried it and it doesn't work, because that just shows me that when you did try it, you missed using it to its full potential. But although Craigslist is easy to use, the correct use of its workings is a daunting affair and at times extremely frustrating.



I'll be your guide to dumbing it down.



If you know anything about the internet, you know that every search engine has the equivalent of robots reading and indexing the information posted there, operating on their own proprietary algorithms so that you can enjoy the convenience of accessing all the information they gather at any time. And if you pause a moment to reflect, why would the information placed on Craigslist be any different? This is your perfect opportunity to take advanrage of this fact. It's just the normal order of familiarization with the internet.


Here's where it starts to get good.

This is the perfect opportunity to use solid advertising principles coupled with out-of-the-box creativity to advance your presence on the world wide web. Or to put it broadly, get your name into everybody's home, get people to visit your website and store, and convince people that what you have to offer is the next best thing since the telephone. I've had clients that did it for months without success before it started to gel. In a matter of a few weeks, they had their chosen keywords pointing to them in every search. (I'll give you the simple explanation of what keywords are: they are ibasically the words that people would most often use in a search for your product or service). But the work wasn't close to being done.You must always keep building on your accomplishments. Because you have so many potential keywords and phrases that will bring up your business in a search, it's important to "keep at it" as a normal way of doing business. Keep hammering at the important keywords and phrases you want pointing to your endeavor, and keep promoting it. "Slow and steady wins the race" in partnership with good copywriting and a solid graphic image can meet the challenges posted by any competition with a big fat budget. Finally, if you want to go this on your own, give me a buzz and I'll explain what you have to do, or I'll give you my cheap price for doing it for you. Or, we can meet halfway and I can write your ad copy and you can hire someone to run it for you. Either way, this is the definitive way to boost your presence on the internet, get people to visit your brick and mortar location, and in general, make your advertising and promotion a viable undertaking for free or for very little money. Barry.

The company's marketing strategy

became increasingly unsophisticated.

How sweet it is.

Recently, while I was sitting at a light waiting for it to turn green, I happened to notice the car in front of me with a dealer's license plate holder from Lemon Auto Sales. It was in yellow lettering accompanied by a small graphic of a lemon.  “Wow”, I thought, “what I could do with that”.  That's the out-of-the-box thinking I'm always talking about.  Maybe the headline to this little paragraph will start them thinking.


Here's an article I retrieved from my archives that was written about 10 years ago and entitled "Stick To What You Believe".


Not too long ago, I saw an image ad on Craigslist that directed me to a website that offered some of the things I offer here at my Cheap Ad Agency.  It was just curiosity that led me there, but I sometimes do that to sort of 'check out the competition'.  I soon discovered that the limited number of samples and the quality of the work were giveaways to their inexperience and I contacted them to offer any assistance in the way of counsel, being careful to mention that this was a friendly gesture, not a solicitation for business.  

Oh boy.  Did I hear it by return email.  I guess this person was correct in taking offense and I do apologize, sincerely.  It was insensitive of me.  I know now to never attempt to do anything like that again.  “It is VERY word heavy and I would guarantee that no one would take the time to read all of that content”, is how, in part, the individual described my site.  He also mocked my 'out-of-the-box thinking' and 'creativity' references citing my site layout and structure as proof that I cannot live up to those claims.  But while I was reading all those and other criticisms he hurled at me, I couldn't help but think, “my goodness, he actually read all of my content”. Barry

A Recollection.

CheapAdvertisingGuy