ADVERTISING, PROMOTIONS & MARKETING

I've been struck by the glut of advertising coming my way. 
Spam and junk mail are full of it, television is full of
it, even magazines seem to have more.  And, I don't buy it.
I've often written that businesses cannot "advertise their
way to success".  Of course there is a time and place for
advertising!  You have to let people know you exist, and
you need to make a splash with new products or new
services.  Advertising is a good thing.  But you probably
can't buy enough to build a business with it.
And promotion, particularly self-promotion, has a similar
limitation.  Obviously, if you believe in a product or
service, you MUST tell people about it and invite them to
buy. You owe that to yourself, and to the customers who
need and want your service.  Promotion has it's place.
But in the end, marketing is a different animal.  Marketing
is about your reputation.  It's about customer satisfaction
and retention.  It's about your relationships.  Marketing
is about letting people know who you are, what you do and
what you offer.  (Never keep yourself a secret!  There is
no advantage in being shy!)  Marketing is about YOU more
than your product or service.  It's about your reputation,
your level of responsibility and your follow-through.
In the end, most marketing is "free" because it comes from
being who you are and doing what you do, to the best of
your ability. 
Many small businesses would be far ahead to scrap their
advertising budget entirely and invest the money in
themselves, their personal development, and their
relationships.