If you’re a business owner faced with buying advertising on a regular basis, you know the dilemma. “Where do I begin?”

Whether you’re exploring a new market, attempting to rejuvenate a faithful market or simply trying to out maneuver a competitor, that question is a constant when buying media.

“When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.”
— General Creighton W. Abrams

Complicating the question is the increasing number of new ways to advertise. In fact, there probably has never been a time in human history where advertising options are so plentiful. The internet and its platforms, social media channels, smartphone apps and all the legacy media have an audience and market. For the buyer, it’s a circus out there!

How does a buyer tame those advertising lions?

Start with what you know, and then expand. If you’re comfortable with newspaper advertising for example, maintain what you’re doing. Then, pair your effort with something you’d like to try. Let’s say you want to try Facebook. Set a deadline for results, maybe two or three months, and then compare your newspaper/Facebook effort with just the newspaper alone.

If the combo is unsuccessful for you, pick something else. If the newspaper/Facebook effort showed results, then try to leverage Facebook to promote your business more.

General Creighton W. Abrams once said, “When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.”

Don’t feel that you have to jump at every opportunity when buying media. The spin in the advertising marketplace is intense. It is better to go slow, build on what works and measure your media choices.