Why Business People Should Not Wear Loafers

I have often read articles that talk about businesses advertising on a "shoestring" budget. That isn't a bad thing if that is all you can do. It is certainly better than expecting to grow a business without advertising in any organized fashion.

My concern is for businesses who try to advertise on no shoestrings at all. They feel they can get the job done just by doing whatever is free. I am all for using every form of advertising that may be free, but hog-tying your business growth by neglecting to invest in more and better advertising is a big mistake. You'll never see the growth you want going the "loafer" route.

I see this concept at work when I notice a small business that only has a Facebook page. No website. Just a Facebook page, and maybe a Twitter page. And they expect to gain the same exposure they would if they had a website. Not going to happen. At least, if the website is properly built, the Facebook page approach won't get the job done as well. There is more to having a website than just building it and having it sit there unseen.

It would be much better to have a properly optimized website along with the Facebook (business version) page and any other social media pages/profiles working in unison to gain the kind of exposure and online response the business is looking for. Part of working in unison includes making sure all the subsidiary pages, profiles, etc., are linked to the website, which acts as the hub of all the other online presences.

Every credible source will recommend to you that you should establish a budget. The focus of this article is only to back that up. If you are serious about being in business, set a reasonable budget from the very beginning.

Then have a realistic plan about growing that budget as your business grows. That's all for now. Just don't wear loafers. Make sure you have, at bare minimum, shoestrings to get you going.