The advertising salespeople call us constantly. They want us to buy listings in the various phone books. They want us to advertise on radio and TV. They want us in newspapers and magazines. They’ve got billboards, websites, pay-per-click ads, and posters above urinals. I know you get the calls just like I do.

Sometimes a pitch works. It sounds good. It seems like it’s worth a try.

You go for it. Your ad runs. You’re excited. It’s fun to see your name out in the community.

But no one calls. The response is not nearly what you’d hoped for. You were sure your ad would generate all kinds of business. This is disappointing.

Why is this happening? Is it the ad copy? Is it the design? Was this the wrong place to advertise? What’s the problem?

You’re not likely to find out. Why? Because you’re likely to pull the ad before you give it a chance. I’ve watched attorney advertising for years and, more often than not, attorneys run their ads for a quarter and quit. They’re disappointed and they give up.

That’s an ineffective approach. You can’t run the ads for 90 days and expect to figure it all out. This is a long-term proposition. You’ve got to expect to fail in the beginning and learn from the experience. You’ve got to run ads and fine-tune things month after month, year after year.

Advertising is a learning experience. Progress will be slow and, in a small practice, is difficult to measure. You’ve got to test a variety of approaches and keep data on the results. It’s critical to keep at it and keep learning. Don’t quit after a short test. You’re far better off continuing to work at getting it right than starting and then stopping.