Advertising Other People

A

AbbieRose

New member
If you've got to be relatively good at advertising your own services have you ever considered advertising for others for a profit? Is there a risk of a clash of interests do you think, or could this work as a nice sideline?
 
It really depends on the market and what you're advertising. Years ago I was the Marketing Director for a waterpark in Palm Springs California. My ideas and designs impressed the owner so much that he fired the Marketing Company that he was using, and broght me on full time (I was 22). I then branched to market the Hotel associated with the park.

At the same time I was still doing my own business, and I headed up the marketing for a construction company and a real estate company. So with the diversity there was no conflit of interest.

The same goes with SEO, or web design for that matter. If you have two companies that are in the same field, if you don't disclose that you're also working with "X" or refuse to do work because you're working with "X" then that can quickly become a sore point with people.

I've often looked at setting up a sideline business (needed something else to get into), but consider it a conflit with our clients if I was to take their ideas and businesses and launch a competing business (knowing what I know about their business and what works and doesnt' work in their site).

But consultation work is not normally considered a conflit of interest. It's when you get into longer term relationships that it can become conflicts (at least in my view anyway).
 
I work with a few folks who provide complimentary services. They don't want to be web hosts, I don't want to specialize what they specialize in - we just send clients each others' way. I've worked with these people on other projects, so we all know the others fairly well. That lets us be confident that we're recommending quality providers.

However - I would not advertise for people who provide the exact same services as myself. Part of it is the competition angle. (Part of it is that I am not good at marketing - so any knowledge of that's going to be put to use for my business.)
 
Lesli,

I see what you're driving at.

I think Advertising is a personal thing and really needs to be done with a lot of self motivation - after all it is your baby and the sky is the limits.
 
So in theory, if you avoid taking on work that is in competition with your own, this should be a feasible line of work? What about if you have two clients in the same line of work-as mentioned, should you keep that knowledge to yourself, or disclose?

I feel that I can keep things separate, there is no need to let the ideas of one affect the advertising or working of another.
 
Ya , I wouldn't tell the clients either. Its always good to try and find people to advertise your company and give you referrals. That's why a lot of companies have referral fee just because of this practice. Its a win win situation because you help out there company and they help you out in the same way.
 
I have traded over clients for those in the same business as me but that one client might need something that I do not do, and the other person does. We trade back and forth sometimes and its not about referrals or the money for me, its about getting someone something they need.
 
I'm sure ad agencies take on clients with competing products / services all the time. Just keep all client information confidential as a matter of course, and unless a client tries to push through something that says "you won't do advertising for any other company that competes directly with us or our product/service", you should be fine. (And if they do say this...well, maybe they want to go try and work with someone else, or they want to try and build their own in-house marketing department.)
 
Thanks. I don't see that it would be a problem, and having had some success as far as advertising is concerned, it would be interesting to try and branch out. It of course would have to start out small at first, till I was more sure of my technique, but I'm getting really very interested in this as a possibility.
 
Ad agencies can take competiting products but no two company can have the same sales for an advertisement it also depends on the companies image and other things, if you see in the ad agency point of view both are clients, its no the case here
 
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