I can only think of one reason why a private counselor would pay to run an ad in a publication—one of your students asks you if you want to advertise in the high school’s football program, school newspaper, yearbook, etc. and you agree for the goodwill you’ll build. But don’t get your hopes up that you’re going to get calls from people.
I’ve run Collegewise for twelve years and I have never, not even once, gotten a call from someone who said, “I saw your ad in…” Advertising just isn’t an effective medium. You’re paying to interrupt large audiences (who don’t want to be interrupted) in the hopes that you’ll catch the eye of the few members who might actually be interested in what you have to sell. It works if you’re Budweiser or Coco Cola or Burger King, but it doesn’t work for small businesses like ours.
Instead of paying money to interrupt people, why not do something much cheaper and more effective? Like…
1. Write a blog.
2. Publish a free email newsletter that people can subscribe to (no spam, please).
3. Do free seminars at your local library about financial aid or college essays or athletic recruiting.
4. Speak at National Charity League meetings, PTAs, churches, etc.
5. Make videos sharing your expertise and post them on YouTube.
All of those are free or almost free. None of them are interrupting people. And if you do a good job, people will come back to you for more. Share information, teach people, and build an audience. It’s better than any ad you could run.