| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Why Your Ad Failed
So you spent good money on an ad, put it in a magazine or newspaper, and waited patiently for phone calls that didn't materialize. You're upset: you feel that you've wasted money and time, and now you're convinced that advertising doesn't work. Advertising does work. Every day. So before you kick away advertising (or websites, or brochures, or any other marketing medium), first consider which of these four basic reasons applies to your effort: Your ad wasn't created to appeal sympathetically to the correct customer need. You can't force a sale, as much as you might want to. Your best, most reliable, most profitable customers come to your business because you meet particular needs that your competitors don't. Simple as that. These needs may be material, psychological or emotional, but when they present themselves, their owners come to you. The goal of advertising is not to pitch a sale, but to establish name and brand recognition for your company by associating your name with your ability to meet special customer needs. This helps promote that "good gut feeling" that your best customers have about you but can't really explain. If your ad isn't built around the right specific customer needs - not wants, not desires, not self-image, but needs - then it's almost doomed to fail. Your ad doesn't establish your own credibility for meeting customer needs. Etch this on your forehead: Credibility begins with evidence of understanding. It's not enough to hit on the right need. You have to demonstrate in some way that you truly understand and can meet it. This step doesn't have to be fancy, and is often very subtle, sometimes involving no more than certain writing, visual design or layout decisions. If your customers need a strong, professional company, your ad should reflect that. If they need to know that you come highly recommended, or that you have a certain degree of experience, or that your services are unique to your area, that should somehow be a part of your advertising. Just don't overdo it, turning your ad into a sales pitch. Provide just enough credibility to satisfy those customers looking for it. Save the rest for your other marketing efforts. Your ad wasn't placed in an appropriate medium that offered regular exposure to the specific customers you serve. If your business sells luxury cars, the most carefully designed ad in the world won't accomplish a thing printed in a free newspaper that specializes in thrift classified ads. That's not an appropriate medium for your service, and your best customers aren't looking for you there. If your ad properly recognized and appreciated your customers' needs, consider the possibility that the ad appeared where it wasn't appropriate. Why were your best customers looking for you there? How does your choice of medium speak to your credibility for meeting your customers' needs? Consider time as well as position: a swimwear ad would face an uphill climb if it ran in a Michigan newspaper in December. Remember that customer needs often change as the seasons change. You expected too much from your ad. If the ad is solid, and the medium is appropriate, then the problem is you. Advertising alone doesn't revolutionize profits. Like all marketing tools, advertising is a precision instrument, an individual tool designed to perform a specific task. Relying on only advertising - or only networking, or only cold calling, or only a website - to promote your business makes as much sense as an auto mechanic who uses only a hammer to fix your car. Since human beings are complicated, so are sales problems. Complicated problems require the skilled collaboration of multiple tools, of which traditional print advertising is only one. The role of advertising in a modern marketing campaign is to establish name and brand recognition for your company, not to pitch a sale. The idea is to make sure that your prospect has already heard of your company - and has a favorable "feel" about you - by the time customer need presents itself or your salespeople come calling. Advertising helps pave the road for your other marketing efforts. If you expected sales to double last month because you ran an ad but did little else, you probably expected more than reality could provide. It's in fact possible that your ad did work, but that it provided benefits that your business didn't capitalize on because you expected different results. Next time you run an ad, do it as part of a coordinated marketing effort that includes the ability to follow up with the audience that was exposed to it. Take advantage of the good will that your advertising helps generate. If your ad is written to appeal sympathetically to the correct customer need, establishes your credibility for meeting that need, and is placed in an appropriate medium that offers regular exposure to your most likely customers, your ad will do that job. Every time. About The Author Robert Warren (www.rswarren.com) is a Florida-based freelance copywriter specializing in the unique marketing needs of independent professionals.
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
80% of All Advertising Is Wasted Due To This Common Mistake You're flipping through this publication as you wait for your latte, when suddenly you decide to stop and read an ad. What made you stop? I'll bet it was an attention grabbing headline. Advertising Agency In Boston: Tips and Tricks The big news on Wall Street last year was the initial public offering of Internet search engine Google. If you were a visitor from another planet, you might be asking yourself, What big, sophisticated, high-technology company is behind the success of Google? Could it be IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Oracle, SAP, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Dell, Xerox, Sun Microsystems, Philips or Siemens? Of course not. Understanding Internet Banner Advertising Banner advertising is an effective way of getting your advertising message seen on the Internet. Banner ads should not be your only online form of advertising, but they are an essential part of your online advertising mix. Write Attention Getting Advertisements The most important aspect of any business is selling the product or service. Without sales, you aren't generating any income and your business will die. Advertising 101 Advertising has truly become a part of all of our lives as consumers, as business owners, as parents, as concerned citizens. We simply cannot escape from its presence no matter how hard we try. Media Savvy - Media Skills For Rural Women The ability to lead, persuade and influence are integral skills for effective leaders. The capability of telling a story that inspires, motivates and informs is an essential part of this process. Why Your Ads Aren't Working The president of a manufacturing company recently asked me, "Why isn't my advertising working?" Have you ever been asked this question? Have you ever asked it yourself?Like most marketing communications questions there are no simple answers. After all, communication is a high level activity. 2005 Super Bowl Ads... Winners and Losers Well, Super Bowl XXXIX is history. Too bad for the folks who consider themselves the always-pullin'-for-the-underdog type. Developing a Formal Brand Messaging Document Ensure everyone in your company sings from the same sheet of music when it comes to communicating a consistent brand message.Imagine one of your customers calling six different people in your company. Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell Many prospects skim through catalogs and brochures, glancing at the photos and reading the accompanying captions only when a particular image arouses their interest. That's when you have their attention. How to SAVE Yourself from Spending too Much Money on Advertising! How much money have you spent in Advertising, Promotion & Marketing? If you're like most people you've probably spent over $1000 or more. Many individuals and companies have spent $2000 to $50,000 in Advetising within a course of 1 Year. Testing Headlines A correspondent to AdBriefing, my monthly newsletter, has posed a very sticky question. How, she asks, can you tell whether a headline you have written is a good one?or not? What she means by this, I imagine, is whether the headline will actually help to make sales, rather than just act as a passing amusement to its readers. Your Eye Catching Publicity Flyer Your website is done, your business cards have been delivered, and your brochure has received accolades. In the promoting department you have everything you need, right? Well, there is one item you lack and by having this item in your arsenal it can be a dealmaker for you. Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you're making one of the major copywriting mistakes:Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your "fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!" doesn't actually tell them anything. Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy. Top Jingle Companies: What to Look For, What to Expect The internet offers you the opportunity to seek out jingle companies and listen to their jingle samples online. Your success depends upon a thorough evaluation of as many companies as possible. Measure the Response of Your Advertising Campaigns by Using Promotional Products For most companies, gone are the days of spending money just for the pleasure of seeing their name on TV or the Internet.Most companies today are forced to insist on results. Custom LED Display Custom LED Display, as the name specifies, facilitate control anything with any message that you can think of, from hours of operation to daily specials. These are used by almost all industries like factory, banks, airports, universities, libraries, and many others. Should You Advertise on TV? When people discover my background in advertising, the questions flow. One of the most frequent questions is "Should I advertise on TV?"I can't answer that questions until I ask a number of questions first. Improve Your Promotional Flyers And Improve Sales Admittedly, I have not seen your advertising flyer. Then again, I probably don't have to.
|
| home | site map | Recommended Partner Sites |
| © 2008 |
