Here's
Why Your Advertising Isn't Working
By Tom Egelhoff
 Small town advertising isn't
as easy as most people think. Most small towns are generally
limited to two principal media...radio and the local newspaper.
TV, though sometimes available and used on occasion, is often
cost prohibitive for many businesses.
The problem with small town advertising is often the same
as big city advertising. It isn't the form of media, it's the
message along with how and to who it's delivered.
What do you want your advertising to accomplish?
You started your business because you studied and learned
your craft or skill and wanted to offer it to others. I would
never dream of coming into your place of business and telling
you how to run it. I don't have the expertise you do. When it
comes to marketing and advertising, many small business owners
don't have the expertise to do it correctly or profitably.
I will never understand why business owners take advice from
unqualified strangers before they trust their own instincts or
consult an informed reputable source. I have overheard business
people ask complete strangers in movie lines if they should advertise
on the screen between movies. Forget demographics, target market
and product positioning. I guess if the stranger said yes, the
business owner would make the deal with the manager after the
movie.
Advertising generates traffic to your business. You need to
generate a certain amount of income to keep your doors open.
How many customers does it take to do that each day? How much
must each spend? Who are they and how do you reach them?
Learn The Ways Of A Tiger
In my book, (How
To Market, Advertise And Promote Your Business Or Service In
A Small Town) I talk about a college professor who told a
story about a big game hunter. He wanted to shoot a tiger. He
asked the local "wise man" of the tribe how to do it.
The wise man replied, "To catch a tiger, learn the ways
of a tiger."
In case you missed the point of that story, let me rephrase
it. "To find your customers, learn the ways of your customers."
You must know who they are and how they find information before
you can advertise effectively.
Make a choice
So, you have two choices to make. One, hire an advertising
and/or marketing company, if one is available and you can afford
it. Or, if that is cost prohibitive, do it yourself. At this
site we deal with a lot do-it-yourselfers from all over the world.
Where do I start?
When you started your business, hopefully, you constructed
a business plan. If you don't have one...get one. Links to two
good ones are on the links
page. Your business plan should have outlined why you think you
have a viable business and who your customers are and how you
intend to reach them.
If you are a new business you don't really have a customer
base to analyze. One place you can look for help is trade magazines.
Look for success stories of people in your industry and call
them up. Ask them how they advertise and where? What promotions
work? Who is their ideal customer?
Let's look at some advertising basics and how they work and
don't work.
The "Fab Four" of advertising
No, I'm not referring to the Beatles. Advertising was originally
designed to accomplish four things.
1. To provide information about your company to your customers.
2. To create an image of the company for your customers.
3. To provide sales leads to the company or sales force.
4. And most important of all...to sell.
Advertising is usually sold at a "cost per thousand"
readers/listeners that the advertising reaches. As you have read
here before, I prefer to buy advertising at a "cost per
customer." If I spend $50.00 on an ad and it produces three
customers who spend $10.00 each, what happened? I just lost $20.00.
My advertising stops being an investment, and becomes an expense.
Track your ads to save money. Where are people coming from?
How did they find you? What made them find you?
As I go through each of the four types of ads the question
to keep in mind is, "What do I want my advertising to
accomplish?"
Let's look at each one of the "Fab Four" and the
mistakes most businesses make when they take on the job of in-house
advertising manager.
Information Advertising
This is the most common type of advertising and the most often
abused. Companies buy ad space and fill it with, "me",
"me", "me." The customer isn't interested
in you. The customer is interested in what benefits them. (See: Why
Customers Buy) There is nothing wrong with showing off your
company in a positive light. Just be sure you are talking with
the customer's needs in mind.
Image Advertising
This is another passive form of advertising. There is nothing
wrong with keeping your name in front of potential customers
or creating an image. Most common mistake here is big headline,
too much text and no room left to display the logo, company name,
phone or web site at a readable size. The message overpowers
the purpose. If you are really out to build a name, run several
small ads with just the logo or company name and the phone. Put
as many as you can in sections you know your target market reads.
Lead Generation Ads
Many companies produce an image ad or an information ad and
expect it to act as a lead generation ad. In most cases, they
are very disappointed. What's usually missing? A "Call To
Action." Something that motivates the customer to act. Make
a call, return a coupon, enter a contest, get valuable information,
visit the web site or physically come to the store. Make them
act now! Fear of loss is more powerful than expectation of gain.
Ads That Sell
This is where copywriters really earn their keep with big
companies. You and I are not big companies. Writing ads that
sell is an art. Can you write one? Sure you can. (See:
How To Write Successful Ads That Sell)
What's missing from most? The company never asks for the order.
The biggest single reason people don't buy is because no one
asks them. I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true. Make
sure your ad asks the customer to take action and buy your product.
The last word on advertising mistakes
In order to make your advertising pay for itself, you must
know your objectives. What do you want your advertising to accomplish?
Design ads that match your company objectives. Ads should produce
customers. Track your advertising. Ask every customer how they
found you. Keep track of where customers live, how much they
spend, what products they buy, how often they buy and most important...why
they don't buy. Follow up and ask them.
Advertising done right is very exciting. It pays for itself.
The more of it you do (correctly) the more profit it produces
and the more ads you can place. That makes a strong and profitable
business which is what we all want.
(Return
To Small Town Marketing.Com Main Menu)
Listen
to a radio interview with Tom and Entrepreneur Magazine - Click
Here!
This article may be reproduced for your non-profit
group or organization provided it is not altered in any way and
the following is attached:
©1998 - 2004 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT
59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll FREE
(888) 550-6100
email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
Based in Bozeman, MT, Tom Egelhoff is the author of How To Market, Advertise & Promote Your
Business Or Service In A Small Town, and The
Small Town Advertising Handbook: How To Say More And Spend Less.
He is also a seminar and workshop presenter
and trainer. He may be reached at 888-550-6100 or PO Box
271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
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