Ever since the first business opened its doors, business owners have been trying to discover the secret that makes advertising work. So, have I finally discovered that secret? No, I haven't but I do know that there are some things you should do that are proven to help make your advertising more productive and more profitable.
The Advertising Rule To RememberThe most important rule in advertising is that any advertising you do must pay for itself. In other words it must produce more sales and profit than it costs. It must be an investment not an expense.
Over the years many traditional advertising strategies have been developed. Times and customers have changed and many of these so called proven strategies have not changed with them. In this article I'll deal with three areas where advertising agencies and business owners make mistakes in designing and implementing their advertising messages. Avoid these and your advertising will have a much better chance of working. (See Great Ads)
Strategy OneAdvertising agencies love to win awards for their designs and conceptions. That's great for them but what does it do for you. The most important thing your advertising must do is to bring paying customers into your business. If that doesn't happen what good are glitzy ads?
Some of you may remember the ads for Nissan Trucks... "Dogs love trucks." It featured an Oriental gentleman and a small dog that appeared at the end of each ad. Customers loved the ads they just didn't buy the trucks. If you haven't noticed, those ads are gone.
That's a prefect example of an ad that's an expense not an investment. The only thing you might be able to salvage from that campaign is some "image" advertising. It kept the company name in front of customers. So it's back to the drawing board and a new advertising campaign.
Why it failsTo be successful your advertising and marketing campaign must accomplish two things:
1. It must be based on the customers wants and expectations. The customer has a need and an expectation that the benefits of your product or service fill that need.
NOTE: Don't be sucked into the discount or reduced price mentality. If you try and compete with discounts the only winner will be the person with the largest advertising budget. Customers will pay for benefits if you show them those benefits.
2. It should position your business as a better choice than your competitors. You don't need to be negative about your competitor, but if the customer is unhappy and looking, your advertising should point out the differences.
a. it should also take sales away from your competitor and
b. re-enforce the message to existing customers that you are the best answer to their wants and expectations.For example, the Avis ads that say, "We're number 2, we try harder." , does two things. It positions them as the number 2 rental care agency (even though they were number 6 when they began this campaign). The ads give the impression that Hertz, the leader, doesn't have the time to give good service. It is also very difficult for the competition to copy.
The Nissan ad featured above did not do these two things. Customers dismissed it as entertainment not a serious ad.
Strategy TwoLouder, bigger and better is always more successful than soft sell...RIGHT?? Wrong. Pick up any newspaper or magazine and you'll see ad after ad bigger and louder than the next trying to draw your attention.
So, how do I compete against these kinds of ads? The answer is to look at the reader. What is the reader looking for? If I need tires I may look on every page of the paper looking for the tire ads. If I don't need tires I will simply ignore those ads no matter how loud they are.
Did you know that a person reading the newspaper devotes five times the attention to the articles as to the ads? Why not make your ad have the look and feel of the media presenting it?
Instead of using a traditional display ad why not try presenting your ad as an article. The newspaper will have to put the word "advertisement" above your article but most people won't pay that much attention. Use a good headline and present your case in story form. (See: Ads That Sell (It All Starts With The Headline)
Most of you are probably too young to remember early TV sitcoms. One of my favorites as a kid was "The Burns & Allen Show." starring the old vaudeville team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. The show was sponsored by Carnation Evaporated Milk. During the snow a neighbor, who was the show's announcer would come over and spend a minute or two talking about Carnation Evaporated Milk as part of the show. He would leave and the show would go on.
The point is that the product was shown to be a natural part of the life of these two people and as a result they sold a lot of evaporated milk.
Why it failsThis one is pretty simple. The more you try to be different by being loud or bigger the more you blend in with others doing the same thing. Use the media to your advantage and stand out in the areas the customers are more than five times more likely to see.
Strategy ThreeYou've worked hard building your company. Now you naturally want to tell customers how great your company is. Don't waste the print space. Customers could care less how big or great YOU think you are. All they are interested in is can your product or service fill their needs. Customers have become conditioned to turning off the hype of a company just like we do with politicians.
This is particularly damaging to a business in a small town because most people are familiar with your business from friends and relatives that have already shopped you. Hype rarely works in small towns.
A better way is to use your business position to let people know that you are knowledgeable about your industry. Your advertising might use something like:
- Stop by our office for your free copy of "13 things your should know before you buy your next house." We all want to know the inside information. We prefer to buy from experts in the field.
Why it failsThe main reason this one fails is because the customer comes to you for the wrong reasons. They look past the real benefits of your company and just see the hype or even worse they see you bragging about your own success. Nothing wrong with bragging a little as long as the real message of your advertising isn't lost.
The last word on making your advertising work.Never forget that first rule of advertising. It must be an investment not an expense. Don't let your ads blend by being the same as all others.
Rely less on graphics and hype and more on the wants and needs of the customers. And let customers know that you are the authority in your line or industry. Unfortunately there's no secret to advertising but there are ways to improve the performance of your ads.
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©2000 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
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email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
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