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Ithaca Public Relations
ADVERTISING THAT SELLS
| The Insider - Advertising That Sells |
It’s easy to spend a lot of time and money on advertising with little or no
return. That’s never a good thing, so this week The Insider will take a look
at a few key advertising principles and simple things you can do to make
your advertising start generating the results you want.
USE INCENTIVES AND DEADLINES
Incentives and deadlines give people a specific reason to come through
the door or pick up the phone. A gift or free premium… a 25% off sale
that lasts only three days… these are incentives and deadlines.
All too often, people advertise with a goal of “raising awareness”. The
problem is that raising awareness and bringing people through the door
are two different things. Unless you’re Coca Cola or McDonald’s, and
have their marketing and advertising budgets, skip the “raising
awareness” efforts, and focus on giving people a reason to patronize
your business or organization today.
Tell people they’re going to save 40%, get some sort of free premium or
gift, and they need to call, visit, or place their order by a certain date or
time, if they want it. The fear of the take-away is a big motivator for those
people who see or hear your ad, and were interested in your product or
service before they noticed it. This is true whether your selling business
to consumer or business to business.
ISSUE A SPECIFIC CALL TO ACTION
What do you want your customers or potential customers to do? Call or
stop by? Visit your website? Order online? Come to an event?
Tell them by issuing a specific call to action. While it may seem obvious
that a restaurant wants you to come in for dinner, or a plumber wants you
to call if the sink is backed up, the simple act of issuing a call to action still
goes a long way toward bringing business through the door.
DO SOME SIMPLE MARKET RESEARCH
Knowing who your customers or target customers are, their habits, likes
and dislikes, and which media they’re consuming/using, is critical to
getting a return on your advertising. Scientific data from a qualified
market research firm is your best bet, but simple, informal research on
your own part can also go a long way toward getting that return.
Very simply, ask your clients or customers which media outlets they pay
attention to. Which paper or magazines do they read? Do they listen to
country, rap, classic rock, or talk radio? Are they cable news junkies, or
did they give up on television years ago? Have they noticed any
billboards recently? Are they addicted to Facebook? You’ll be surprised
at how much they’re willing to tell you, and you’ll have a much better
insight into where you should put your advertising dollars.
You should also ask everyone who calls how they found out about your
business or organization. If your website is a large part of your business,
you may also want to post a short survey there, as well.
While you’re at it, ask friends and business contemporaries who fall into
one of your target customer demographic the same questions, even if
they aren‘t clients. You’ll gain additional, valuable information to make
your advertising more effective.
SELL THE SIZZLE, NOT THE STEAK
People buy based on emotion backed up with logic… particularly in
business to consumer settings. Emotion plays a smaller role in business
to business settings, but your advertising message still need to show your
audience how the features of your product or service will benefit them,
solve their problem, or make their life easier.
As an example: It’s not the rear-window defroster in the new car you’re
looking at.
It’s the safety and comfort the defroster provides on a cold, rainy night
when it’s pouring out, the windows are foggy, you’ve got the kids in the
car, and you really need to be able to see everything in front of you and
behind you, in order to make it home safely. You have the security and
comfort of knowing that you’ll be able to better see what’s going on
behind you because the car you’re interested in has a rear-window
defroster.
How do the features of your product or service benefit your clients, or
your potential ones? How do they solve a problem, make their lives
easier, or address a need or concern they have? You’ve also taken a
simple logical idea and given them an emotional investment in one of the
features of your product or service. You’ve shown them how it benefits
them.
(But, hurry, factory to dealer incentives end this weekend, and these are
the lowest prices of the year! Take advantage of this offer now, before it‘s
too late!)
THE BOTTOM LINE
Advertising can be very effective when the right message is put in front of
the right audience. It’s important to stay on top of it and consistently ask
people who contact your business or organization how they found out
about it. You should also be asking them which media they pay attention
to, whether it’s traditional such as radio or newspapers, or online, such as
Facebook. If you’re going to be advertising on a larger regional or
national level, consider investing in some quantitative market research.
Use incentives and deadlines to encourage people to contact you now,
not later, and be sure to issue a call to action, telling your audience what
specific action you’d like them to take.
Focus your message so it tells a story about how your product or service
benefits them, makes their lives easier, solves a problem, or helps them
achieve a goal or objective. Sell the sizzle, not the steak!
Posted on 7/21/10
return. That’s never a good thing, so this week The Insider will take a look
at a few key advertising principles and simple things you can do to make
your advertising start generating the results you want.
USE INCENTIVES AND DEADLINES
Incentives and deadlines give people a specific reason to come through
the door or pick up the phone. A gift or free premium… a 25% off sale
that lasts only three days… these are incentives and deadlines.
All too often, people advertise with a goal of “raising awareness”. The
problem is that raising awareness and bringing people through the door
are two different things. Unless you’re Coca Cola or McDonald’s, and
have their marketing and advertising budgets, skip the “raising
awareness” efforts, and focus on giving people a reason to patronize
your business or organization today.
Tell people they’re going to save 40%, get some sort of free premium or
gift, and they need to call, visit, or place their order by a certain date or
time, if they want it. The fear of the take-away is a big motivator for those
people who see or hear your ad, and were interested in your product or
service before they noticed it. This is true whether your selling business
to consumer or business to business.
ISSUE A SPECIFIC CALL TO ACTION
What do you want your customers or potential customers to do? Call or
stop by? Visit your website? Order online? Come to an event?
Tell them by issuing a specific call to action. While it may seem obvious
that a restaurant wants you to come in for dinner, or a plumber wants you
to call if the sink is backed up, the simple act of issuing a call to action still
goes a long way toward bringing business through the door.
DO SOME SIMPLE MARKET RESEARCH
Knowing who your customers or target customers are, their habits, likes
and dislikes, and which media they’re consuming/using, is critical to
getting a return on your advertising. Scientific data from a qualified
market research firm is your best bet, but simple, informal research on
your own part can also go a long way toward getting that return.
Very simply, ask your clients or customers which media outlets they pay
attention to. Which paper or magazines do they read? Do they listen to
country, rap, classic rock, or talk radio? Are they cable news junkies, or
did they give up on television years ago? Have they noticed any
billboards recently? Are they addicted to Facebook? You’ll be surprised
at how much they’re willing to tell you, and you’ll have a much better
insight into where you should put your advertising dollars.
You should also ask everyone who calls how they found out about your
business or organization. If your website is a large part of your business,
you may also want to post a short survey there, as well.
While you’re at it, ask friends and business contemporaries who fall into
one of your target customer demographic the same questions, even if
they aren‘t clients. You’ll gain additional, valuable information to make
your advertising more effective.
SELL THE SIZZLE, NOT THE STEAK
People buy based on emotion backed up with logic… particularly in
business to consumer settings. Emotion plays a smaller role in business
to business settings, but your advertising message still need to show your
audience how the features of your product or service will benefit them,
solve their problem, or make their life easier.
As an example: It’s not the rear-window defroster in the new car you’re
looking at.
It’s the safety and comfort the defroster provides on a cold, rainy night
when it’s pouring out, the windows are foggy, you’ve got the kids in the
car, and you really need to be able to see everything in front of you and
behind you, in order to make it home safely. You have the security and
comfort of knowing that you’ll be able to better see what’s going on
behind you because the car you’re interested in has a rear-window
defroster.
How do the features of your product or service benefit your clients, or
your potential ones? How do they solve a problem, make their lives
easier, or address a need or concern they have? You’ve also taken a
simple logical idea and given them an emotional investment in one of the
features of your product or service. You’ve shown them how it benefits
them.
(But, hurry, factory to dealer incentives end this weekend, and these are
the lowest prices of the year! Take advantage of this offer now, before it‘s
too late!)
THE BOTTOM LINE
Advertising can be very effective when the right message is put in front of
the right audience. It’s important to stay on top of it and consistently ask
people who contact your business or organization how they found out
about it. You should also be asking them which media they pay attention
to, whether it’s traditional such as radio or newspapers, or online, such as
Facebook. If you’re going to be advertising on a larger regional or
national level, consider investing in some quantitative market research.
Use incentives and deadlines to encourage people to contact you now,
not later, and be sure to issue a call to action, telling your audience what
specific action you’d like them to take.
Focus your message so it tells a story about how your product or service
benefits them, makes their lives easier, solves a problem, or helps them
achieve a goal or objective. Sell the sizzle, not the steak!
Posted on 7/21/10
| Ithaca Public Relations 159 Snyder Hill Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-280-3840 info@ithacapr.com |
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Postcards as a Marketing Tool
Advertisers Know This... You
Should, Too
Shattering P.R. Myths
Roadblocks to Press Coverage
The Tiger Woods Affair
Return to The Insider
Calling All Experts part one
Press Releases 101
Press Kits That Get Attention
The John Edwards Media Disaster
Snail Mail Marketing That Works
Learn More About the I.P.R.
Proactive Approach... About Us
Find Out More About Our Services
Managing Your Reputation...
Crisis Control
Return to The Insider
The Key to Getting Press Coverage
Calling All Experts part two
Calling All Experts part three
Postcards as a Marketing Tool
Advertisers Know This... You
Should, Too
Shattering P.R. Myths
Roadblocks to Press Coverage
The Tiger Woods Affair
Return to The Insider
Calling All Experts part one
Press Releases 101
Press Kits That Get Attention
The John Edwards Media Disaster
Snail Mail Marketing That Works
Learn More About the I.P.R.
Proactive Approach... About Us
Find Out More About Our Services
Managing Your Reputation...
Crisis Control
Return to The Insider
Ithaca, NY 607-280-3840 info@ithacapr.com
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