There seem to be a lot of myths surrounding advertising. The primary one being that if you are in business, you must advertise.
Advertising sales people are very good keeping these myths alive and would happily have you believe that you are doomed to fail if you don't take out a double paged spread with them.
The truth is this: most advertising does not work. How many small business adverts do you respond to directly as a percentage of all the many hundreds that you see every day? The internet is making life even harder for the 'traditional' media too so trends are important when making your decisions. Sure the circulation of a publication may be the same, but are more buyers going online?
Compared to pay-per-click advertising, the traditional media is also expensive up front, comes with no guarantees and can be more difficult to measure.
If you are going to advertise, however, try these:
1, Test & measure
This is rule number one for advertising, marketing, and probably even life. If it works, try to improve on it - a different headline is a favourite start. Does that win you a better response? If it doesn't work...
2, Stop it!
Don't think that your ads are building your brand or that your existing customers will be impressed. Other people couldn't care less. The number of excuses I've heard to keep on wasting thousands of pounds is incredible. Also if you're not sure about your advertising and are lost as to how to measure it, then stop it for a while. What difference does it make?
3, Play the deadline game
Magazines, papers and directories can only sell space up to a deadline just prior to print. The first thing you need to do is establish when that is. Always remember that the first date they give you is unlikely to be the real one! If you are half interested in giving the publication a go, start to negotiate a good discount and then procrastinate up to deadline day. Try your arm for a better price now. Remember that if they don't agree to your price then the publication will just take that amount less.
4, Don't commit to anything without cast iron results
Many entrepreneurs buy into the fact that they can get good discounts on advertising by committing to spend a certain amount of budget over a given period of time. Don't do it unless you you have real hard evidence that you will at least double your money. Read that last sentence again. You can't do this unless you've previously tested or measured.
5, Get a right-hand page
If you can, always advertise on a right hand page in a paper or magazine as it is the one that the reader's eye falls on first. If you're doing just half a page, go top right. This advice is as old as the hills and many publications are now putting nearly all of their adverts on the right hand page to please as many customers as possible. If you are told that they cannot promise to put you on the right, either pull your ad or negotiate a further discount.
6, Don't follow your competitors
Just because a competitor (or all your competition) is in a publication does not mean you should advertise there. This is the oldest advertising trick in the book. Many of your competitors will not be following these rules and will likely have been given the same peer-pressure story to join.
7, Use great headlines
The headline is the most important part of any ad. It needs to be concise but convey clearly what it is you are trying to say or do. Don't put your name in it; put the benefits to the customer in it, or the details of your offer. Getting this right can increase your response rates by 50% quite easily.
8, Keep your copy sweet
The copy should be short enough to not look daunting to read but convey your message, including guarantees, completely. Don't use too many adjectives (such as; very, amazing, excellent, revelutionary) as they don't work as well as you might believe. One or two is more than enough. Your copy must include a call to action - a reason to make them do something and should include your telephone number and/or your website address.
Advertising sales people are very good keeping these myths alive and would happily have you believe that you are doomed to fail if you don't take out a double paged spread with them.
The truth is this: most advertising does not work. How many small business adverts do you respond to directly as a percentage of all the many hundreds that you see every day? The internet is making life even harder for the 'traditional' media too so trends are important when making your decisions. Sure the circulation of a publication may be the same, but are more buyers going online?
Compared to pay-per-click advertising, the traditional media is also expensive up front, comes with no guarantees and can be more difficult to measure.
If you are going to advertise, however, try these:
1, Test & measure
This is rule number one for advertising, marketing, and probably even life. If it works, try to improve on it - a different headline is a favourite start. Does that win you a better response? If it doesn't work...
2, Stop it!
Don't think that your ads are building your brand or that your existing customers will be impressed. Other people couldn't care less. The number of excuses I've heard to keep on wasting thousands of pounds is incredible. Also if you're not sure about your advertising and are lost as to how to measure it, then stop it for a while. What difference does it make?
3, Play the deadline game
Magazines, papers and directories can only sell space up to a deadline just prior to print. The first thing you need to do is establish when that is. Always remember that the first date they give you is unlikely to be the real one! If you are half interested in giving the publication a go, start to negotiate a good discount and then procrastinate up to deadline day. Try your arm for a better price now. Remember that if they don't agree to your price then the publication will just take that amount less.
4, Don't commit to anything without cast iron results
Many entrepreneurs buy into the fact that they can get good discounts on advertising by committing to spend a certain amount of budget over a given period of time. Don't do it unless you you have real hard evidence that you will at least double your money. Read that last sentence again. You can't do this unless you've previously tested or measured.
5, Get a right-hand page
If you can, always advertise on a right hand page in a paper or magazine as it is the one that the reader's eye falls on first. If you're doing just half a page, go top right. This advice is as old as the hills and many publications are now putting nearly all of their adverts on the right hand page to please as many customers as possible. If you are told that they cannot promise to put you on the right, either pull your ad or negotiate a further discount.
6, Don't follow your competitors
Just because a competitor (or all your competition) is in a publication does not mean you should advertise there. This is the oldest advertising trick in the book. Many of your competitors will not be following these rules and will likely have been given the same peer-pressure story to join.
7, Use great headlines
The headline is the most important part of any ad. It needs to be concise but convey clearly what it is you are trying to say or do. Don't put your name in it; put the benefits to the customer in it, or the details of your offer. Getting this right can increase your response rates by 50% quite easily.
8, Keep your copy sweet
The copy should be short enough to not look daunting to read but convey your message, including guarantees, completely. Don't use too many adjectives (such as; very, amazing, excellent, revelutionary) as they don't work as well as you might believe. One or two is more than enough. Your copy must include a call to action - a reason to make them do something and should include your telephone number and/or your website address.
Links To Further Information On This Subject:
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* Pay Per Click
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Get More From Jon
Selling
First Impressions
Contractual Sales
Closing
Influence
Top Tips
Objections
Marketing
The Amazing Difference
The Traps
The Power of Attraction
Advertising
Testing & Measuring
The Internet
Pay Per Click
Direct Mail
Public Relations (PR)
Telemarketing
Customer Service
Word of Mouth
Mindset
Who Are You?
What Do You Do?
Invest In Yourself
Wealth & Success
Your Friends & Family
Serendipity
NLP
Hints and Tips
Simplicity
The Key to Success
Potholes
Business Success Group
Further Resources
Contact Us
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