Five Characteristics of Highly Flawed Small Business Advertising
Behind every disappointing small business advertisement there is at least one reason for its failure. The good news is that any flaw with your advertising can be corrected, if you are willing to try new ideas.
Unless you are in the advertising business, chances are your strongest skills are not in advertising. If you are like many small business people, your small business advertisements are likely guilty of at least one of several common flaws.
Identifying what is wrong with your advertising is the first step toward making corrections that will result in greater response, increased revenue and stronger profits.
Following are descriptions of five common characteristics of highly flawed small business advertising. There are more, but correcting these will make for a great start.
Unfocused Market
Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking a bigger market is a better market when choosing where to run their ads. The result is they spend their advertising dollars to reach a larger but less focused market.
Are the places you choose to run your ad laser-focused on your market?
When your ads are focused squarely on your market you increase the likelihood that the readers who see your ad will actually have a need for your service. The more effectively you place your advertising in front of an ‘already interested’ market the more likely they will be predisposed to noticing and reacting to your ad, which is what you want.
For example, imagine your company specializes in helping law firms reduce the cost of prosecuting long, ongoing cases. If you choose to run a series of full page ads in the New York Times instead of the New York Law Journal you will likely be disappointed by the response to your campaign; despite reaching the considerably larger audience of the New York Times you would be missing the focused attention of the legal minded readership of the New York Law Journal.
How can you tell whether or not you can focus your advertising on a more receptive market?
Lack of Distinction
The next most common problem with small business advertising is that advertisements for companies in the same industry often fail to distinguish themselves from their competition.
How can you expect to win the lion’s share of your market if your advertisements pretty much look the same and contain the same elements as those of your competition?
Furthermore, distinguishing your company from your competitors is often made more difficult because, within a given advertising vehicle, advertisements for companies in similar industries appear virtually on top of each other. This scenario is particularly true for yellow pages listings and pay-per-click advertising. In order to succeed with your advertising your ads need to stand out and above those of your competition.
For example, if you are the owner of a pet supply company and your ads simply say, “We Sell Pet Supplies” they will be passed over along with every other bland advertisement for Fido’s food.
On the other hand, your ads will stand out and attract much more attention to your shop if you state that you sell, “King Sized Bones and Bowls for the Royalty in Your Family.” By focusing your ads on the owners of large breed dogs you distinguish yourself from the crowd of pet shops that simply sell pet supplies and make it clear to the owners of large dogs that you sell what they need.
Be sure the copy of your ads has the effect of making what you offer unique. Your highly targeted prospects will reward you by noticing the difference in your ads and buying from you.
Do your ads distinguish your business clearly above your competition?
Failure to Demonstrate Value
Another property of flawed advertising is that it fails to demonstrate the value of any products or services provided. By failing to demonstrate value in your advertisements you give your prospects only a foggy idea of the benefits you provide and no clear reason to buy from you. Demonstrating value will also help you set yourself apart from you competitors.
How can you change your ads to demonstrate the value you provide?
Too Much Focus on Products and Services
Consumers buy products and services because they fill a need or solve a problem. If your ad copy focuses too much on your company and the products and services you provide you miss your opportunity to demonstrate to your prospects that you provide the solution they need.
For example, imagine you are recovering from knee surgery and need to work with a physical therapist to regain your full range of motion. Would you be more likely to choose a therapist who advertises his new and modern equipment or the one who advertises that she will have your knee working and feeling like new again in just three weeks?
What should you focus your advertising on instead of your products and services?
Lack of a Clear Call to Action
A fifth characteristic of a highly flawed advertising is a lack of a clear call to action. An ad without a clear call to action is like calling 911 and not telling the operator where you are. Why bother calling?
Don’t assume that your prospects know what they should do once they’ve read your ad. You need to tell them to be sure they know.
If you’ve gotten their attention, demonstrated your value and shown them that you are the solution to their problem, don’t waste your good work by neglecting to instruct them to take the next step and contact you.
Move Your Marketing Forward™
Stop wasting money on ineffective advertising. If you are disappointed with the business your advertising generates why not take action to correct your dysfunctional ads?
By: Jeremy Cohen
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Establishing a Business Image Through Advertising
1. It is always a good thing mentioning the deadline of your offer. It is common knowledge that people literally hate to know that they are missing out on something. Therefore mentioning a deadline will make them more/ less compelled to act. E.g. ‘Hurry- competition closes next Saturday! Call/Visit/Email today to reserve your place. Make sure that the customer knows how to contact you and try to make it a few different ways.
2. ‘Hurry- competition closes next Friday! Call/Visit/Email today to ensure you don’t miss out!” Ensure that you tell the customer how to contact you and try to make it a few different ways.
3. Submit your advert. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Think from their angle. For instance; what publications do they read? What websites do they visit? Try to diversify your advertising modes over a few mediums. This means that you should have both online and offline methods and will ensure that your ‘eggs are not in one basket.
4. Test your advertising and measure your responses. Before committing yourself to a large advertising budget test a few different methods to see if they work. E.g. before sending 5000 inserts into a magazine, ask them if you can send around 300 to test. If you don’t get any responses you have saved yourself a lot of money!
5. Final word. It is important to understand that advertising and marketing is an ongoing process. It isn’t just something to do a few times per year. It is advisable that at least 50% of your time be spent on advertising and marketing. After all if people don’t know about your business- how can they buy from you? It is said that people need to see your advert or brand at least 5 times before they will act upon it? So consistency is very important. Always have a monthly advertising budget. Be prepared to adjust and adapt to changing trends and marketing conditions. Keep building your momentum and keep a constant watch on it. Never Set and Forget.
By: Susan Hutson
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Advertising Effectiveness Trends, a Small Survey
In the day to day running of my business, I am discussing marketing strategies with business owners and marketing managers on a daily basis. If you can earn their trust, then they will be very candid with you, especially if you can help them without trying to sell them something.
What resulted from this were some startling admissions that I did not expect. This had me thinking, it can cost an awful lot, especially for the small to medium business owner, to spend money on good market research. So I wondered what the results would look like after a few months if I were to record the marketing success and failure stories after each visit.
I broke this down into respective industries to give more meaning to the results, and also, if available, lend the reasons to these successes and failures. Now I have decided that three month periods will do for data collection as years of research in marketing becomes outdated by the time it is published in the forever increasing and changing monster that is the modern market place. Always ensure research is current and relevant.
Although some of you may want to see raw data, a summary of my finding is all I am going to share in this article sorry! Please take into account that the sample number is in the hundreds, but certainly not in the thousands. The value of this research comes from the honesty of small to medium sized business owners, and the fact they have usually spent the time to talk about these things in detail.
Here are some general trends that I have found;
• Newspaper and radio advertising return on investment continues to decline rapidly.
• The second most effective form of advertising was word of mouth referrals.
• The most effective form tended to be anything unique, e.g. logo and advertisement placement in unexpected places.
• Advertising on product giveaways tends to have a life span of one week, i.e. a company logo on a free pen typically brings in no new revenue one week after it has been given away.
• Advertising discounts were not as effective at getting people through the door as advertising something new.
• Customer loyalty increased with free giveaways, but not so much with advertised discounts.
• Most business owners were dissatisfied with the follow up frequency of advertising sales reps, i.e. after an initial advertising campaign, contact is not made until after an unacceptable length of time.
To bring relevance to these results, one must take into account that this is a small city (about 122,000) and has a large rural support base in outlying areas. These trends show that a need to provide innovative and well maintained advertising service is apparent in this city. Perhaps this is the same elsewhere.
There were some other interesting facts, but these seven findings had the most valid results statistically. If in the future, some other trends become overwhelmingly evident, then I will revise this article.
By: Nolan O’Sullivan
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Pizza Menus and Seasonal Advertising Campaigns
Did you know that your pizza menus should change every few months in order to maximize your sales? That’s right – those hard working pizza menus that you send out with every order need to be maintained and updated just like any other advertising campaign.
Pizza Menus Are Just Like Any Other Advertisement
Have you ever received ads for weight loss programs during the summer? Do you receive ads for flat screen televisions during football season? Did you ever notice that those $5 pizza places tend to advertise more when the economy is slow? You probably answered yes to all of those questions.
It pays to be smart in advertising. The early spring months present an opportunity for you to promote healthy menu items as people become weight-conscious. Help your customers achieve their beach figures by including healthy takeout menu options such as salads. During the summer months you might to offer package deals for families and friends. The summer is also a perfect time to hire out-of-school teenagers to distribute your menus and flyers. During the winter months, you may have better results with loaded pizzas and wings (think football season) as hungry sports fans satisfy their appetites.
By adjusting your menu to reflect seasonal holidays, current events, and national pastimes you can increase sales and grow your business. It’s simple to do and can lead to major profit increases. Take a look at the following calendar to plan your 2008 pizza menus.
2008 Calendar of Holidays/Events:
January 1 – New Year’s Day
February 3 – NFL Super Bowl
February 14 – Valentine’s Day
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Days
March 24 – Easter Sunday
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican Holiday often observed in U.S.)
July 4 – Independence Day
September 1 – Labor Day
October 31 – Halloween
November 4 – Election Day
November 11 – Veterans Day
November 27 – Thanksgiving
November 28 – Black Friday
December 25 – Christmas
More Advertising Opportunities:
Little League baseball season – offer free slices for home runs, stolen bases, etc
Beach/Bikini Season – promote healthy menu items and weight loss
Graduation Day – offer discounts for new graduates
Mother’s Day – work with a local florist to offer a free flower with every pizza
Father’s Day – create a special for hungry fathers that includes pizza, wings and drinks
Local Festivals & Fairs – be a part of local community activities
Getting the Most Out of Your Pizza Menus:
Your pizza menus should follow time-tested and proven design layouts that present your menu items and pricing in the most effective way possible. Here are 5 design and printing tips to get started:
Always print in full-color on glossy paper – you must look good to the customer! Only use high quality images of your pizza and menu items Hire a graphic design service if you do not have graphic design experience Gather menus from other pizza shops – note what you like and dislike about them Choose a menu printer that specializes in pizza menus and will send you free print samples
Remember: Your menu has to sell for you when you are not there!
By: Chris Barr
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Advertising Your Events on the Web
Advertising your events on the web can be a confusing proposition. Having your own website is great, but driving traffic to your site can be difficult. Dealing with search engines and confusing technology can be time consuming and expensive. Many websites offer event listing services, so how do you find the website that is best for you?
First and most important, determine the target audience for your event. Are you looking to advertise for people to come visit your event or are you looking for vendors for your event? For example, you are promoting a craft fair and you are looking for crafters to rent booth space and sell their wares at your fair. Then you need to find a website that caters to artisans and crafters. If you are looking for people to visit your fair and purchase from your vendors then you need a website that is appealing and caters to potential visitors.
Understanding this early is key to finding a website on which to list your event. Some websites offer services so that you can advertise for potential vendors, but these sites are typically not designed to help you advertise to visitors. If you want people to visit your event look carefully at how the website lists their events. Are the listings cluttered and difficult to read? Are multiple event types contained in the same listings, making it difficult for visitors to find your event? Is your event going to stand out or be lost among pages of unrelated events? Does the website make it easy to search for events and view individual events?
The best event listing sites will provide individual websites that are focused on each event type. This is important as you can choose how to manage your event listings. For example, you are promoting your community’s annual Squash Festival and you have local bands, an arts and crafts fair and food made from squash. With an event listing service that provides a single site for events, your event is listed just once. For an event listing service that provides multiple focused websites, you can create a listing for music, crafts and food. Each listing appears on it’s own website which is focused toward music festivals, craft fairs and food festivals.
The second item to look for is what information you are allowed to include in your listing. Foremost you should be able to enter one or two paragraphs describing your event. A one or two line description is not going to go far in attracting anyone to your event. If you are listing your event to attract vendors, are you able to provide the information that you think a vendor would require? Is the form to add an event cluttered and complicated? If you are listing your event to attract visitors, are you able to provide the basic information a visitor would need to find your event? Are you allowed to provide an email address and website if visitors want more information?
Regardless of whether you are looking for vendors or visitors, look carefully at how your event information will be displayed. Is your information displayed in an appealing manner and easy to read? Many listing websites will display a page of events with a shortened description based on the results of a visitor’s search. Make sure that visitors can click on the shortened version of your event and expand it into a full page display. Does your listing include a map or other features that a potential visitor would find useful? Is an email form provided if a visitor wishes to contact you?
Many websites are available which will list your events. Be wary of listing services that charge a membership fee to post events. Investigate what you are receiving for your membership beyond just the ability to post events. There are also sites that require you purchase a membership or charge a fee to post a listing and who then turn around and charge visitors to view your event! The best event listing websites will provide a free promoter membership and provides free access to the listing for potential visitors.
The last item to consider is your ability to manage your event. Once you have posted your event, make sure you are able to return and edit your event information. Are there additional features you can apply to your event, such as top-of-page for search results, colored borders and backgrounds and images? Most sites will charge a nominal fee for these extras. Also, check to see if the website provides information about the number of times your events was displayed. The better event listing services will provide additional details such as the number of times your event was expanded, the number of times a visitor clicked on the web link you provided and the number of times a visitor used any of the special features.
By: Bill Hooper
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