Discover 21 BusinessBuilding Rules to Power Up Your Ad Message!

2011-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Heart of Your Advertising: www.mrbusinessbuilder.com

Okay, let’s get to the heart of your advertising—content and image is crucial if you want your advertising message to drive transactions to your business! You’ve done the groundwork on your dream business; you know where you want to go and how much you can spend to get there. You’ve analyzed what you’ve done so far and what is and isn’t working for your business. You have your plans completed.

Over the next few months I will introduce you to 21 Rules for creating effective advertisements, the foundation to building your dream business. Let’s start with basic guidelines and considerations that apply to all forms of advertising—both on and off-line media programs. Then I’ll offer a brief analysis of several types of media advertising available to you (Digital and Print) along with a few tips for each specific type of advertising. Then, a few helpful hints and reminders about some often overlooked media methods. So, let’s start building!

Rule #1: Create Your Advertising With A Customer Frame of Mind

Think about it, you are a customer all the time. Yet it’s so easy to get caught up in trying to sell your product that you forget who you’re trying to sell to. Think about what prompts you to make a purchase, large or small, from a light bulb to a new car and everything in between. Consider the look of the product packaging on the grocery store shelves and decide why some are more appealing than others. Think about the businesses you patronize most and determine why. Is it because of location, atmosphere, prices, customer service, or some other factor?

How did you choose your plumber, your dentist, your babysitter? And just as important, what keeps you using the same products or services, or what made you choose to go elsewhere? Think about advertising that has the power to sway you to choose a certain business and analyze why. Think about advertising that drives you crazy and vow not to make the same mistakes.

Always take the time to put yourself on the other side of the cash register. As you think about what leads you to spend your money in one place and not another, you’re learning to lead your customers to spend their money with you.

Rule #2: Represent Yourself and Your Business Honestly

In their edition of The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner point out for people to follow someone willingly they must believe, at the outset, that the leader is honest. In the same way, I believe for your advertising to be influential, consumers must believe your message is honest.

Haven’t we all been “tricked” by advertising at some point? The ad works in that we respond to a certain business, only to get there and realize the promise was, indeed, too good to be true. It’s good to remember that advertising messages are promises—product or service assurances. Make sure not to over promise. Beware abusing sales and promotions. We all know a business or two that seems to always be having a sale. This can backfire as consumers expect prices are marked up so much ahead of time that the business runs a perpetual “sales”.

Be thoughtful about the consumers you already have and are counting on to repeat and refer new business to your company. It isn’t worth the potential gain if your current buyers feel cheated for not getting the same advertised deal. If anything, under promise in your advertisements. A customer will be far more impressed if they get something at a better price or with better service than your ad’s promised.

The Golden Rule absolutely applies here—how would you wish to be treated if you were the consumer? Today’s consumers are almost always wary, especially of prolonged ads promising price cuts. Focus on your value and what is special or unique about your business compared to your competitors. That will go a long way to communicate honesty, that you can be trusted to offer quality products or services at a fair price.

Rule #3: Publish Supporting Pictures Reinforcing Headline

Pictures used in print media can be a significant and successful ad design tactic. If, on the other hand, a picture is published without any thought it can be equally counterproductive. When you think about publishing a picture in an ad, ask the follow questions:

1. What do I want the photograph to accomplish {as an example, builds brand awareness; boost recognition of staff and management; or illustrate the benefit of your products and/or services}?

2. Is the photograph of a person? If so, are they camera-friendly {bear in mind that consumers will look at your picture and ask themselves, “Do I see myself working with him or her”}? If the answer is no, then in most circumstances, the consumer will continue shopping. Not good for you! And by the way, I’d suggest that you search out a professional photographer to take your photos. This is a safe investment. Why? I have seen business owners publish a digital photograph they took in their “back lot” and publish it in an $85,000 ad campaign. That is like buying an 85K Corvette sporting a Chevrolet 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine in order to save a few bucks. Doesn’t make sense!

3. Make sure that your photograph supports the “strong beginning” {headline} of your advertising message. So as an example, if you own an assisted living facility and publish a picture of a grandfather playing chess {with his grandson} while grandpas daughter looks on—a reinforcing headline could read: Enjoy Your Independence {vs.} publishing your business name at the top of your ad message!

Rule #4: Maintain Consistency in Your Ads, And Then Be Patient

Certainly, you’d like to place a few ads and suddenly have more customers than you'd dreamed of. The reality is that today's consumers will often weigh their choices carefully and even take quite a bit of time before making a purchase. It's important to make a distinction between getting customers in your door right now and maintaining a presence in the market. Both are important but each requires a different type of advertisement and needs to be created accordingly. Although the ads are different, the theme must remain the same. It's important for your ads to be consistent in their use of colors, logos, and mottos and for the general tone of the advertisements to be the same. After all, the point is for the customer to recognize and select your business over your competition. A potential customer might need to see or hear your ad a half-dozen times, or more, before they start to recognize your business. Or they may turn to on-line or print Yellow Pages looking to buy because of a current need that requires a solution now!

Maintaining a presence in the market means maintaining a presence in the media. Don't spend most of your budget running a large number of ads in the next two months and leaving yourself with little for the rest of the year. If you run your advertisements in a consistent manner over a long period of time, the customer will begin to relate that to a solid and lasting presence in the market. In turn, they can interpret that you'll be there after the sale as well.

Patience, as they say, goes a long way. Don't neglect the long-term presence of your business for short-term satisfaction. And be sure to advertise where your buyers are looking for you, or someone like you who can take care of their needs.

Rule #5: Coming Soon!

2010-04-30T17:59:00.001-07:00

Great information. I look forward to all the other rules!

Mr. BusinessBuilder: Winning Ways

Discover 21 BusinessBuilding Rules to Power Up Your Ad Message!