6 Keys To Successful Advertising

6 Keys To Successful Advertising

by | Jul 15, 2024 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

6 Keys to Successful Advertising:

Most businesses don’t really understand how advertising works. Even the ones that are advertising successfully are not understanding the why behind their advertising success and so they just happen to be doing enough of the right things to counter the wrong things that they shouldn’t be doing.

First off, we have to understand the purpose of advertising and that’s summed up easily:

Advertising is paid invitations to invite people to spend money with your business.

Some business people say that Word of Mouth is their best form of advertising, which is sort of correct except you don’t pay for that.  Word of Mouth is the organic messaging that happens when your business has a good reputation and one person tells another about your business.

The problem with Word Of Mouth is that it is slow and most businesses can’t survive let alone grow if they only rely on this organic word of mouth messaging to bring in enough customers to sustain a  business.

That’s where paid advertising plays a part in amplifying your messaging of inviting people to become your customers.

In todays terminology it’s the difference between a regular social media post and a boosted social media post.

One more important bit of information to share before I dive into the 6 Keys of Successful Advertising is Expectations.

If you expect that when someone sees or hears your ad, that alone will make them buy your stuff at that moment, your expectations are wrong.  Only a very few companies are successful with what is know as direct response advertising

The True Direct Response Advertising I’m referring to is usually set up as a profit sharing arrangement between the business and advertising medium.  Instead of paying for the ad, the business and the advertising medium agree that a set dollar amount or set percentage of sales attributed to a specific ad is what the advertising medium receives.

I’ve worked with one company where we get 50% of the sales as our advertising fee instead of a set price per commercial.  This is a national company that I work with and they already have a brand name recognition so the people who respond to the ads we air for them are in the final stages of the consumer journey to buy this product and if they use the special promo code exclusive to us, we get credit for the sale and are paid accordingly.

99% of advertising works to create Brand Awareness.  Even though the ads mention prices and sales and stuff that are trying to get us to buy now, all they are really doing is reminding us as consumers of their brand.

Why do I say this?

Because advertising is only one side of the equation.

It’s the invitation to you and me to spend money.

You and I have to have a reason in our lives to spend the money and it has very little to do with the specific ads we see and hear.

If I just stuffed myself with a delicious meal and I see an ad for another one of my favorite foods, but I’m not only not hungry but I’m stuffed, there is no way I’m going to make myself sick by eating more no matter how much I normally would enjoy that other food.

Same goes with nearly anything we do. 

We are not going to respond unless we have a need or desire.

However, the more we are exposed to something, our brains retain that information and it builds up to create a brand preference.  Then, sometime in the future if we need or want something that we’ve already been exposed to because of advertising, we will often have one or two places that come to mind to spend our money with.  That’s Top Of Mind Awareness and when organic Word Of Mouth referrals for your business come about, it’s because your business is Top Of Mind.

Now with all of this as a foundation, here are the 6 Keys to Successful Advertising:

  1. Define your customer. Not everyone is going to be your customer. What are the characteristics of the people you want as customers and that you can successfully serve with your business.
  2. Define your brand. Too many businesses are not unique in the way they present themselves.  Family owned with 56 years of combined experience is pretty generic and doesn’t really mean that much.  I have a client that has been using the branding statement, On Time, Done Right, Or It’s Free for years and while they are a family owned multi-generational company with years of experience, it’s their branding statement that defines them.
  3. Invite your desired customers to get to know your brand over and over again, consistently over time. Pick an advertising medium that allows you to make that connection and be patient.  Know the buying cycle of your business.  We eat every day.  We may buy a roof once or twice in our lives.  Make sure your invitation to me is there so when I’m ready to start the buying process, you will stay Top Of Mind with Me.
  4. Your Message has to be focused on your Customer, not just you. It’s the What’s In It For Me as a consumer principle.
  5. Plan for a long-term investment in your advertising. If you expect instant results, you’re being foolish, or just fooling yourself.  When I was 42 years old, I had central air installed in a house I just bought and the two companies I called are ones that I remembered from 25 years ago.  I never was in need of an HVAC company but when a triggering moment came in my life, I got quotes from the two companies that were Top Of Mind from my youth.  One of those companies got nearly $20,000 of my money.
  6. Remember it is impossible to be 100% accurate when you attempt to track your advertising investments. Even if you ask me as a new customer why I am spending money with your company, I won’t remember all of the ads I’ve seen or heard.  And Google is not the right answer, that’s just how I found you online to get your number.

And here’s a bonus key to success…

Most any form of advertising can help if you do it right and have realistic expectations.  However, the ad is only the invite.  It’s up to you and your business to close the sale, not the ad.

The Message vs The Media

The Message vs The Media

by | Jul 8, 2024 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

This weeks article is from a recent Sound ADvice newsletter that my subscribers received this summer.  If you would like a free weekly subscription, email Scott@WOWO.com.

In the never-ending maze of online media, on-air media, outdoor media, direct mail, and print media, business owners often ask, “Which media works best?” or, “Which media platform will give me the highest return on my investment?”

If you ask an honest and knowledgeable media person, they will tell you that the media isn’t necessarily the most important criterion when it comes to effective marketing. The truth is, there is no media that will not produce results; there are only messages that do not produce results.

The next time you hear about a hugely successful ad campaign, look at the message. I can guarantee you it was profound and something other than the norm.  Seldom will it be the media, but rather the message, that created the results. Of course, the media must be scheduled appropriately, with the right combination of reach and frequency, but it is the relevance of the message that will make consumers respond to a campaign… on any media.

Former Katz Marketing Solutions President and one of America’s smartest marketing minds, the late Bob McCurdy said, “No medium is any more captivating or engaging than any other, as the effectiveness of any medium is largely determined by the quality of its commercial content. If the creative is weak and ineffective, the medium will be thought of as weak and ineffective”.

It’s understood that generating great creative is an art form but there’s some science behind it as well. McCurdy created 14 key creative insights derived from five years of Ipsos Research, spanning dozens of radio commercials and thousands of respondents.

 

Click here to receive McCurdy’s 14 Key Creative Insights to ensure that your marketing message achieves the results you desire.
 
I also have tips and insights and the pros and cons of different media options and ad placement etc. that I’ll be glad to talk with you privately about, just reach out.
Should You Do A Holiday Sale?

Should You Do A Holiday Sale?

by | Jul 1, 2024 | Marketing and Advertising Insights

A funny thing about retailers having sales… it might be counterproductive.

The week I am publishing this article and podcast is the 1st week of July 2024 although I’m actually writing this on June 20th.

Today when I checked the mail I saw a piece of junk mail from a local mattress place advertising their July 4th Sales Event.

Most people rarely give their mail more than a cursory glance, like my wife. However since I’m in the advertising and marketing business, I actually read many of these junk mail pieces to see what people are doing to try and get customers.

Why do many businesses like this one run a Holiday Sale?

Simple answer is because they think the extra incentive will create more sales than they would normally get around the Holiday. And because these sales are a discount offer, they are assuming that the reason we haven’t already bought is because the price is too high and this sale will fix that.

Or perhaps they haven’t given it that much thought and they are spending money to advertise a Holiday sale because that’s what they’ve always done.  Or that’s what their competition does so it must be the right thing to do.

In retail, there are a couple of options for nearly all of us.  We can buy online or we can buy from a brick and mortar store. Even that line has blurred because I can buy online to pick up or have delivered from a local store many things these days.

I decided to investigate the offers from this mattress place and found something pretty common.  It’s impossible to do a direct comparison online. Even searching for the brand name and the product description on Amazon where this company also sells mattresses, I could not find a match.  In this case the junk mail piece gave prices and descriptions but left out a very important key element… they left out the size of the mattress they were selling at these discounted prices.  I spent way more time than most people would trying to figure out if this July 4th Sales Event was a good deal or not based on the prices on the junk mail piece.

There is one line that is honest and that should have been the main emphasis, not all these price examples that leave out important details.

That one line is: 20% off every mattress purchase.

The rest is advertising gibberish to put it politely and BS to be more blunt.

I still haven’t answered the question about Holiday sales, I know.

Hang with me for a few more seconds.

Just the concept of having a sale means you are going to reduce your profit margin.  Why would you do that if you didn’t have to?  Do you as a business owner like giving away money just to bribe a customer to spend money with you?

Bottom line as to why customers buy from one store versus another is trust first, value second and the actual price is way down the list for most people.

I wish I could tell all the businesses I work with to stop with the advertised sales.

In most cases.

If you need to clear out inventory, go ahead and mark the price.  That’s a legitimate reason for having a sale.  Grocery stores do it all the time with perishable meats, fruits, veggies and baked goods that they can either sell for a discount or it will end up in the dumpster as spoiled waste.

And now the answer to: Should You Do A Holiday Sale?

Only if it makes sense from the consumer’s viewpoint.  Not because you want to bribe us and lose profits.

Gift seasons like Christmas, Valentines Day, Mother and Fathers Day, Graduations, all of those are legitimate times to run a sale, but only on appropriate items. The day after a holiday is also a good time to run a sale on Christmas or Valentines themed stuff that otherwise has to be stored for 12 months.

Here’s a good rule to follow: Most holidays should not be sales events.  July 4th, Memorial Day, Veterans Day are all non-shopping holidays unless you are selling items directly related to that holiday like fireworks.

There is no season for mattresses, but you could get creative and do a February Valentines Mattress event.  Wink Wink Nod Nod.

 

Breaking the Ties

Breaking the Ties

by | Jun 24, 2024 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

In the world of selling products and services, when all things are equal, the decision we use to determine who we purchase from is based on… perception!  And that perception is, who’s better, who’s more trustworthy, and who’s more reliable!

In most cases, many businesses offer the same products or services that you offer. In these cases, standing for “something” and being “different” is what is needed to break the tie.

At this very moment, people have a need or a want to buy the products or services you sell. Their next decision is the all-important one. Where will they choose to buy, and why?

First, let’s be honest.  Price is all that matters for a certain percentage of people, and you may or may not even be in the conversation.  But when price isn’t the only criterion, that’s when you have a shot.  Will it come down to a relationship, an emotional connection created from strong advertising, or a past experience, good or bad?

The key is getting people to know you and your business and know about your business BEFORE they need the products or services you sell.

Developing your tiebreaker, a consistent business strategy you can use to differentiate your business in your advertising and marketing can be challenging but well worth the effort. 

Once you’ve clearly established your competitive difference (strategy), your challenge is to develop a unique and memorable way to consistently highlight that competitive tiebreaker.

Remember, when all things are equal, the “buy” goes to… whoever has something perceived as BETTER or DIFFERENT!

It’s imperative that you have a clear and compelling reason for consumers to choose you over your competitors. 

If you want help creating your unique difference, click here to receive our Ten Tiebreaking Strategies as thought-starters for this important exercise. If you would like additional help, email Scott@WOWO.com and I’ll  help you conduct a creative brainstorming session.

Your Attention Please

Your Attention Please

by | Jun 17, 2024 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

“Hear-Yee, Hear-Yee!”  “Can I have your attention please?”  “Ahem – Attention please!”

There are a lot of ways to capture someone, or a group’s attention, including words, sounds, and gestures.

In advertising, capturing one’s attention is the first step in effective advertising. If you fail at capturing their attention upfront, all is wasted. The first step is the most critical.

Since the beginning of time, it’s been known that you only have one opportunity to make a good first impression. The debate is …. how long do you have to make that impression?

Studies vary, but if you are applying for a job, a story in Psychological Science suggests it’s as little as 1/10 of a second.  Other studies indicate that you have up to 7 seconds.  Regardless of whose opinion you trust, the answer is still …not very long!

Your advertising message faces the same challenge. What your ads say and how they are delivered in the first few seconds dictates whether you grab the attention of your potential prospects and whether they will tune in or tune out to your message.

Reporters and authors have long known that the headline and the first sentence are what dictate whether the reader tunes in and continues with the rest of the story or tunes out. In an effort to develop the all-important “creative hook” at the top of your ads on websites, many headlines end up with more “creative” than “hook”. 

Regardless of what advertising medium you use, paying special attention to the headline or first words of an ad, and getting them right, will pay huge dividends when it comes to response to that ad.

Here’s a bonus tip. Often, you will find that the best line of an ad or letter, or the best words/sentence, is in the middle.  When you find it, move it to the first line, or use it as the headline.

To create more powerful headlines, click here to see the Eight Power Openings you can use to help capture more attention to your advertising.