Launch Expectations

Just about every week except Holiday weeks, I send out a newsletter called Sound ADvice that is created by my friend Rick at ENS Media and recently he created an excellent piece that my subscribers read that starts out talking about the Space Shuttle.

In my childhood and early adult days, NASA had their own rockets and space craft that was used to send astronauts to outer space.  This was before Elon Musk and Jeff Bezo’s took over with private craft.  The Space Shuttle was used for 30 years starting in 1981 until their last flight in 2011.

Here’s more from my Sound ADvice newsletter along with application for businesses that are looking to launch an advertising campaign.  Next week, I’ve got some more of my insights and stories on this subject.

At liftoff, the Space Shuttle’s two solid rocket boosters consume 11,000 pounds of fuel per second and use approximately 85% of its total capacity just for the lift-off phase.

The initial effort to get anything to move is always greater than the effort required once motion has begun. Ever tried to push a car? At first, it seems almost impossible, but once it gets rolling its motion requires less effort on your part and becomes quite predictable.

Have you ever started an advertising schedule or campaign, and it felt like you weren’t getting any response or the response you thought you should be getting? Getting your advertising off the ground, like anything, takes time, but once it takes hold, it should continue to produce results going forward with relative ease.

There are several reasons why time is needed to get your advertising working for you.

One…The length of your product’s cycle. In the automotive market, for example, there is approximately only 2% of the population in the market for a car in any given month. No amount of advertising energy can make someone who just bought a car, buy another. For a roofing contractor, it’s even greater. We only get a few new roofs in our lifetime. Less than 1% of the population is in the market for a new roof each month.

Two…People are creatures of habit. Very often they’ll keep buying where they have always bought, until their current supplier lets them down or someone like you or another competitor invites them to do business with you or them.

In many cases, your advertising is simply positioning yourself to be the first supplier prospects think of when their current supplier lets them down… and they will let them down!

Three…Expecting instant gratification from your advertising can be unrealistic. Like the shuttle, it takes a lot of energy to get your marketing ball rolling.

There are other reasons like not enough frequency, your share of voice within your market, or a competitor who has established a strong Top-of-Mind Awareness within your category.

In his Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure, marketing guru Roy Williams states that failure cause number one is, “The desire for instant gratification”.

Whether you’ve been advertising for a long time or just considering starting, understanding how advertising works, what makes it work, and how long it takes to start working is very important in achieving long-term success. Patience is a virtue.

If you want to ensure the success of your advertising, click here to see all Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure to help you avoid these huge mistakes.