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RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
Are You Advertising or Just Gambling?
Strategies to Take the Risk Out of Marketing
There are many different avenues to advertising. The bottom
line is whichever way you do it, if you are not doing it effectively - from
concept to finish - you are taking a gamble.
Even successful gamblers have a system. The following are two areas and
strategies that need to be addressed to create an effective system for your
business. This will take some of the risk out of your advertising
investments.
The Ultimate Golden Strategy - The most important ingredient
to all types of advertising campaigns is consistency. So many businesses
neglect to see the importance of this strategy, and that is why they waste
their investments - both financially and in their efforts toward an
effective campaign.
On again, off again advertising is the most damaging marketing approach out
there. Not only are you perceived by the public as a “fly-by-night
business”, you are also losing both your existing and potential clients to
your more aggressively marketed competition. We as humans generally retain
30 percent of what we see and hear per day. If you advertise just once, what
percentage of the public do you think retains your message in their precious
30 percent?
We advertise for three main reasons: to generate, to build upon, and to
maintain business. The meaning of “maintain” is: “to make something
continue: to keep something in working order: to ensure that something
continues to work properly.” If you continually neglect to put oil in your
vehicle the end result will be: (a) no vehicle, or (b) a huge lump sum to
get it running again. If you neglect to continually maintain a presence
within your marketplace the end result will be: (a) no clients, or (b) a
huge lump sum to get your presence known again. Wouldn’t you prefer to
invest monthly into your business in order to keep it running?
Understanding Your Approach - Advertising is often categorized
into two types or directions - awareness and incentive. Both are crucial to
your marketing directives. Each type of ad direction serves its own unique
purpose with the same end result: generating, building and maintaining
business.
Awareness advertising is advertising to build and maintain
awareness within your marketplace. It is a vehicle to remind the public that
you are in business and it must be maintained on a consistent basis. It is
the backbone to creating and maintaining “brand awareness”. Your “brand” is
the image, or unique identity that the public relates to as ultimately “what
your business is all about”. This is created by not only the consistency of
your hard copy image, such as logo usage or “tag-line” messages, but it also
strongly includes the association of the feelings your total business
atmosphere instills in the minds of your customers and prospects.
When developing your awareness advertising campaign, your message should
include, in order of importance:
1) What is in it for the reader? For example: affordable,
competitive rates, etc. This is one of the most common mistakes made in
print advertising. Your advertisement is not about you or how creative your
logo is. It is about what your audience will receive if they choose you.
This “message” should be the most prominent within the ad space.
2) What do you have to offer, or what sets you apart from the
competition? Often displayed in a “tag-line”, this element reveals
the individuality of your business. It is a vital element in your “brand”
image. It can be as simple as a product announcement, such as CERAMIC STUDIO
- GIFT GALLERY, or a statement, such as, “We cater to professional ceramic
artists and discerning collectors.”
3) Who you are? This includes the obvious contact information,
such as company name, address, phone number, email, etc. However, the visual
aspect of your print advertising plays a vital role in establishing a
successful “brand”. For the most impact, keep the general layout of your
advertisements consistent. For example, same logo, same border, same type of
graphic. The idea here is to establish the same look and feel so that the
public will recognize your business “at a glance”. Telus Mobility, formerly
ClearNet, offers a perfect example. Their ad campaigns - from their
brochures to print advertising - sport the same look: solid white
background, singular chartreuse green image (leaf, frog) and same type
style.
Incentive advertising is advertising to cause or encourage a
response within your marketplace. It is also an effective approach - when
combined with awareness advertising - to building a loyal customer base.
Unfortunately, many businesses view this type of advertising as the key to
generating business, thus they make desperate marketing attempts by
sporadically placing incentive ads , only to wonder why their response
didn’t cover their investment. Offering 20 percent off an unknown product
from an unknown business does not hold much weight to a discerning consumer.
Properly used, incentive advertising is a vehicle to compliment your
existing awareness campaign. Adding an incentive campaign to your awareness
campaign from time to time will not only drive your existing clients back to
you, it will encourage potential new clients who are aware of you to take a
second look. Sales still draw attention!
In review, advertising is a vital element to the success of all businesses.
Advertising effectively is the key to ensuring that your investment is a
sound decision. Quit gambling; create a system based on understanding the
tricks to advertising effectively.
Illiki Rai, owner & publisher of Rising Women Magazine, welcomes your
marketing questions. She may be reached at 403.228.7874 or email her at
media@risingwomen.com
www.risingwomen.com
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