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Advertising Checklist
After being online, in the advertising industry for 5 years
now, I have seen and worked with thousands of webmasters. I
noticed a trend that seems to still be going strong today:
The trend of not really knowing how to appropriately market
a website. A good marketing campaign requires more than a
toss of an ad in the direction of a marketer, then expecting
a huge return.
In fact, if you do that, you will receive anything BUT a good
return. In the advertising industry, you get what you put
into it. If you put nothing into the creation of your marketing
campaign, then that is exactly what you get out of it. Those
who get a poor response, are too quick to blame it solely
on the advertiser when it is the webmaster's responsibility
to create ads that are appealing and to deliver a good sales
message.
I'm often asked by clients:
While every offer varies and calls for different action
plans, the main points always remain the same:
1. Don't cram too much text into your advertising space. Too much writing is a turn off for readers. Keep your paragraphs
short and to the point. No more then 2-3 sentences per paragraph.
2. Communicate a simple, single message. People have
trouble remembering someone's name, let alone a complicated
ad message. Use the "KISS" principle for ad messages: "Keep
It Simple, Simon." For print ads, the simpler the headline,
the better. And every other ad element should support the
headline message, whether that message is "price," "
selection," "quality," or any other single-minded concept.
3. Be sure to keep your ad exciting. You can accomplish
this by typing certain key words in all-caps.
4. Don't tell too much! I cannot stress this enough! You
don't want to tell the reader everything he/she needs to
know - then there would be no reason to visit your website.
Only give enough information to get your reader so psyched
about the offer, that they jump to your website url right
away. Then, the sales page should seal the deal.
5. ALso remember that it is your web page's job to seal the
deal. This is not the responsibiliy of the advertiser. So
DO make sure that your web page clearly describes your
offer, and be sure you have features to capture your
visitor's information when they arrive. As a general rule
of thumb, the consumer needs to hear your offer a total of
7 times before they decide to purchase. A good way to
increase your chances is to capture their email address at
your website upon arrival, so that you can stay in contact
with them often.
6. If you are going to market via eMail, be sure that you
do not include a great amount of spam trigger words in your
campaigns. ISP eMail filters will trash your message if you
do , and it doesn't matter how many people you reach, your
response will be very poor.
7. Do be realistic in your expectations. A single
advertisement will not turn your business around overnight -
especially if it is a small one.
8. Don't be turned off if it at first appears not to work.
Advertising's main purpose is to increase the number of
people who know about your business. Those new customers in
turn, are likely to recommend your services on to their
friends, so there is a flow on effect.
9. Do get creative! You don't have to take out the same ad
shape and size every month. Sometimes, you might want to go
bigger for a special event or sale. Change your artwork
every four months or so to keep your message fresh - and
the customers interested.
10. Do make a note of special occasions through the year -
Christmas, Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, the birthday
of your business, school holidays. Do these affect how you
want to advertise?
11. Do read other people's advertisements and ask lots of
questions about what works.
12. Do combine your advertising with your other marketing
strategies strategies
- make sure your ads look similar to your
business cards and signage, so there is consistency in your
message.
13. Stick with a likable style. Ads have personality and
style. Find a likable style and personality and stay with
it for at least a year or more of ads. Changing ad styles
and personality too often will confuse potential buyers. It
also fights against memorability.
14. Be credible. If you say your quality or value is the "
best" and it is clearly not, advertising will speed your
demise, not increase your business. Identifying the
competition should also be avoided. It is potentially
confusing and distracting and may backfire on you by making
buyers more loyal to competitive products, not less.
15. Ask for the sale. Invite buyers to come to your store,
send for more information, or call for information and
orders in the ad. Provide easily visible information in the
ad for potential customers to buy: location, telephone
number, store hours, charge cards accepted, etc.
16. Make sure the ad is competitive. Do your homework.
Examine competitive ads in the media that you are planning
to advertise in. Make sure your ad stands out from
competitive ads. You can use personal judgment, ad test
exposures to a small group of target buyers (i.e.,
qualitative research), or more expensive, sophisticated
quantitative test methods. Compare ads for uniqueness,
memorability, credibility, and incentive to purchase.
17. Make sure the ad looks professional. If you have the
time and talent, computer graphics and desktop publishing
software can provide professional-looking templates to
create good-looking print ads. Consider obtaining writing,
artistic, and graphics help from local agencies or art
studios who have experienced professionals on staff, with
expensive and creative computer software in-house. They may
save you time and money in the long run, with better
results. Electronic ads (e.g., TV, radio, Internet) and
outdoor ads are best left to professionals to write,
produce, and buy for a fee or percentage of media dollars
spent (i.e., generally 15 percent of gross media spending).
18. Be truthful. Whatever advertising medium you select,
make sure your message is ethical and truthful. There are
stringent laws regarding deceptive practices and false
advertising.
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In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein
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