Success in Advertising
Key things to consider when considering where and how to advertise
1. Target Market – Ensure that the people who will see your advert are likely to be interested in (and able to) purchase your product or service
2. Timing/Frequency – Is it an appropriate time to be advertising especially if you have a seasonal product? Consider how long you will need to advertise to get the response you are after. Frequency is usually more important than size of advert. Often one insert will not be sufficient as people like the reassurance of seeing an advert several times.
3. The advert – Must look professional, ideally you should adopt and stick to a standard corporate look, keeping the same colours and fonts. Remember, ‘less is more’ so you shouldn’t fill every gap with lengthy text. Try to point out the benefits to the potential client rather than just stating what you do. Be concise and to the point – you only get a few seconds to make an impression. Include details of any professional qualifications to build trust. Make it easy for people to contact you – don’t forget to include your website and opening hours and ideally a landline telephone number rather than just a mobile.
4. Responses – will vary depending on what you are selling and timing. If you are selling a high value product you may not need many responses to make the advert worthwhile. When assessing the success of your campaign you should also consider the lifetime value of each new client gained against the overall cost of the adverts. Don’t forget the advertising effect which is important for establishing your brand in the minds of those seeing your advert.
Other resources
Small Business Advertising - The 6 Laws of Small Business Advertising Success
Success Advertising - Words that are guaranteed to Sell
Dee Blick, The Marketing Gym - Marketing Planning should not be a pain
Success Advertising - Make your ads irresistable
Success Advertising - Tried and tested advertising ideas
Entreprenuer - How to track advertising results
Success Advertising - One ad is not enough
Dee Blick, The Marketing Gym - It can pay to advertise
1. Target Market – Ensure that the people who will see your advert are likely to be interested in (and able to) purchase your product or service
2. Timing/Frequency – Is it an appropriate time to be advertising especially if you have a seasonal product? Consider how long you will need to advertise to get the response you are after. Frequency is usually more important than size of advert. Often one insert will not be sufficient as people like the reassurance of seeing an advert several times.
3. The advert – Must look professional, ideally you should adopt and stick to a standard corporate look, keeping the same colours and fonts. Remember, ‘less is more’ so you shouldn’t fill every gap with lengthy text. Try to point out the benefits to the potential client rather than just stating what you do. Be concise and to the point – you only get a few seconds to make an impression. Include details of any professional qualifications to build trust. Make it easy for people to contact you – don’t forget to include your website and opening hours and ideally a landline telephone number rather than just a mobile.
4. Responses – will vary depending on what you are selling and timing. If you are selling a high value product you may not need many responses to make the advert worthwhile. When assessing the success of your campaign you should also consider the lifetime value of each new client gained against the overall cost of the adverts. Don’t forget the advertising effect which is important for establishing your brand in the minds of those seeing your advert.
Other resources
Small Business Advertising - The 6 Laws of Small Business Advertising Success
Success Advertising - Words that are guaranteed to Sell
Dee Blick, The Marketing Gym - Marketing Planning should not be a pain
Success Advertising - Make your ads irresistable
Success Advertising - Tried and tested advertising ideas
Entreprenuer - How to track advertising results
Success Advertising - One ad is not enough
Dee Blick, The Marketing Gym - It can pay to advertise