There are many promotional techniques available to businesses, and you normally need a mix of several of them. So advertising should only be a part of your overall strategy. It can and does work, but it is possible to spend a lot of money for little payback. The key to getting value for money is making sure you get your message to the right people, in a way that engages their interest and encourages them to act on it.
Why advertise?
To begin with, consider why you are advertising. Advertising can do a range of things but one advertisement may not be able to do everything. To be effective, it must be designed for a particular purpose. For example, an advertisement may aim to:
Advertising may aim to do several of these things at once, but overreaching is a danger – you could end up meeting none of your objectives well.
When you start, set yourself clear and specific objectives. For instance, 'This advertisement is to persuade existing customers to buy again and give them reasons for doing so more often,' rather than, 'This advertisement is to tell everyone all about us.'
Also link your advertising to realistic financial targets: 'In the month following this campaign we aim for sales to rise by eight percent.' This advertisement may not be the only reason for change, of course, but this should not stop you setting targets and measuring results.
Who to target
Most markets are segmented and you may sell to several kinds of people. You need to know who these are. For example, among other things, you need to know:
With this sort of information, you can link the objectives of your advertising with your target(s). Ask yourself:
Link this sort of thinking to the next area – deciding which is the best place to communicate with your chosen groups. This is because you must direct your advertising at clearly defined groups of people. Trying to make an advertisement all things to all people is likely to be a mistake.
Where to advertise
To be successful, advertising must be placed in appropriate media if it is to reach the target audience cost-effectively. You are unlikely to reach many teenagers in Saga Magazine, or consumers in a trade journal. These examples are extreme, but fine differences are important too. You might have to decide between advertising in the local Chamber of Commerce magazine or the business supplement of a local paper.
The problem here is compounded by the multitude of media. These include the press (local and national newspapers, colour supplements, magazines, local and national radio and television, email newsletters and websites); posters; the cinema; and many more: from books of matches to litter bins, from freesheets to footballers’ shirts. There are few places that do not have advertising potential.
Think about where to place your advertisements in conjunction with your objectives. Saying, 'Let’s try posters!' is not precise enough. However, a few strategically placed posters (for instance, where people come out of a cinema to direct them to your pizza bar) might be a better decision.
Select media that precisely fit your target audience. Every other consideration is irrelevant, even cost. It doesn’t matter how much – or little – you spend on your advertising campaign; if none of your potential audience sees it, it will be worthless.
There are three further points to consider:
The ideal advertisement
There is no one formula guaranteed to create a perfect advertisement. Some things are essential however. Most good advertisements:
The format of an advertisement is not fixed. One might be a three-part serial on television (like the Gold Blend coffee advertisements), while another is a full page packed with text, or a picture with one line or even one word beneath it.
However, the aim is always to engage the reader in four different ways: first, grab their attention, then generate interest, then create desire, and finally, show them how to take action.
An advertisement may do all this in a great variety of ways. Much of it may be visual (or, in the case of radio, an evocative picture may be painted). It may provide all the details, or highlight one or more in a way that differentiates a product from its competitors. And with many consumer products, it may include an exciting image around the product – sometimes with image being more important than the product! The audience must want to be associated with that image and all it implies.
When you advertise, convey a clear message, but do it creatively to make it interesting and memorable. If clarity and cleverness are in opposition, clarity is always more important – people will not buy what they do not understand and you have only seconds to make your point.
Creating the copy
There is no reason why you cannot write a good advertisement yourself. Many people do so very successfully. The skill lies in not being introspective. Much small company advertising reads like a catalogue: 'We are… we do… we have…' all put over in a relentless way, often replete with jargon. If one thing characterises great copy writing it is a focus on the customer, their needs and desires. So start thinking along the lines of what’s in it for the customer.
People buy something because of what it does for them (the benefits), not because of what it is (the features). What they get may be tangible or intangible, but it is for them. For example, employers do not want a recruitment service. Instead, they want a short list of perfect candidates, saving them time on interviewing and enabling them to appoint the right person quickly and certainly. So a recruitment agency advertisement would emphasise the hassle employers normally face and the effect on productivity of making a rapid appointment. If you just tell them how the service works, you may lose them. However, tell them what these details mean to them and they will pay attention.
Essentially, such principles are simple and common sense. The technique is in combining them creatively so that your advertising does a good job. Think carefully about what you put in your advertisements – ideally share ideas in a group – and they will be relevant and attractive.
Advertising as part of the promotional mix
Advertising is just one of many promotional mechanisms. This mix includes: press and public relations, direct marketing (which is a specialised form of advertising including direct mail, email and SMS), online media; sales promotion (including competitions and special offers), sponsorship, merchandising and display, and a range of simple devices, from leaflets and newsletters to promotional events and exhibitions. It all depends on what you are selling and to whom, because some methods are not right for some businesses. Three things are important, though, whatever your strategy:
If you can find approaches that combine something informative, memorable and attractive all at once, you will have something very effective. This applies equally to a whole campaign and to any one element.
Your advertising checklist
Advertising in practice
Take a look at the lineage advertisement in the next paragraph. At just 50 words, it’s succinct and grammatically correct. It’s not bad – but it’s not nearly as powerful as it might be.
Starry Windows at staff prices. Are you concerned about heat loss, cold draughts, condensation, maintenance, security and noise nuisance? Starry Windows is one of the country’s largest and longest established window companies. With no obligation, ask Starry Windows to quote for the best in windows for your house. Tel 0800 XXXXXXX
People don’t really care that the company is called Starry Windows. And ‘staff prices’ is non-specific and doesn’t tell anyone much. However, most people might have stopped to read a headline that read ‘Save 10% on heating bills – NOW!’ This is punchier, still factually correct and includes a benefit: it tells the reader immediately what’s in it for them.
The main body of the copy is a prime candidate for bullet copy. For example:
All to the point and made more effective with emotive words.
Next, we need to establish desire by reiterating the original promise. Now is the time to say who you are and why you are the best. How about, 'Starry Windows has been solving thousands of homeowners’ problems for 27 years. Call now for a 35 percent discount on normal prices whilst stocks last!'
Lastly, make it easy for the customer to act, 'For a free quote call 0800 XXXXXXX'.
Save 10% on heating bills – NOW!
Starry Windows has been solving thousands of homeowners’ problems for 27 years. Call now for a 25% discount on normal prices whilst stocks last! For a free quote call 0800 XXXXXXX.
Just a few changes here and there, but it is now a much more persuasive advertisement in the same number of words.
This is just one suggestion and you might need several versions for different media. For example, the company’s research showed that women were less concerned about maintenance because they see that as 'the man’s department'. A typical comment from women was that windows 'make the house feel as though it wraps around you'. Each publication has a typical reader profile, which you can only gauge by reading a couple of copies. You need to match your benefit to the desires of the likely readers. So if this company were advertising in women’s magazines, it might bring out the emotional and aesthetic aspects instead.
Preparation
It may sound obvious but do make sure you can actually fulfil the promise of your advertisements. Don’t run more advertisements offering free consultancy until you have responded to the leads from the last campaign. If you announce a great offer and a number to call, make sure you have the capacity to answer the expected number of calls. Make sure your team is properly briefed and with diaries clear on the day the advertisement appears. Make sure you have (or can quickly obtain) sufficient stock to satisfy all the new customers you hope to attract. It is a complete waste of your money and effort if you are not prepared at all levels to meet the demand you hope for. These considerations are especially true of online advertising, which can be accessed globally 24/7.
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