Many believe that advertising is a necessary evil.
Some view it as simply a tool to showcase price and product
while others see it as a way to counter their competitor's ads.
Know what? They're all wrong.
Here's what you should be thinking about when putting together
an advertising campaign:
1) Who am I trying to reach? 2) What medium will be the most
effective to reach them? 3) How much is it going to cost? 4)
What will my message be?
Hard to believe: Some of my client's advertising approach prior
to working with them was basically, "I have this amount of money
to spend so how much can I buy with it?" This was usually
followed by a call to their favorite radio station, or to a
television station carrying their favorite program and asking
for rates.
Granted there are many, many choices when contemplating where to
place your ad dollars and it can be very confusing given all the
choices that are out there. Especially when every radio station
account executive tells you that their station is number one.
That's why it helps to have experienced people on your side who
can help you choose the best media mix for your ad dollars. Of
course, I should put in a plug for my agency here, but if you
want to get a better understanding of what is involved, refer to
the four questions above. For example, "Who am I trying to
reach?" means who is your target customer? Every retail or
service oriented business has a target customer base and once
you've established yours it will help in narrowing the list of
possible media choices.
Many businesses put off advertising until they feel they "need"
it. The truth is if you have a business that sells products or
services, you need to advertise all the time, not just when
there's excess inventory or sales are down.
I'm sure you've seen and heard many auto dealers advertising
"red tag" or "tent sales". This approach is a quick hit type of
campaign designed to move inventory but the end result is
usually a waste of ad dollars. Instead of piling on these price
driven ads and doing battle with every other dealer advertising
in a similar way, auto dealers would be smarter to concentrate
on building their brand through consistent advertising while
separating themselves from their competition with solid points
that answer questions like, "What will you do for me that the
others won't?" "Why should I shop at your dealership?" "What
makes your dealership different?" along with developing a clever
branding image that makes them easy to remember when the
consumer is in the market for a car.
Yes, money talks. But if everyone is shouting the same thing
like, "We'll save you money!" the consumer has no incentive to
visit one dealer over the other.
Last but certainly not least is the importance of the message
itself. Time and time again I'll hear or see a campaign where
it's obvious the media buy was well executed but the message is
muddled or confusing or worse, boring. If you're going to go
through all the trouble and expense of putting together an ad
campaign, make sure the message cuts through the clutter in a
clever, creative way because that is what branding is all about.
So how do you make your advertising work? Remember that
establishing a budget, determining who your target customers
are, careful planning, consistency, and a clever message will
put you on the road to success.
About the author:
Like what you've read? Want to read more? Visit The Eisenberg
Agency web site at: http://www.eisenbergagency.com E-mail:
halacious@eisenbergagency.com.
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