Between Trial and Error
One of the major problems that advertisers has to face is how to create an ad that will immediately have customers lining out side his door and beg for his products.
Advertising costs money. If advertising is not done right or if the advertising article does not take responses, it has to be done again costing more money. This does not yet count the possibility of lost revenues while the add is not yet delivering its desired effect.
The idea of more cost effective advertising is to close the gap between trial and error if not totally illuminating them.
We know for example that advertising aims to induce buyers. An advertiser must find ways of attracting customers by placing his products in a very favorable position in order to influence purchase. For most of us who has no degree in advertising, this is easier said than done.
People in business who advertise are either appalled that his targeted market shies away from his site even after they have encountered his ad. On the other hand, those who placed the ad expects that his cash register would be ringing immediately. These are only some of the disappointments that an advertiser faces.
Notice for example some classified add that is placed on the papers. You can notice that an advertisement selling for example a puppy had been running for several weeks before the ad is stopped. The conclusion will normally be that a sale has been concluded or the owner simply lost interest.
• When reading an ad, ask yourself questions. Does the ad spark interest? More important, and as objective as possible, the question to ask is, if you were the one reading the ad, will it spark your interest?
• Does it contain details enough to get you off your seat and dial the number?
• Does it paint pictures in your mind that addresses your desires?
Not addressing these things at the outset, will make your advertisement fail.
Next time, before you advertise, ask yourself the same questions. When you go to an advertising agency, they will ask you just the same. The directions that their question could be taking will very possibly be:
• What do you want to accomplish in your advertising?
• Who is your target audience? (Specifics are required here) like:
o Gender, age groups, family size, income brackets, occupation, education.
o Usage rate, readiness stage, benefits sought, end use, marketing factor sensitivity,
o Autonomy, groups, social classification etc,
• What should your advertisement say? What image do you want your advertisement to convey?
• What advertising medium would you want to use?
These guide questions are asked to get you to focus on a very specific market. Professional advertisers and marketers agree that advertising to a mass market rarely works. When developing an ad, have a specific type or group in mind. The results are better.
While you may not need some of the guides, depending on the specifics of your business situation, each question will require different answers. Write as many answers as you can to explore all possibilities. Your business may require several advertising strategy, it may not. But when you can come out with the full range of options that could be effective, you might want to take several combinations or you will have to prioritize.
Advertisers will tell you that an ad will work best when developed to meet one goal each time. They should convey a message that your targeted customers can identify with and talks to things that are important to them.
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