Advertisement Ideas: What Is Your Advertising Strategy?
This is always the first question I ask a client? You would be surprised how many people tell me I don’t have one or I don’t have a budget for advertising. I am always surprised by this because without advertising how are you going to grow your business. It all comes to the concept of investing in yourself and building your brand. I run across many small businesses as I host an Internet TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM and I offer them a chance to be interviewed by me. I offer a free segment and a chance to purchase the clip so they can use it in their marketing and advertising programs. I am always amazed by those who do not invest in purchasing the clip. I ask them what type of advertising they are doing and they stumble to answer and then confess that they really don’t do any advertising. I then explain to them how important it is to be out in front of your target audience daily and that you must have an effective strategy.
I learned many advertising strategies when I was a member of The Jaycees as we were constantly looking for new members, working to retain existing members, and garner support for our community projects. I was often mystified by how many people who did not know about the organization because we had welcome signs on the signs entering the community, had several articles in the community newspapers, and spoke at city council meetings. I stated on several occasions that if we are to attract new members and retain existing members we must have a solid advertising strategy so that when we walk into a business they will have heard of us. This is when I devised my three-foot rule, which I still use today. The 3 foot rule is where if someone is with in 3 feet of you, you engage them and gain their interest. I recently used this principle at a local Starbucks and the women I approached told me she was very impressed that I came over to exchange business cards. Think about it if you carry your business cards wherever you go and begin to ask people about themselves and hand out your card the positive effect it could have on your business. It comes down to the fact that some will, some will not, so what, some waiting, next. Not everyone will want to listen to you but those that do can be converted into customers or advocates for you.
Maurice DiMino speaks about giving out nuggets when you speak to anyone. One very good advertising strategy is to speak in front of groups who can benefit from your services. When you do this and give them good content you are creating the know, like, and trust factor that is necessary in creating customers and raving fans.
Print Advertising is a great venue if you have a product or service that lends itself to print. When choosing to do print advertising you want to have a consistent and memorable message. You want to select the print venues that reach your target audience. You want to have a strong call to action.
When considering radio advertising look at the demographics the station reaches, the time your ad will run, how many times a day the ad will run. take in mind where people are hearing your ad in the car as opposed to in their house. When someone is driving they probably don’t have a pen or paper handy so giving a phone number and website is not a good practice. This is why you must make your commercial memorable with excellent brand recognition so that when they are ready to use their services they think of you first before your competition. For example I have heard The Broten Garage Door ad so many times that if I ever need a garage door or know anyone that seeks this service I will look up Broten Garage Door.
When choosing to place an ad on TV remember to ask who they reach, how many households they reach, when the ad will air and how many times the ad will be seen. You want to make sure your ad is memorable so again when someone seeks your product or services they use you before a competitor.
More and more people are turning to social media to find products and services so it is very important to know what they are looking for, where they are looking, and who is looking. Knowing the way the different platforms operate can be a big help in building your brand.
This graph shows you different strategies and how effective they are. Remember that regardless of the type of business you have advertising must be a priority and your strategy must be effective.
Advertisement Ideas: Advertising Strategy Success Story!!!
In March of 2012 I hosted The Spiritual Entrepreneur Visionary Awards. In order to make the project a success I knew I would have to implement a successful advertising strategy. My strategy included sending out media release every week leading up to the event. Each release had a specific theme from introducing the event to announcing the speakers to releasing the charity we were supporting. After sending out the releases I followed up and as a result the event was picked up by local radio and TV stations and local newspapers. As I booked the speakers I asked that they advertise to their contacts. I used social media platforms. I circulated fliers. Today if you Google Spiritual Entrepreneurs Visionary Awards you will find stories and photos from the event.
The key is to have an advertising strategy so that you can strengthen your brand and exceed your goals and objectives. If you need assistance in planning and implementing an effective advertising strategy call 954-254-8227.
Remember if you do not have an effective advertising strategy you are leaving money out there for your competitor to take.
