Today, a new client asked me how to begin advertising. She has been in business for years, but until now, has been lucky enough to have generated most of her new contacts through the referral of satisfied clients. However, now she is need of advertising assistance. Since my new friend found what I had to say useful, I thought I'd share these insights with you as well.
In considering advertising in any advertising medium, you'll want to focus on 4 very important components when preparing your promotions:
#1-Who do you want your ads to attract?
This should be the first consideration, as you'll want to prepare an ad that appeals to that specific market sector. For example, if you are a dentist and wish to do business with women in their 40's who are desiring a whole mouth make-over, then your ads should be designed to relate to that specific individual.
#2-Don't overlook the obvious.
How would you like your prospective new client to do business with you? Make that the most important aspect of your ad design. Phone numbers, addresses, websites, email addresses and logos should be prominent.
What are you selling? Seems like a ridiculous question, but many advertisers overlook this simple principle, whatever you are selling should be obvious and quickly recognizable in order to capture your target audience's attention. And, please, don't go overboard on copy. Too much text can be considered 'work' to the reader. Think clean, simple and focused.
#3-Unique Selling Proposition
Spend time considering why your current customers do business with you, and what makes your business different from your competitor. Make a short list of all the things you believe separates your business from the others in your industry. Then, compare your list to the offerings of your competitors, spend time on their web sites. Then, eliminate anything that looks similar, like "quality workmanship" or "attention to detail" These items are important but not as powerful as something truly unique as in "FREE" lip balm with every order. Or, "Delivery guaranteed within 24 Hours."
The more valuable, value-added your unique selling proposition, the more response you can expect. We recently ran a subscription promotion, "buy a one-year subscription and receive a gift certificate for lunch at the restaurant Ingredient." After four months we had signed more than 850 new subscribers. This is more than four times greater response than anticipated.
#4 Call to Action
The beautiful thing about magazine advertising is that your prospective customers spend as much time with your advertisement as they would like. There is no other medium where the customer dictates the ads they'd like to be exposed to and the length of time of exposure.
So, if you own a salon and day spa you'll want your prospective new client to actually visualize themselves receiving services with you. Do this by including a strong call to action such as "FREE hot stone hand massage with every color service." Or, receive a FREE manicure with European facial, etc.
It's really that simple, focus on the four principles and place your ads where your clients are likely to see/hear/view the message and the business will come.
