How to make advertising work far more effectively for your business

Guess what? Advertising does not work! This may sound unlikely or illogical to you, but allow me to explain - Advertising on its own does not work and is seldom a good investment. That said; if you include advertising as part of a marketing arsenal that includes multiple communication weapons, then advertising can be very powerful. So, of all the possible ways to waste money on marketing, advertising seems to be everyone's favourite - so this column examines how you can improve the effectiveness and results of your advertising.

Firstly - be aware that there are many more effective ways to market than just advertising. In my experience, many businesses depend far too much on advertising alone, when there are many more effective ways to market. In addition, advertising can be one of the most expensive marketing options. I always look for more cost effective marketing strategies before focusing on advertising. But if you are already advertising, or plan to, here are some basics on what I believe works, and what doesn't.

First, immediately STOP any advertising that isn't working. That may sound obvious, but you would be amazed at how many people run ads just because that's what their business has always done and they don't really know whether the ads are working or not. They also advertise just because their competitors do.

Secondly, you will never know whether your ads are working unless you test and measure them. Many businesses just allocate a certain amount of money to an advertising budget, spend the money every year, and they only have a vague sense of whether the ads are working or not. This is plain stupidity. If your ads are working, you want to optimize your spend and frequency. If they're not working, STOP, and use the money on one of the many other marketing strategies that can bring far more cost effective returns on your investments.

Thirdly, only run ads that are going to produce a response. This is known as direct response advertising. The other form of advertising is known as brand advertising. This is what companies like Coca-Cola, BMW and McDonalds engage in. It's designed to build and sustain awareness of their brand. If you're in a small or medium sized business, brand advertising is almost certainly a huge waste of money.

Unless you're a major national advertiser, the sole purpose of your ads must be to produce a response. Advertising is simply “salesmanship” in print. Smart marketers are focused on only creating and paying for ads that produce a direct, measured and profitable response.

Within your marketing arsenal, advertising should always be used with laser-like focus. Your media selections must be chosen with careful precision. This careful targeting allows you to measure and monitor its effectiveness.

The most important element of print advertising is the headline. The headline is either the heading that goes at the top of the ad or if there is no heading, then it's the first words of the ad. The headline needs to attract peoples' attention. In my own advertising campaigns I have seen one change in a headline produce an enormous increase in response.

The copy of your ad needs to be a personal communication to the individual reading it. And it needs to be about them. It needs to address their needs, desires and fears and it needs to constantly communicate the benefits and features of what you are offering. At the end of the ad you need a call to action. Tell people precisely what action they need to take and make it simple for them to do so.

Here are some other essentials for effective advertising: Never advertise on a left hand page. When you read a publication, your eyes are drawn to the right hand page as you flip through, so statistically more people will see your ad if it's on the right hand page. Print media reps will contest this (they obviously have left hand pages to sell and fill), but trust me, right hand pages get better response.

Never pay the full rate for advertising. Most advertising rate cards are far too high and you can and must always negotiate. If you're a small business, remember that large companies who use ad agencies are buying based on the audience levels rather than the rate card - so haggle and negotiate. If you can pay 20 or 30% less for your advertising it can sometimes turn an unprofitable ad campaign into a successful one. Always remember the rate card price is just a figure that the media owner decided was “their” right price.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is advertising in publications just because their competitors advertise in them. Advertisers tend to play follow the follower. Don't think that your competitors are there because their ads are producing great results. They're more likely there because everyone else is, and most of them don’t have a clue whether their ads are working or not. The only criteria for advertising in a particular media should be if the advertising produces great business results.

In conclusion, I regularly find that many businesses are wasting money on ineffective advertising when they could be getting a much better return on other additional forms of marketing (Targeted Flyers, Inserts, Telemarketing, Direct Sales, Tradeshows, Email Marketing, Online Marketing, Blogs, E-newsletters, Pay per Click, Promotions, effective PR, Referral Strategies, Testimonial Marketing, JV’s and Strategic Alliances etc.) But always remember, that if you create innovative and effective direct response advertising, select your media wisely, negotiate you rates, and test and measure, then advertising can become a powerful and highly profitable element of your marketing mix.

I wish you successful marketing!

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