Advertising Campaigns That Get Results

"Advertising doesn't work." I hear it from my clients all the time. One client was about to file for bankruptcy because she wasn't getting a good response to her radio ads, and the cost was killing her. But she knew her target market was listening; she knew she needed to get her name out there to generate more business. What should she do?

Owners of small businesses and professionals like yourself realize that to take your business to the next level, you need to get your products and services in front of a larger audience. You want to generate more leads, get more prospects to contact you and buy from you. Advertising is essential but how do you get more out of your advertising dollars?

Have you been disappointed by your advertising campaigns?

I felt the same way about my family's VCR. I paid good money for it (though probably not nearly as much as most people pay for advertising) and as far as I was concerned I could never get it to work the way I wanted it to. I spent way too much time fiddling with it and I still couldn't get it to record a TV show or a movie reliably when I was away. After a while I stopped trying to use its record function.

Sound familiar?

Compared to programming a VCR, creating a successful advertising campaign is simple. Note the operative word here is "successful". It's easy to put together an advertising campaign, but creating one that helps you make more than you spend should be the objective. The following seven elements are what separate a successful advertising campaign from one that just costs you money.

Elements of A Successful Advertising Campaign

1. Choose the media that will reach your target market. It sounds obvious, but make sure your target audience will see and/or hear your ad. Select a publication or radio or cable station that your target audience reads or tunes to. If you're advertising on the web, your keyword selection is critical here.

2. Write ad copy that your prospects will want to read. Your prospects' primary interest is in what your product or service will do for them, not what it actually is. Which would you be more likely to read, a headline that reads, "Accounting Services" or one that reads, "How to Avoid Overpaying Your Taxes"?

3. Have others establish your credibility. If space allows, include testimonials in your ad verifying the outstanding results your products and services generate.

4. Motivate prospects to contact you Include a limited-time offer or something for free - a report, appraisal or bonus product - to prompt your prospects to take action.

5. Tell prospects what you want them to do and how to do it. This is your "call to action". Tell them to call you, visit your web site, send you an email, fill in the reply card, etc.

6. Follow up your offer with the information prospects need to make a purchase. Too many people make the mistake at this point in the sales process of launching into a s.ales pitch. Whether your prospect is on the phone with you or is visiting your web site, help them clarify the problem or concern they have and detail the solution you provide. Then remind them what action you want them to take.

7. Continue to educate your prospects and clients. Stay in touch with likely prospects by contacting them at least every month. Get the conversation going by discussing a common problem. Give your prospects a quick tip they can use and, of course, mention the solutions you provide.

A successful advertising campaign will include all seven of the above elements, not just one or two. When you put all these elements in place, your advertising will generate more leads and sales and you'll see a good return on your advertising dollars.

By the way, the client who came to me on the verge of bankruptcy is now back on solid financial ground. Once she understood how to write her advertising copy and manage her advertising campaigns, her radio advertising started to bring in a steady stream of new business.

2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

____________________

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

---

Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates

Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail postcard is for the picture and the back is for the address, stamp and a short message.But... Read More

Five Marketing Tips to Double Profits

It's a startling fact: almost all entrepreneurs aren't marketing their businesses effectively. Marketing goes much deeper than advertising. It begins with having the proper mindset. These five... Read More

A Creative RIOT

Relevant, original and impactful: that's what my friend Creative Director Jim Mountjoy says that effective creative must be. With apologies to Jim, I have my own acronym... Read More

The Benefits of a Marketing Plan

What is a Marketing Plan? Marketing is to do with matching the features and benefits that your products and services are able to provide with specific customers... Read More

Mobile Marketing a New Age Strategy

More and more companies seem to be looking for new and innovative ways to market their products. Overlooking most of the traditional marketing techniques, more companies are... Read More

The A-Z of Exhibiting Overseas

Exhibiting overseas is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to identify the best foreign markets for your products/services. International trade shows and fairs offer... Read More

The Five Most Common Joint Venture Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

Joint Venture marketing has become a highly popular way for small businesses to maximize their profits. When two or more businesses combine their resources synergistically, it creates... Read More

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer: A Step by Step Guide for Developing Awareness, Building Credibility and Acquiring CustomersHave you ever watched a documentary about... Read More

Loan Officer Marketing ? Why Realtors® Don?t Read Your Brochures

When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by side, you can't help but notice the similarities. Each piece mentions that they have every possible loan... Read More

High Response Marketing With Low-Cost Postcards

Postcards can drive a huge amount of traffic to your web site, generate a flood of new sales leads or produce a surge in any business activity... Read More

Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples)

I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help... Read More

Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success?

What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well, you'd be surprised how many small business owners think they are effectively marketing their business, when in... Read More

Want To Be A Stronger Marketer? Work Your Marketing Muscles!

You want to be more flexible? You have to stretch your muscles. Want to be physically stronger? You have to find a way to workout and build... Read More

Walking Talking Advertisements

So you've made a sale. Great!Now what? You're not just going to sell your new customer a product and let them walk away, are you?Not when you're... Read More

Four Keys For Successful Foundation and Corporate Fundraising

Earlier in my career, I worked for a training and technical assistance service provider with significant revenue from foundations and corporations. What was the key to success?... Read More

The Great Direct Marketing Conundrum

Many a home business owner has spent sleepless nights thinking of ways to turn his venture into a higher profit-making unit and build it to be his... Read More

CD ROM Business Cards - Offline Marketing For Online Promotion

It's a great concept, - and it has a 'cool factor' of 300%!Many people will pop these into their drive just because of image appeal alone. What's... Read More

Business Marketing Strategy

The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is esoteric or stratospheric, so let's take the mystery out of it so you can devise and implement... Read More

Target Market - 3 Big Reasons You Need To Know Yours

Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your Target Market." There's a lot of foundational work to do before you ever put a word on... Read More

Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote

Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is... Read More

How To Achieve Success With Your Own Money Making Newsletter

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing. You can still publish newsletter... Read More

What to Include in Your Marketing Plan Write-Up

For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing a plan from start to finish may feel daunting. It need not. The level of detail you... Read More

Trade Show Videos Need to be Planned

A few months ago, we attended the recent Austech 2005 Expo. It was a large trade show that showcased over 500 manufacturers selling machines, equipment and systems.The... Read More

Using Flyers In Your Business

If you are not using flyers in your business you are missing out. Flyers can be used to sell your product, promote your product, promote your services,... Read More

The Fine Art of Relationship Marketing

The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is it? And why is it important? Relationship marketing is so much more than "networking. It's gathering support... Read More

FUNDRAISING - Free and Easy School Fundraisers - Elementary and High School Fund Raising Ideas

Parents are always looking for free and easy ways to improve their child's education. School funding plays a big part in the education that your child receives,... Read More