Welcome to Business advertising
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Practice the Proper Timing in Advertising
However, proper timing is always the key in having successful marketing practices. A company must understand when they are spending too much on advertising procedures. They must also realize when they are not spending enough. It may be strange to think that over marketing could be detrimental to the company at hand. Nevertheless, this could be the case. Several points will be discussed on what to look out for when deciding it is time to promote the business.
When to advertise
Marketing is a hit and miss type of venture. Several studies have been preformed on the exact time it is beneficial to advertise the company. It is vital to be careful of over marketing the business. This can cause expenses beyond the profit margin that the corporation is creating. Advertising assists in creating a higher profit margin, not depleting the current one.
• When the business is booming, advertising may be an after thought. Just because the company is profitable does not mean you have to cut back on promotion. Nevertheless, the marketing department will need to find a happy medium between overspending on advertising and just letting the company slide on previous promotions.
• If the profits are down, rise to the occasion. Discover what is working for other companies and rely on the research provided. You may decide that a certain marketing technique is required to boost profits while others may be just a waste of money. Learn from each advertising scheme that has worked in the past as well as the disadvantages. Sometimes, it is all about trial and error.
When not to advertise
There are times when promoting a company can hinder profits. A company may be all about marketing to bring new customers into the business. However, this may not be the best solution. You must find the correct time to raise profits instead of overspending for advertising.
• Promoting the business at the wrong times may assist other companies in the same field. This may be a strange thought. However, when over promotion is present, this may work well for other companies. Without even trying to, the marketing department may raise awareness for the types of products or services they provide instead of the exact company offering them. This could assist other companies in the same field to gain your business.
• Over advertising may cause overspending. If the business is throwing out large sums of money into advertising and they are not seeing a substantial rise in profits, they need to cut back drastically.
5 Benefits of Using Door Hangers
If you run a small business that caters mostly to people in your geographic area, door hangers can be a very good investment. Many small businesses do not even think about these as a possible tool, but you should. Here are five reasons to consider investing in a door hanger printing:
1. Great for Small Areas
It does not take very long to walk around a neighborhood and place hangers on door knobs. If you have a lot of target customers in a small area, this can be a very cost effective strategy. You can reach literally hundreds of customers in a very short amount of time. And if you are fortunate enough to have some people helping you out, you can cover an enormous amount of ground.
2. Can Have a Local Feel
Because you have to physically be present to place a door hanger (unless you have some tremendous telepathic ability) customers know you are a local. This will usually give you a bit of a head start in their affections. Most people enjoy doing business with a company that is nearby them.
3. Personalized Contact
You can add a personal touch to your door hanger printing, too. If you are only targeting a small area, you can print something on your hangers that mentions the city, or even the neighborhood, which you are targeting. This gives an even more personalized and local feel to your ads, and could bring in some new customers.
4. They Ensure Communication
The very best marketing tool is face to face contact. If you are brave enough to embark on a door to door campaign (and you have time) you will probably see a nice spike in revenue. Door hangers will come in handy, though, because you can place them at any house where nobody was home to meet with you. This way, you still make contact with the customers that you missed.
5. They Actually Get Read
When someone sees a door hanger on their door, they are almost certainly going to take a look at it. That is something that you cannot say about direct mailings. Most letters that you send out will simply get thrown in the trash. Door hangers are one of the few marketing tools available to you that you can be virtually certain will be read.
Online Advertising Company - Your 'Ad Want Edge'
The online advertising company undertakes the responsibility of promoting the brands through Internet. The experts do effective planning and strategic development for intensifying the effect of advertising. In addition, the user targeting is done at the discretion of advertisers. There are techniques like capping, geo-targeting, browser, network, connection type, day/time, user data, IP tracking etc. When it comes to advertising, the off-line media cannot provide such an exclusive targeting. The online advertisers have a personal command over the ad displays and real time access to the performance.
It includes report and ad account tracking for providing information. This information can be utilized for the modifications and keep a track of ad spend. In addition, the responses are generated by the banner advertisements. Few agencies also provide lead generation to the advertisers, which enables them to initiate the B2B or B2C sales process. With such facilities by the online advertising company can control the ad spends efficiently and perform ad rotation for extensive reach. The agencies in off-line media do not offer integrated tracking system.
The services provided by an online advertising company proves to be economical in comparison to off-line ad agencies. The solutions are instant and effective to entice the web users. The creative and technical workforce of the agency keeps publishing, rotating and modifying the ads for greater response. The ad agencies attain relevant audience for the ads to ensure that advertisers pay for sensible responses only. The ad campaigns achieve relevant responses, as it spread across the targeted masses. The Internet advertisements cannot be skipped by the users, as they are displayed upon attractively. The Internet advertising would give an edge to the players.
How To Make Sure The Billboard You Are Buying Is Legal
So what are the steps necessary to make sure that a sign is legal?
State License of Seller
In many states, the owner of a billboard must have a legal sign operator's license. Without this license being in good standing, any sale of a billboard is rendered illegal, as is the permit on the billboard in question. Make sure that you know the laws concerning a license in the state you are buying the billboard in. And make sure, if required by the state, that it is in good standing - don't just take the seller's word for it. Further, in many states there is a form of transfer that has to be filed. Make sure you have a handle on that, too.
State Permit
In most states, you must have a state permit for your sign. If you are in one of those states, then you must have one. If the seller does not have one, then that's the end of the story. Without a valid state permit, then nothing else matters.
City Permit
You normally have to have both a city and state permit for a billboard. In some cases, the city permit is all that is required - the city is designated "self-controlled" by the state and is solely responsible for billboard permits. Again, without a valid city permit, you can't buy the billboard.
Match the Permit Applications to the Actual Sign
Check the billboard size and lighting and height on both the state and city permits, and see if they match. If not, you are in trouble. Many times, the seller altered the sign once he got his state permit. That's not going to fly.
Match the Actual Sign to the State and City Permits
If the permits called for a 10' x 40' billboard with no lights, and the actual sign is 14'x 48' with lights, then the sign is illegal. Period.
Make Sure the Sign Has Not Been Abandoned
Many times, the permits on a billboard automatically terminate if the sign has been abandoned for 180 days or longer. Check with the state and city to make sure this has not occurred.
Make Sure the Sign Was Not Filed As a Premise Sign
When you review the permits, make sure that the billboard was not applied for as a "premise" sign. A premise sign is an on-site sign for a business. It does not allow for advertising any good or service not sold on the property and, therefore, does not make for a billboard sign at all.
Make Sure There Are No Outstanding Violations
Call the city and state officials and make sure that there are no outstanding violations on the sign. It may sound like overkill, but there is no protection too great for your investment.
Conclusion
Despite what a seller may tell you, there is nothing legal about a sign that does not possess all of the correct permits and licenses. I have heard every possible explanation by a seller why the permits are missing or incorrect, and thousands of times have been told that everything will be O.K. Unfortunately, it never has a happy ending when your billboard is not legal.
How To Find A New Billboard Location In One Afternoon
When Sam Walton built Walmart, he started outside of the big cities, and later worked his way in. That way he didn't face as stiff of competition when he got started. You need to follow his example. You need to get out of the big city and into the countryside to find your first billboard locations.
So how do you begin? Take a map of the city you are located in (assuming you live in a city; if not, then get a map of the nearest big city), and take a highlighter and color the highways leading in and out of town. Now, pick the general direction of growth in that city (north, south, etc.), defined as where there is the majority of new construction, home development, etc.). Your next step is to drive out one of the highways that run in that direction, and keep going until you see the billboards start to die out. You have now reached the limits of the universe for billboards, which makes for fertile territory for you.
You need to find the first legal billboard location available in this new territory - the first location since the string of billboards dies out. Why did the signs die out? Probably because there was not a whole lot of demand for the ad faces, and the big companies figure if they ever want a new location, there should be plenty available. However, this is a very good place to start your billboard career.
How can you make a billboard like this work when the big companies don't want it. Several reasons:
* You have far less overhead (like zero)
* You will rent the advertising space for less, since you have no corporate rules to worry about.
* You can build the sign for less if you really work it.
* You will put in 150% effort because it is your first sign
The safest way to approach a sign like this is to get the practice of obtaining a groundlease and permit, and then try and pre-lease the advertising space. That way, if you are unsuccessful in finding advertisers, you can just terminate the lease and not have to build it. Or you can try and sell it to another company (it won't bring a lot, so don't get too high expectations). Make sure that your groundlease allows you to cancel the lease in the event that you can't rent the advertising space - just in case.
Once you have gained your confidence and learned from a couple of these type of billboards, you will be much more confident to attack the ones closer in to the city center.
So if you are having trouble getting started in finding billboard locations, go to the far reaches of the metroplex, and you can find plenty of product to start you on your way. Even if you don't build that first sign, you will learn several lessons along the way.
How To Create Winning Billboard Artwork
Keep It Simple
You should not put more than a few words on a billboard. Why? Two reasons. First, you can't grasp more than a few words while reading and driving at 55 mph. Secondly, the size of the words is very important - you want to keep the main copy at approximately 36" character height - so the fewer the words, the larger the type and the better the visibility. To make this happen, you have to distill the advertiser's message down to its simplest form. This is one of your key goals in creating great artwork - what is the key message and how can you express it in the fewest possible words?
Legible Typestyles
There are a lot of typestyles out there - and most of them should never be used on a billboard. The typestyles you use must be easy to read. Those include simple styles such as times roman and universe. Always use styles that have very bold, thick strokes - they are easier to read at far distances. Most of the highly stylized typestyles that are popular in print advertising are completely inappropriate in billboards, although many graphic designers refuse to acknowledge this. If the viewer can't read your copy, what it the point of the billboard?
High Contrast
The Outdoor Advertising Association of America in 1928, published their findings of exhaustive research into what color combinations are the most legible on a billboard. The best colors, in order of success, more maximum contrast are:
1)black on yellow
2)black on white
3)yellow on black
4)white on black
5)blue on white
6)white on blue
7)white on green
8) green on white
9)red on white
10)white on red.
When the words and background on a billboard have little contrast, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to read the message. And it you cannot read the message, the ad is a total waste.
Graphic Must Convey
If you are going to put a picture in the ad (and you probably should) make sure that it compliments and helps tell the story. For example, a restaurant might want to show a plate of appetizing food as the graphic - not a leprechaun looking at a four leaf clover. The graphic should help sell the product or service, and make the ad memorable enough that you can remember the name of the company (such as the gecho for Geico).
Test and Re-test
Once you have a design that meets these criteria, you have to test it on some sample consumers to see if it works. These may be, in the simplest form, some of your co-workers. Tape the finished artwork to a distant wall, and then have the guinea pig walk toward the wall and tell you when they can see it clearly and what it means (try as best as you can to replicate the distance and size that the billboard will be seen). Be sure to use color artwork, so you don't cheat with the simple, high-contrast black and white version. A winning piece of art will have good visibility at a distance so far that most of the copy is illegible - yet just the headline grabs the viewer's attention and makes them want to read the balance of the ad.
Conclusion
There is no magic to producing great billboard ad copy. In fact, when you get away from the simple, time-proven roots of great copy is when you fail in your mission. You may be tempted to stray from these logical benchmarks to create "breakthrough" advertising - but instead all you will create is an embarrassment. Due to the difficulty in reading an ad at 55 mph from 1,000', a lot of the creative things that work in print ads just don't apply here.
So if you want to be known for having happy customers with ads that really sell, you need to stick to the points outlined above.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Are You Being Served? It Pays to Advertise. 1/3
Influencing Audience by Using Sex Motives in Advertisement
Advertising and eroticism
Eroticism and sex are used in today's advertising everywhere. If advertising is the engine of commerce, then various sexual motives are the engine of advertising. Sexual advertising influences our biological instincts and evokes strong emotions. It is generally agreed that this helps to increase sales.
Look at this Samsung advert. It uses one of the basic psychological methods of the advertising business - provocation of a conditioned reflex.
Sexual instinct is one of the most powerful biological stimulants. Connecting it with a neutral object you can achieve amazing advertising results. Most men and a lot of women like to see pretty young girls. It evokes positive emotions. These positive emotions that we experience looking at nice pretty girls is automatically transferred to the logo of well-known brand, which is modestly situated in the top left corner of the advert. It is the so called "halo effect" well known in psychology and the advertising industry. After seeing this kind of advert numerous times (probably even in different medias), the conditioned reflex will be preserved and kept in you subconscious. Very soon you will forget about the pretty girls from the picture and will never recall them. But, sooner or later, you will come to a shop and will see the familiar logo on one of the products... and your reaction to this product will be a priori positive, so that you will be more likely to purchase this brand and not its competitor.
It doesn't mean that some Mr. Smith, after seeing this advert for 50 times will be sexually attracted to a Samsung DVD player and won't be able to control his emotions if he sees Samsung logo on the window display of a nearby consumer electronics store. It's just that Mr. Smith for some mysterious reason that he himself cannot understand, will prefer Samsung labelled products. They will awaken positive emotions and will be associated with something nice, light, sexual and attractive... Our conditioned reflexes are in place and working properly for the benefit of advertisers. The connection does work: familiar logo à recollection of something positive, attractive, nice (pretty women) à positive emotions + positive reaction (purchase).
Using the mechanism of conditioned reflex, advertisers often use sexually attractive male and female models not overloaded with clothes. Seductive tempting legs, butt cheeks, bosoms, biceps, triceps and other body parts (for every taste) are constantly attacking us from the TV screens, magazines pages, billboards and other advertising media. But how effective are those adverts? Let's see.
Yes, Freud would throw a party and write another book which would probably be called "Practical guide to male complexes."
Another trick frequently used by advertisers is known as projective identification. According to Freud identification is a form of emotional connection with an object, which, by means of regression, substitutes the real libidinal (sexual) connection. Yes... sexual function is transferred from the real object (person) to a symbolic object. In the other words, products advertised in this manner acquire some phallic symbolism and transform into symbol of male strength (for illustrations please see the original article). So that the buyer is not buying cigarettes any more, but a mediated ability to satisfy this very pretty girl from the advertisement. On a subconscious level purchasing and smoking those cigarettes turns into symbolic realisation of sex relations. In this way sexual attributes are projected onto objects that have no relation to sex whatsoever. This is a frequently used, though nasty trick of modern advertising.
Theoretically, this sexual meaning may be attributed to any product dedicated to the male audience. Comment on another advert says: "ZIPPO will never reject you," and shows a beautiful girl partially covered with thin blanket. The implication is that if you use Zippo you can always approach the most beautiful women and will never be rejected. Also the trick of halo effect is in play here. Who will never reject you? Zippo? Or the pretty girl from the poster? Or any pretty girl you approach? But only if you use Zippo...
You can find and play around with sexual motives in any product advertisement.
Some of such adverts are really artistic - they are within the boundaries of good taste, yet erotic and inviting. Some of them are just vulgar and cheap. But there is something that unites all of these and many other adverts - use of sexual drive as well as the lack of confidence and desire to be accepted by and to be attractive to beauty. Advertisers basically use human nature and its imperfections to promote all kinds of products and services.
Shock Advertising
In the modern world the audience is bombarded daily by hundreds and thousands of advertisements and commercials. That's why one of the main objectives of any advertisement is to excel and stick out. Sexual subjects serve this purpose the best. Sexual instinct is one of the most powerful instincts and cedes only to the instinct of self-preservation. Our nervous system is built in such a way that any signal associated with sex immediately evokes orientation response. One's attention immediately focuses on the source of this signal and this reaction is rarely conscious. That's why sexual images are the most effective means to attract one's attention to an advertisement. It's believed that this makes the advertisement, and consequently, the brand more memorable.
Gucci generated an advert showing the letter G shaved into a woman's pubic hair. Shocking, isn't it? Memorable, as well... that's what they wanted to achieve. Calvin Klein, United Colours of Benetton, Gucci... all are respected and well known and established brands. All of them spend fortunes on advertising and market research... All of them use Shock Advertising policy and use sex images as the best "shock therapy" tool.
And... what can be more sexual and shocking than kissing nun and monk? (United Color of Benetton advert.)
You may say that clothes are often supposed to be sexy... how about coffee? Lavazza uses the same technique to shock and attract attention to their products.
And doesn't matter that these adverts may cause a major scandal. Even better. Then it's more likely to be remembered.
Use of hints
Another advertising trick opposite to the shock advertising is the use of subtle hints. Sometimes it's better not to talk openly about sex. Sometimes an advert should have some mystery in it, should be a bit funny and intriguing and sexual motives may be just a nice addition to the commercial message. In this case the buyers can use their imagination and "finish" the story of the advertising image by themselves. Thus, the buyers acquire the role of active participants in the advertising process. People that act as active participants of the advertising process are more likely to change their views in favour of the views recommended by the scenario of the advertisement: "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand."
The most effective is not an advert that suggests pre-formed schemas and images, but the one that evokes the thinking processes of the purchasers and allows them to understand and comprehend the meaning of an advertisement message on their own.
Various kinds of erotic hints and sometimes humour are very popular today in the advertising industry. This is not only an effective tool of advertising. It also allows the use of the attractive nature of sexual advertising message without the use of shocking vulgar images that may easily offend some part of the target audience and potential buyers. It helps to involve potential buyers in active thinking processes. Mental involvement in combination with the attractive, not vulgar, eroticism of the advertising images helps to achieve the advertisers goal: attract attention, involve, make the advert memorable, promote the brand, enhance sales.
Gender differences
Psychologists say that men and women approach sex differently. This is determined by biological and psychological differences between the sexes which are much deeper than artificially acquired cultural and sociological influences. As a result, advertisements designed for male and female audiences are very different.
With men everything is simple. It is assumed that men are naturally polygamous. As a result, for men any young good looking woman becomes an object of sexual attraction. Therefore, the advert should: (1) attract a man's attention with a sexy female body; (2) create a strong association: if you purchase the advertised product you will attract (have) a beautiful woman, maybe even few beautiful women. The advertising message is as follows: a woman will always prefer a man who possesses the advertised product.
This approach became so popular in the modern advertising industry that eau de colognes, cars, chewing gums, cigarettes, various beverages and other products are almost considered to be sex-stimulants (which is, of course, ridiculous). Chew this chewing gum and you will immediately become the object of desire of at least dozen of young attractive girls. Just smell this coffee and you'll have the best sexual adventure of your life. Choose those shoes and women will be at your feet.
Sometimes, to attract a more representative male audience, the theme of sex is presented as part of an "elite" life-style associated with the advertised product. This kind of advertising is appropriate for cars, expensive alcoholic beverages, houses, golf clubs, etc.
The approach to female-oriented advertising is more complicated. It is generally held that for women physical attractiveness of men is an important though not ultimately defining attribute of his sexual attractiveness (for the exception of really young teen age girls). Women are more pragmatic and any potential partner is evaluated by them on the basis of his social and biological characteristics. The process is often subconscious: is it possible to have healthy kids with him? Will he be able to satisfy her needs? Will he constantly take care of his wife and children? In our modern society the average women are looking for the features of "social success" with the set of typical characteristics ascribed to this "social success": self-confidence, good manners, tenderness and sensitivity to the female needs, financial stability, high social status... and, of course, physical attractiveness - as a nice value adding feature. This kind of advertising demonstrates that the purchased product will attract this very type of men to women - successful, rich and sensitive. And, of course, stereotypic tools and images are used to demonstrate it: yachts, expensive cars, stylish watches, etc.
And, of course, the decision will be in women's hands. All men will go after her, will desire her and long for her... (if she purchases the advertised product). Along with that sex is almost never used in female oriented adverts. The male body in this kind of advert is not sexual, but romantic and aesthetic.
Yes, today's advertisement industry targets average typical female slobs. Not that it's very different from the macho targets of male oriented advertising.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Traditional Advertising Can Still Earn Money Online
There are now many ways to promote your website online, but the traditional method of paid advertising is still a great way to generate targeted traffic and get customers buying from your site. The possibilities when it comes to advertising online include traditional ads on third party sites, pay per click advertising, and co-registration.
Advertising on third party sites
Paying to place an ad for your business on a third party site is still an effective way to generate traffic. You could use a banner across the top of a page, a sidebar down the side of the page, a pop up ad or floating ad that appears in a separate browser window, or a simple text link to your site incorporated into the third party text.
Although these types of ads can be very effective, they all have certain drawbacks. Web users are so used to seeing banner ads, so they tend to be ignored. Sidebars are generally quite expensive as users can still see them even when they scroll down through the webpage.
Pop up and floating ads will certainly get the users attention, but many people find them annoying and just close them down as quickly as possible. Text links can frustrate customers who don't realize they will be taken to another site when they click on the link. As you can see, deciding on an effective form of third party advertising can be tricky, and you want to be sure you are making the right choice before you make that capital investment.
Increase your traffic with pay per click advertising
The principle behind pay per click advertising is simple. You bid for your ad to appear at the top of search engine results for certain keywords, and on web pages that are optimized for your keyword, and then pay the amount of your bid every time a visitor is directed to your site by clicking on that ad.
Pay per click advertising has the advantage that it generates traffic much more quickly and effectively than traditional SEO methods, and if you word your ads well, the traffic should consist of well targeted potential customers. However, to bid on popular keywords that will generate a lot of traffic can be very expensive, and you need to ensure you select the right keywords to attract people who are really interested in your product.
Generate leads using co-registration
Co-registration is another form of advertising where you only pay for actual leads, rather than the advertisement itself. When a customer fills in a sign up or opt-in form for another website related to your own, they see a short ad for your site and are given the option to receive information from you. You pay a fixed amount every time a customer ticks a box to have their details passed on to you.
Co-registration has the advantage that you get highly targeted sales leads, because your customers have already expressed an interest in your product or business. The tricky part can be finding co-registration partners that have a website which is relevant to your business, without being a direct competitor.
Avoid the hassle and expense of paid advertising
If you can't decide which type of advertising might be the most effective, or the thought of setting up complex co-registration schemes leaves you cold, then you could try a system that manages all of your advertising for you. Forced money is a new online system that has been tested and is guaranteed to generate targeted traffic and a steady income, without you having to spend time and money on complicated advertising campaigns.
Promoting Education Using Advertising Materials
Advertising for anything is important if you want recognition of what you are promoting, sponsoring or otherwise involved in actively. Using advertising materials can be an excellent way to bring awareness about many topics. For instance promoting education using advertising materials can help you to raise awareness of many topics that you want the world to be concerned with.
Anti-drug and safe sex materials have been in widespread use for years, giving educators the ability to reach students and families in a way that sparks interest and recognition of the problem. Using promotional articles such as having a T-shirt print or even a small item like a keychain or an ink pen can give you the power that you need to reach thousands and even millions of people with your educational message.
People love to get things.
This concept is virtually universal and it particularly relates to younger adults and children. If you are planning an educational event then having t-shirts printed up with your message and handing them out to students and parents is an excellent way to communicate your message to those who need to hear it. Moreover, by wearing the printed t-shirts, your audience is also conveying your message to everyone that they come into contact with, giving you an even larger audience for your message.
Promotional products are not only used for promoting businesses, many advertising materials are used by non-profit organizations and educational institutions in order to reach volumes of people each year. Many colleges and universities have t-shirts and sweatshirts printed up in order to advertise their educational institute. There are also many health organizations, hospitals and even veterinary clinics that also provide promotional products in order to make the public aware of specific illnesses and to educate them on the proper symptoms, treatment and other aspects of these illnesses.
Many schools when promoting reading use printed materials to get students involved and excited about the reading process. Public school systems provide these materials to students and their families in order to promote a healthier reading level for the entire school.
No matter what educational message you are trying to get across to the public, promotional articles are absolutely one of the most powerful and effective strategies that you can use. Simply having your organizations name and short message printed on shirts, mouse pads, pens or any number of other products will give you the ability to share your important message with more people than you could ever reach in person. And remember that people love receiving free promotional items. You will simply have people begging you for the opportunity to spread your educational message. Promotional t-shirts work extremely well when promoting educational topics.
Many organizations use t-shirts as uniforms of sorts. You can have members sport your message during meetings or hold specific days that people will wear your t-shirt print. This will give you an even greater ability to reach others. Imagine a school organization holding a benefit and having all members wear t-shirts with your message printed on them. Everyone who comes into contact with your members will read your message; and if you hand out these shirts to everyone who supports your benefit you can just imagine the awareness that you can raise.
The days of door-to-door message delivery are virtually non-existent. Today the best way of reaching multitudes of people with an educational message is best done with promotional products as a form of advertising. The message delivery potential using these products is virtually unsurpassable with any other method and your recipients will highly appreciate the effort that you put forth in presenting them with a free product.
Do's and Don'ts For Effective Advertising
There are so many ways to advertise these days that it is hard to know what options to use and how to use them. Here are some quick and easy tips to effectively advertise your business or product.
Do's
Do be sure to book ahead for the holidays. If you want to place a television commercial or newspaper advertisement around the holidays, you need to get your ad in these places months ahead of time. Many businesses clamor to get their ads in around the holidays and will have to pay top dollar for it or take the least popular times if they wait too long.
Do keep your message fresh for the variety of media outlets. Do not use the exact same copy for each type of advertisement you employ. You do want to keep the same message, but use different words for different media to get that message across. This way you will not be annoyingly repetitive.
Do tout your benefits, not your features. People want to know what your product can do for them. This is what draws them in. They will learn about all your great features after you have garnered enough interest for them to walk into your store.
Do learn from other advertising campaigns, including your competitions'. When you see an ad that really grabs your attention, take note and think about why - what about it made you look, stop, and take the time to read or listen? Ask others in your company or family to do the same. You can also ask what your co-workers' favorite commercials are - they are bound to remember at least one. Write these down and see if you find a common factor that makes these commercials so memorable. Try to incorporate this factor in your advertising materials.
Don'ts
Do not advertise in one type of media. To be effective, advertising has to be repetitive (but not annoyingly so! See above.) This is best achieved through different channels - newspaper ads, radio ads, brochures or other color printing pieces, flyers, billboards, and television ads - the list is nearly endless. By advertising in a variety of places, you will get your message out to more people - the people that do not watch television, you will get through the newspaper. People that do not walk by your flyers will hear your radio ads.
Do not convolute your message. Keep it simple and short. Do not add too many details. Yes, your products have all these great benefits, but pick the top two or three and focus on those. If you add too much information, people will get confused or will tune your message out. Also, keep the layout simple by using easy-to-read fonts and limit the number of photos.
Do not forget to use your headlines. In any print materials you have - brochures, flyers, letters, etc., be sure to include your product's benefits in your headlines. Most people skim before they read, so the way to draw them in to read your smaller ad copy is to attract them with your headlines.
Agencies Need a Position For New Business
Ad agencies need positioning because prospective clients have lots of choices-and if you don't stand out, you are going to struggle with new business. Positioning is what differentiates a brand in the customer's mind. It is how you go to market. Without a point of differentiation you will find it difficult to effectively market and promote your agency and you will struggle to succinctly define your agency and what it does.
"if you can't say why your brand is both different and compelling in a few words, don't fix your statement, fix your agency."
Why does your agency brand matter to your target audiences? The problem is, answering such a simple question isn't that easy. One way to approach it is to think about why your agency brand matters to your target audiences. I've taken a number of agencies through a series of steps to discover what makes them the only. It is a discovery process that is a journey to the core of their business. Remember, you can't promote your way to being the one and only you have to start with it. Without a point of differentiation you will find it difficult to effectively market and promote your agency and you will struggle to succinctly define your agency and what it does.
Clear positioning provides:- An increase in your agency's relevance
- A direction for how your agency spends its time, money and resources
- An understanding on the types of persons to hire
- A better new business win ratio
- A strong appeal to a select group of prospects
- Prospects that line up with your agency's core strengths, what you do best
- A broader market area
It is possible to have prospects who seek you out when they know who you are and what you stand for. Trying to appeal to everyone appeals to no one.
Michael Gass is an agency new business consultant, primarily to small and mid-size advertising agencies. Michael works with marketing communications firms to create a more clearly defined focus and differentiating business strategy that will give them a competitive advantage for new business, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the clients they really want.
Fit to a T - Custom Company Shirts
Wear it loud, wear it proud. Company shirts are among the powerfully effective methods of calling attention to your brand because they fit what Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) describes as the best marketing products: those with the widest Reach, generate the strongest Recall and Impress the most. In fact, when PPAI made a survey of key business people, more than 30 percent were, at that moment, wearing promotional wearables, including company shirts. Take note that 70 percent of the same respondents recall company brands more through using promotional items than from reading about them in magazines or newspapers. To cap off the statistics, all participants reported that their impression of the company had become more favorable after receiving such marketing products. Half of them even went on to pursue deals with the advertiser.
Company shirts hail your brand the loudest among marketing products, thanks to the longevity of their usefulness. Clothing, after all, is an inherent necessity-no one leaves home without it! And company shirts are just the thing customers would readily reach for.
All shapes and sizes-All you need is a free-size men's T-shirt and a similar version for women to make sure everybody fits into your company shirts. Those two basic types should accommodate most types of built.
Ink and fabric library-Dyeing techniques and imprinting applications for company shirts come in several types. Such variety should service your bold invitational designs and subtle, embroidered logos, whichever you prefer more. Fabric, meanwhile, comes in an array of materials, weaves, thickness qualities and textures, each of which are deemed to suit your taste and those of your clients. If you want to be rid of too many choices, don't worry. Generic materials for company shirts are always available, for beginners' luck.
Your Name Here-Company shirts can be imprinted with your logos, company name, contact information, events lists and practically any marketing detail. Besides the main imprint area across the chest or on the back yoke, you can put images and shout-outs on the sleeves, pockets, collar and cuffs.
Multipurpose-Suitable as a party invitation, uniform, corporate gift and recognition award, a company shirt is versatile in function for both you and your customers: They may wear it at home or while commuting, on a picnic, in a community-building project or just lining up for coffee.
Business Promotion Tools
Stick them, replace them with new ones and remind yourself almost about anything. Student life is full of stuff to remember. The various theorems or long formulas could be made easy to remind as it remains in front of you every time you look at your favorite places in the room. Life is a mess when you are a student.
The sticky notes could solve a lot of the student's problems. Well this was just about the use of sticky notes in student's life but these are handy in other fields also. This is one of the most handy office tools that people use to promote their business. These are available in various forms, sizes and shapes. For example if someone wants to promote some products related to kids he can promote it by the use of colorful sticky notes which have pictures of cartoons or some animals in them. These are made to attract the customers and therefore they are made according to their interests. A football fan would look happier to link every thing with football. If the sticky note is meant to promote sports products then it must have some sporty look.
There are several other methods of promotion. Another one is the use of business card magnets. The property of magnet could be used in marketing. A company can put its motto or idea on these office tools. It can also be used to popularize the brand names of various companies. All these are inexpensive tools. Less expense and more profit.
The Best Classified Site
Have you been on the quest to find the best classifieds site out there? But you find that your ads are not getting any exposure at all or just no responses. I'm sure you have and I am pretty sure that there are thousands that have tried the same thing. Don't look any longer because I will tell you the best classified website out there.
I have been trying to improve my local business exposure for some time now, and after placing ads on many different sites I was still not getting any leads. Then I found the best online classified website. Not only does it give you exposure, your ads come up in major search engines!
This site provides high traffic and high response free classifieds, if you like to place an ad on this site it will be live instantly! It's a real hidden gem that most people don't know about it but it gains over 10,000 advertisers a month.
What ever you are selling, if it's a good product or service, will sell with no problems at all. My first month using this service gave me more leads then any other site and my website was finally getting traffic and I can't tell you how it how much it has made me a really happy man!
There are three different memberships that you can sign up for: Premium membership, which gives you maximum exposure. Gold membership great exposure and placement, and last but not least free membership that gives you less exposure but is very good less exposure (if you ask me).
Not only is it great for businesses, it is just as great for someone selling a pet, books or all the other things that can be sold on classified websites. Another great thing about the website is that you get free tips on how to improve your ads. I love this site and I am sure you will thank me a hundred times over for making you aware of it.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Digital Signage Out-Of-Home - Automated Audience Measurement
Digital signage, also called dynamic signage, is a specialized form of marketing in which video or multimedia content is displayed in public places for informational or advertising purposes. A digital sign generally consists of a central processing unit or playback device connected to a large, vivid digital screen such as an LCD or plasma display.
Digital signage is used in department stores, schools, libraries, office buildings, medical facilities, airports, train and bus stations, banks, auto dealerships and other public venues. The reason why digital signage has taken some time for widespread adoption is primarily due to the lack of impression measurement; which is directly associated to the Return On Investment (ROI) of this type of medium.
Some companies are working on what's called digital signage audience measurement or eyes on impression metric which will allow digital signage advertisers the ability to count how many people viewed their ads and for how long. EOI (Eyes On Impressions) is the industry's first bona fide attempt to get on board with traditional forms of media. The EOI measures the amount of people likely to see an ad by measuring format and location of the Digital Signage.
Both Nielsen Media Research and Arbitron are quietly laying the groundwork to measure out-of-home video networks, currently a $1.3 billion dollar industry and one of the fastest-growing segments of out-of-home. The initiatives coincide with the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau's push to standardize research and metrics for the segment as outlined in the group's Audience Metric Guidelines, presented to the American Association of Advertising Agencies' media research committee.
This technology is growing fast and will do marvels in this industry and that's why we're constantly keeping tabs on the progress of audience measurement in the digital signage spaceSmarter Yellow Page Advertising - Part 1 - Targeting Your Market
The small business is the backbone of the Yellow Pages. So, whether you are the local insurance agent, plumber, auto repairer, dentist, or attorney, you are most probably a YP advertiser and have another thing in common. You hate paying that monthly bill. I should know. I was a YP sales rep for 25 years and I can honestly say I never heard a customer thank me for our high rates. Instead, every year, the first question out of their mouths was, how much did it go up now? Gee, not even a, "Nice to see you again, Jeff? How's the family?" No, they got right to the bottom line.
How could I blame them? In some cases they were spending $1000's a month and had no idea whether it was even worth it. So it was up to me to calm them down and re-explain the value of the directory and their investment. We never called it an expense. It was always an investment in the business's future. So I showed them a variety of success stories and how much money XYZ Plumbing was making that year. Though I somehow doubted how that was supposed to help them pay their bill. But I did ultimately have a point. The YP worked well for many small businesses if they made the correct decisions.
Some of those were in regard to being in the right book. Often times, they would give me a strange look. I could I be in the wrong place? Well, look at your marketplace. Where do most of your customers come from? If you were in the Metro-Wide book and reaching all one million customers, wouldn't that make sense? No, not if you only serviced the Eastside and charged a small fortune to go to the North or Westside. Suppose you could save 75% by only being in that smaller Eastside directory? How would you feel now? But the rep told you to be in both because we don't know which book they are using. Fine, put a small ad in each with a special tracking phone number in each and spend the next year monitoring your calls. Then simply adjust your ad budget the following year to match the results. So, the Metro got you 100 calls and the Eastside, 400. Place 25% of your money into the Metro book and 75% in the Eastside. The bonus is that the Eastside book is much less expensive and you end up with a larger ad, which kelps pull in your local market better.
Many times it's cheaper to be in several small books than one large one. Although your rep will give you usage numbers that say you need to be in the larger book, doing your own tracking research is the only sure way to discover the truth. Reps make money off commission so they can't be completely objective. Then, once you are happy with your choice of books, we can move on to the next subject, the heading or category. In the meantime, check out my book on other great cost-saving tips from "Inside the Yellow Pages," available on amazon or off my website at poweradbook.com and good luck and good selling.
Smarter Yellow Page Advertising - Part 2 - Choosing a Heading
We also call headings categories. Either way, you need to comprehend the importance of being in the proper place so the right customer can find you. It sounds easy enough. Perhaps you are a full-service plumber. You place a large ad under, "Plumbing-Repair" and you're done, right? Not so fast. Do you work on drains and water heaters? Of course, you say. Doesn't the public realize that? Maybe they do but maybe they don't. Do all plumbers take credit cards? Most do but they still say it in their ads. It's because a little reinforcement can never hurt. So your only ad says "We do drains and water heater repair." What if Mrs. Smith has a leaky water heater. Will she go to plumbers heading or look under Water Heaters?
The same is true for a broken washing machine. Which is it: Appliance-Major Repair or Washing Machine Repair? If you can afford only one, how do you decide and what if only 25% of your potential customers go to the heading you didn't pick? Can you afford to loose one out of every four customers? Would it kill you to place a small ad under the lesser heading? When I had an advertising agency, my main ad was of course under "Advertising Agencies." But I also did some package design. I noticed that no one was listed there and the rep said it was obviously not a well-used heading. So I tried a small, one-liner. I made $5000 off that $25 ad the next year. Within four years, there were 10 listings like mine. Someone recognized the potential like I had done earlier. Never underestimate a lesser-used heading. You can spend far less where there is less competition and isn't that nice?
I use the fishing analogy. If the fishing is great at the lake, be there. But why not poke a pole into the creek now and then to see what bites. Maybe a huge fish is lurking and growing where no one has snagged him yet. It's worth a try. Just be sure to cover all your bases and track your results. If you do many things, rank the order of the things that are most profitable and that's where you place your ad. I had a florist that made more profit on silk flowers, but had only an ad under "Florists." When they placed an ad under "Flowers-Artificial and Silk," customers realized it was not only a convenient location, but they could compete with the larger stores in price because of their low overhead.
To recap, scan all the potential headings and don't be afraid to place an ad where there are only a few. Track the results so that you know which heading is bringing in the most profit, not the most customers. Then read my next article on how to choose the right size. So, how would I know so much about Yellow Page advertising? I was a top directory sales rep for 25 years and have a degree in advertising. I've also written a terrific book for even more cost-cutting tips. It's called, "Inside the Yellow Pages," on amazon or go to my website at poweradbook.com and enjoy the savings.
Smarter Yellow Page Advertising - Part 3 - Picking an Ad Size
Say you are the typical small business that advertises in your local Yellow Pages. You have chosen to be listed on the smaller Eastside directory and under "Catering." There are 20 other caters and now it's up to you to determine what size will be most effective. Your rep is encouraging you to place the largest ad because either (a) he thinks it's best for your business, (b) he says it will dominate the page, (c) he says it will make you the most money, or (d) he gets paid by commission.
Now first, let me explain that I was a YP rep for 25 years and my answer would be all of the above. But for many, it was only (d). In other words, can you really trust the rep to suggest an ad size or color when he gets paid more for the larger ads? I doubt if he or she will ever recommend the smallest ad without color. So, what should you do?
It begins with the heading and the competition. If you are a plumber confronted with 10 full pages and you can only afford an eighth of a page, maybe you should rethink the Yellow Pages at all. You see, plumbing is normally an emergency heading where a leak or broken pipe needs immediate attention. So Mrs. Smith starts at the beginning of the heading and works her way back. But not too far back. After flipping five pages, her little fingers are getting sore and she stops. She most probably would never get to your teeny-tiny ad in the back. Unless it offers "Free Service Calls, Free Parts, Free Dinner for 10 with every Repair and a Free Trip to Hawaii." Get my point? Assuming you're not in a giving mood, consider your options.
To be competitive with 10 full pages, nothing less than a half-page will work. And marginally well at that. But even that's still too expensive, you whine. I hate whiners but I'll let this one go. Either look for a cheaper Yellow Page book from a competitor or try the Internet. Look into Google ads. Or, try the larger ad YP by cutting back on your non-profitable overhead. Advertising is the life-blood of a business and you have to keep the trucks rolling. Unless you have a rare business that can totally survive on word-of-mouth, YP advertising is still the most effective for any emergency-type business. Although the Internet is becoming more powerful each day, it's also more fiercely competitive for that very reason.
I'm often asked if a smaller ad in full-color is better than a larger in black and yellow. The answer is that it depends. What are you selling? The florist, decorator, or swimming pool sales company can offer some pretty color pictures. But, why would I choose a plumber with a nice full-color flooded house? Or a color picture of an attorney? Does the color enhance the message? Sometimes it does. But I opt for size and position in most cases. "Position" meaning that the larger ads are placed first and before the smaller ones. So they are seen first as well. Finally, larger ads have more space to tell your story and include answers to all the "who, what, where, when and why" questions.
For even more interesting ways to save and create effective ads, consider my book called, "Inside the Yellow Pages," on amazon or my site, poweradbook.com and discover a peek into the directory business as well. In the meantime, I'll offer the best of luck in your YP advertising.
How to Decide If a Yellow Pages Ad is Right For You
So you take the step and your own account. But how can we decide, if appropriate, advertising is right for you? This will help dispel some of the mysteries and you on your way to increase your knowledge Yellow Pages.
Start by determining whether the Yellow Pages advertising is an effective way to attract new business. In addition, your company can afford this type of advertising.
If you've never done this before, it is best to begin by 1 / 8 or 1 / 4 page ad and see how it does it for a year. This gives you a better overall picture of the company.
Try to get an idea of your customers when you found. Always follow up with demand, "Where did you get our number?" Over the phone or in person. Even if they do not use your company or services.
Just because a representative Yellow Pages ad or was not useful, does not mean that all will not. Check around the experience and with the best deals and sellers. Some may help you write a higher ad and give you ideas for promoting the company as well.
If you do not show your ad or ideas sales personnel invents, feel free to modify it as you see fit. It is your ad, you've got a lot on horseback.
In some companies and some professional services, there are regulations limiting or against advertising can participate in. Be sure not to break all the rules by taking a Yellow Pages ad.
Decide whether you can meet the deadline for a particular book. If you can not, consider advertising in another book which has a later date.
Look at the coverage area and decide if you have the most coverage for your advertising dollar. What are the areas that already serve you? Would you expand the areas or are too far for your company?
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]