The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
I really hope you are happy with what you see here at this website. You are welcome to make use of the site's search features or even the sitemap to find anything in particular, as there is a lot of content that has been produced. If you have any comments please ask.
The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
Free Online Articles Directory
Why Submit Articles?
Top Authors
Top Articles
FAQ
AB Answers
0 && $.browser.msie ) {
var ie_version = parseInt($.browser.version);
if(ie_version Hello Guest
Login
Register
Hello
My Home
Sign Out
Email
Password
Remember me?
Lost Password?
Home Page > Advertising > Online Promotion > The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
Posted: May 26, 2010 |Comments: 0
|
]]>
The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
By: Charlotte Gibson
About the Author
Samantha Hartley of Enlightened Marketing helps socially responsible entrepreneurs who are struggling with peaks and valleys in their businesses to generate a consistent stream of new, profitable clients. For FREE marketing tips sign up for our eZine at Enlightened Marketing.
(ArticlesBase SC #2464279)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
If you spend enough time around me, like my clients do, you could start to get the impression that I’m down on advertising. After all, when people call to ask what they should tell the salesperson on the other line – selling ads in everything from high school yearbooks to fish restaurant tabletops – I almost always advise against it.
But I’m not down on advertising; I’m down on “armchair advertisers.”
Did you ever watch the film critics on TV and think, “I could do that.” You’re an armchair critic. How about the football announcers?
Their job looks pretty easy, and you sure know a lot about football, right? Armchair announcer, calling the game from your recliner.
Well, advertising might look like something everyone can do, and you may even know some ad agency people who aren’t all that smart. But don’t be fooled. Creating good advertising is a skill, usually learned not in a classroom, but from years of practice, and trial and error.
Trial and error is expensive, and that’s the main reason I don’t advise most of my clients to do much formal advertising. Before you see major TV ads, they’ve been tested, tweaked, rewritten, recast with different actors, and otherwise vetted so they get exactly the response the advertiser is looking for. Can you afford to do the same? What’s a small biz to do?
Following are the top ten reasons why most ads don’t work and some suggestions for how to ensure YOUR ads – whether mass media, direct mail or just brochures – get more response.
1. No intention. What do you want the ad to do for you? It’s an obvious question, yet most people can’t answer it. Your ad needs to have a little mission to accomplish: “go out there and tell people to call me.” Or, “send people to the form on my web site.” Or, “get people to attend my event.” If you’re not sure why you’re advertising – or if it’s just to “create awareness,” don’t do it. It’s easier just to throw your money directly out the window.
2. No message. What is your ad saying? My least favorite of all, the “business card ad” is saying, “Hey, I’m in business!” Really, well that’s nice for you. But tell a reader why she should care.
In a word, benefits! The message in your ad (and this can be accomplished with or without text) should say, “Here’s why YOU, the person looking at this right now, need to take action on this ad.”
Many of you have heard me evangelize on this point, but if your message doesn’t get your desired response when you tell it to someone in casual conversation, don’t bother advertising. Perfect the message till it makes eyebrows raise, then you know you’ve got something.
3. No brand. Your brand identity and personality should be woven into your ad so the reader has a sense of who you are. Even if I’ve tuned out all the ads before it, the right branded ad will get my attention and, often, action. Imagery, language, style and message are all elements of your brand and should be integrated fully into every ad. It’s twice as effective when you communicate your value (brand) while asking for action.
4. Wrong medium. Ever pass a billboard filled with text you can’t read? That company chose the wrong medium. Have you ever done radio ads and gotten poor results? How many did you run? Radio is a repetition medium, and a small sprinkling of ads there can be a waste of money.
Ask yourself, “Is this something my intended audience will see or hear?” What programs and topics interest them? It’s better to run an ad in an association newsletter your prospects will see than on a TV station they may or may not be watching.
5. Not integrated. Is the message in your ad the same as the ones in your brochure and on your web site? While the tag lines and logos may be the same, the look and feel may betray the fact that your site was written years ago and the business cards haven’t been updated yet. And unless everything your prospect sees is aligned, your message is garbled.
Conversely, the magic of integrated marketing means that the message I see on your billboard is echoed and enhanced by your promotional event, and the great PR you got in today’s paper is conveying the same benefits as I read on your web site. If you can maximize your exposure to an intensive burst, giving your audience more than 6 but less than 20 impressions of your business over the course of a few weeks, you will generate massive results.
6. No call to action. Call! Send! Come by! Tell your intended audience what you want them to do. Drink! Enjoy! Send money! Make it clear how they should do so. Operators are standing by! You don’t have to use the cheesy language they do in major ads, but you can apply the reasoning behind it to whatever you’re doing. If you have a clear intention for your ad, then this call to action will help you fulfill it.
7. Not targeted. In an attempt to capture everyone who might see an ad, it’s easy to forget about custom-tailoring the message to exactly YOUR intended recipient. You can do this with the medium and the placement of your ad as well.
For example, if I want businesspeople to see my ad in the newspaper, I could put a professionally written advertorial (ad in the form of an article) in the business pages.
8. Not engaging. Effective ads reach out and grab the attention of their intended audience.
One way to do that is with a really creative concept, and that’s what a good agency can do for you. If you are spending a lot of money on the placement of your ad, it’s probably in your interest to have it designed for you by an agency.
Be sure to tell the agency your intentions for the ad, as well as the key messages that you want to convey. You might be surprised when you get the creative ideas that your agency proposes, and it can be hard to evaluate them. The best way to do so is to say, “Does this convey the message and represent my brand?”
Using emotion is another way to engage people with your ads. I can’t be the only one who cries at TV commercials, and, although it doesn’t make me more inclined to buy something I don’t need, it does get my attention. If I am the intended audience, I may also be moved to take action based on what I’ve seen.
9. No testing. As I mentioned earlier, large companies will test ads like crazy before airing them, usually with focus groups. You know what a focus group is? A few representatives of your market who can be trusted to give their honest opinion about something.
Nothing keeps us little guys from doing focus groups; I do them all the time. “Here, check this out and tell me what you think,” I might send you sometime in an email. “Does this sound too sales-y?” I just wrote to someone yesterday.
Try showing them the ad your agency proposed (see #8) and asking: “What message does this ad convey to you? Does it look like the kind of ad you’d expect from my brand?”
Be careful whom you include in your focus group. The core market of Coca-Cola is teenagers, but no teens work at Coke. So, when the executives saw new ads and hated them, the marketing team gave them t-shirts that read, “I am not the target audience.” If your audience is young moms, don’t ask the guys in your building for feedback.
If you have friends like me who find a typo in everything they see, include them in your test groups. It’s embarrassing to discover mistakes after your brochure is printed. Most of all, it’s expensive to find out your message is unclear, or you’ve left out the call to action.
10. No tracking. Marketing is a process, not a one-shot deal. It’s critical to learn from everything you do and improve upon it as you go on. The only way to do this is to track the results. “Yes, we tried that once and it didn’t work for us.” I hear this a lot.
Why didn’t it work? Was the issue with the message, the medium or the frequency? When things DO work, I ask the same thing. Unless you track the results of each ad, you won’t know. How do you track? “Mention this ad and get an additional 5% off.” That’s a retailer tracking how effective his ad is. “How did you hear about us?” I asked when you signed up for this newsletter. Surprisingly, nearly everyone takes the few seconds to actually fill in that box, helping me immensely by allowing me to track the effectiveness of all my marketing activities.
“Enter this code at our web site.” “Ask for Tom when you call.” Even a special phone number can be used which is only for calls related to a single ad.
The possibilities are endless, and all of them are useful in helping you learn what works for your particular business. The main thing I want you to take away from this article is that you have to be smarter and learn faster than the big advertisers. We small businesses don’t have the money to spend on “image campaigns” and “creating awareness.” We don’t have huge budgets, so we need to get attention with great ideas and powerful messages rather than big, splashy ads.
Avoiding the 10 ad killers in this list WILL improve your communications and save you money. And, if you apply these lessons in every area of your marketing, you’ll be on your way to booming business!
Retrieved from “http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/the-top-10-reasons-your-ads-arent-working-2464279.html”
(ArticlesBase SC #2464279)
Charlotte Gibson -
About the Author:
Samantha Hartley of Enlightened Marketing helps socially responsible entrepreneurs who are struggling with peaks and valleys in their businesses to generate a consistent stream of new, profitable clients. For FREE marketing tips sign up for our eZine at Enlightened Marketing.
]]>
Rate this Article
vote(s)
0 vote(s)
Feedback
RSS
Print
Email
Re-Publish
Article Tags:
business, advertising
Latest Online Promotion Articles
More from Charlotte Gibson
Company Growth 5 Free Online Business Advertising Secrets
Company growth secrets from free online business advertising outlines financial & growth benefits. Growth can be achieved by business owners tapping into a companies growth strategies afforded by the new online advertising options like Google domination. One of the most restrictive business growth factors is a lack of a business sector small business advertising budget. Business consultancy firms & SEO Merseyside specialists solves this issue.
By:
Dr Mark Yatesl
Businessl
Apr 27, 2010
SEO Optimization Effective Business Advertising For All Business Advertising site
SEO optimization is a effective strategy in Business Advertising For All Business Advertising which is a Business Advertising website is designed to obtain favorable search engine rankings from popular search engines.
By:
Hc Liml
Advertisingl
Oct 25, 2009
Business Advertising Houston – Business Advertising Online Agency Houston
Business Advertising Online is the direct advertisement for small and medium business owners to reach directly to the audience minds and thoughts. Business Advertising Online Agency put your advertisement on the highest traffic in local Houston websites for high revenues with low budget.
By:
Dev l
Business>
Online Businessl
Jul 21, 2009
Business Advertising Strategies For Home Businesses
No business can ever preserve its competitive edge without business advertising. A home business is no exception and more so because there are no brightly lit neon signs to spread the word. The article outlines a number of highly cost effective ways to advertise your home business and sustain the growth momentum.
By:
Stuart Rubensteinl
Business>
Home Businessl
Mar 05, 2009
Small Business Advertising – Spend Those Dollars Wisely
Advertising and marketing is a vital, yet often challenging undertaking for many small-business owners. Making best use of the advertising budget is often very subjective and what may work for one business, may fail miserably for another.
By:
Rolando Valdesl
Advertisingl
Aug 22, 2010
Internet Business Advertising Online- Ways to Advertising your Business Online
Advertising your business Online Tips – How To Get More Traffic With Popular Online Advertising Methods
Starting a new business for your consumer products company and industrial equipment supplies business is a daunting task.
By:
Hc Liml
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 03, 2009
5 channels Online Internet Business Advertising your Business
What a wonderful invention it is, this thing we call the Internet business advertising for your consumer product company and industrial equipment supplies sale business plan
By:
Lim Hwa Chiangl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Oct 15, 2009
Businesses Advertising Top 5 Online Business Tips
The awe inspiring leap in business trade online has led to a phenomenal amount of online research queries for information tips. Businesses Advertising Top 5 Online Business Tips aims to assist all business management consultants & business owners running an online business. It also seeks to assist every new and aspiring business development entrepreneur & online professional seeking online business tips. For all businesses advertising online.
By:
Dr Mark Yatesl
Businessl
Sep 26, 2009
you will earn much money just at your home…
of course with easy steps…
By:
peter chandral
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
Wine Charms wine glass charms wine charm
What’s More Fun Than Wine Charms? Wanting a creative and fun alternative to tangled and cumbersome wine glass charms, Jeannine Fradelizio decided to invent the Wine Glass Writer for her next wine party or wine tasting. This wine pen uses non-toxic and washable ink and is perfect for use on all types of wine glasses, even stemless wine glasses— when glass charms aren’t an option. And just in time for the gift-giving season, this wine pen makes unique stocking stuffers & party supplies.
By:
Gerry Hamml
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
What is Cragslist pva and does it is scam or not? and should you open pva account by other company or by yourself.
By:
Md Mazaharul Huql
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
If you need custom written academic papers, you can buy them from us. From us you get quality custom research papers, custom thesis, custom term papers, custom essays, custom coursework custom speeches, and custom book review.
By:
Charles Millerl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
Writing research papers is a tedious and time consuming activity. With students having so mush to do at school, work, home and other responsibilities, they sometimes find the task of writing research papers and other academic assignments overwhelming.
By:
Charles Millerl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
Make Money Online Working from Home and Sending sms through Web
Make money online working from home by just sending sms through web and by receiving the sms to the mobile. Making money online, sign up and get paid process are the two ways to earn money through online business plans. Earn money through different money making plans in the online without any investment from pocket.
By:
ssmgsolutionsl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
How To Hire Custom Writing Essay Writer
In the essay writing industry, we have two kinds of writers. The first kinds of writers are fully qualified and truly professional I their essay completion as well as completion.
By:
Charles Millerl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
Seeking Custom Writing Service
Writing custom papers has become a major task for many students. This is because the students do not know how to write custom papers.
By:
Charles Millerl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
Nov 13, 2010
The Least Marketing You Can Do – and Still Have a Successful Small Business
Why do small business owners get such poor results from their marketing? You can sum this up in three reasons: They don’t know what to do, or they don’t know how to do
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Marketing>
Social Marketingl
May 26, 2010
Marketing ROI – Getting More Out of Your Business Cards
The most important thing to understand about lines of communication with your customers is that everything is one. Everything about you communicates, whether you want it to or not.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Advertising>
Brandingl
May 26, 2010
Creating A Brand That Is Authentic, Resilient And Disaster Proof
Back when her unpopular TV show, “The Apprentice,” was on the air, Martha Stewart’s company lost 40% of its value. As the face (and name) of the company, people were clearly turned off by the experience of her in the “you’re fired” role.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Advertising>
Brandingl
May 26, 2010
A Quick and Easy Summer Marketing Tip
Everything seems to slooooooooow down in the end of summer, and that can be bad for business.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Marketing>
Social Marketingl
May 26, 2010
The Enlightened Marketing Strategy Missionaries Use
We were hanging out Saturday afternoon when the doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone but was pleasantly surprised to see two Mormon missionaries there.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Marketing>
Social Marketingl
May 26, 2010
Key Ingredients Of Web Sites That Sell
Does your web site sell for you? When you speak with clients who have visited your site, are they ready to do business with you?
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Internet>
Internet Marketingl
May 26, 2010
The Top 10 Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working
If you spend enough time around me, like my clients do, you could start to get the impression that I’m down on advertising. After all, when people call to ask what they should tell the salesperson on the other line – selling ads in everything from high school yearbooks to fish restaurant tabletops – I almost always advise against it.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Advertising>
Online Promotionl
May 26, 2010
Marketing Success In 30 Minutes A Day
One of the hardest things to do as a business owner is make time to work on growing your own business. We’re so busy working for our clients, creating the products or services we sell, or reacting to the Tyranny of the Urgent that there just isn’t enough time to give to our business.
By:
Charlotte Gibsonl
Marketing>
Social Marketingl
May 26, 2010
Add new Comment
Your Name: *
Your Email:
Comment Body: *
Verification code:*
* Required fields
Submit
Your Articles Here
It’s Free and easy
Sign Up Today
Author Navigation
My Home
Publish Article
View/Edit Articles
View/Edit Q&A
Edit your Account
Manage Authors
Statistics Page
Personal RSS Builder
My Home
Edit your Account
Update Profile
View/Edit Q&A
Publish Article
Author Box
Charlotte Gibson has 10 articles online
Articles Categories
All Categories
Advertising
Arts & Entertainment
Automotive
Beauty
Business
Careers
Computers
Education
Finance
Food and Beverage
Health
Hobbies
Home and Family
Home Improvement
Internet
Judaism
Law
Marketing
News and Society
Relationships
Self Improvement
Shopping
Spirituality
Sports and Fitness
Technology
Travel
Writing
Branding
Direct Mail
Graphic Design
Multimedia
Online Promotion
PPC Advertising
Prepress
Printing
]]>
Need Help?
Contact Us
FAQ
Submit Articles
Editorial Guidelines
Blog
Site Links
Recent Articles
Top Authors
Top Articles
Find Articles
Site Map
Webmasters
RSS Builder
RSS
Link to Us
Business Info
Advertising
Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2010 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved.
Samantha Hartley of Enlightened Marketing helps socially responsible entrepreneurs who are struggling with peaks and valleys in their businesses to generate a consistent stream of new, profitable clients. For FREE marketing tips sign up for our eZine at Enlightened Marketing.
Ok, if there's absolutely anything else you need to unearth, please ensure that you inform us or alternatively continue to search this website. We really want your experience here to be an enjoyable one, and based on that, please do ensure you make contact. Hopefully there will be enough info here to help you find just what you are searching for. Many thanks.
