Advertising is an investment in your business and is similar to
other investments that are designed to improve and expand your
business. The return you receive depends on the planning and
thought that precede the actual commitment and expenditure of
advertising dollars. By first developing an effective
advertising plan, you increase the likelihood of a positive
return on your advertising investment, regardless of the amount
of money you spend.
Four Basic Questions
The basic premise of an advertising plan requires you to
thoroughly analyze the answers to key questions before you can
make effective advertising decisions.
There are four key
questions to ask yourself:
What do I want my advertising to accomplish?
Who should my advertising speak to?
What should my advertising say?
What advertising medium should I use?
In a specific business situation, each question has any number
of potential answers. As you think about each question, do not
accept any answer until you have considered and explored the
full range of possibilities.
What do I Want My Advertising to Accomplish?
The first step in developing your advertising plan is to
specify your advertising goals. Be as precise as you can as to
why you are advertising and what you want to achieve. Everyone
wants advertising to increase business, but for your advertising plan to work, it requires you to be more precise. Some possible goals for your advertising are:
To increase awareness of your business.
To attract competitors' customers.
To increase the likelihood of keeping current customers and
developing their loyalty.
To generate immediate sales or sales leads.
It is possible that you may want your advertising to achieve
all of these goals plus some others. What is important is that
you prioritize your goals. Advertising works best when it is
developed to meet one specific goal at a time.
Who Should My Advertising Speak to?
Once you determine your advertising goals, you can then select
the target audience for your message. Keep in mind that
advertising that tries to reach "everyone" rarely succeeds.
Successful advertising is written with a specific customer in
mind. Try to picture the person you must reach in order to
achieve your advertising goals.
Try to describe your target
consumers in each of the following:
Demographics: such as gender, age, income, location of
residence or business, etc.
Behaviors: such as current awareness of your business; the
products, services or vendors they currently use; loyalty to
either you or your competitor's business, etc.
Needs or desires: such as what benefits consumers look for,
the basis on which they will decide whether to use your product
or service, how your business can fulfill those needs, etc.
What Should My Advertising Say?
Once you know who your target audience is and what they are
looking for in terms of the product or service you offer, you
can decide what your advertising will say. Advertising should
always be written to communicate a message that will be seen as
important by your target customer. Your advertising should
clearly and convincingly "speak" to your target audience,
explaining the important benefits your product or service
offers. In deciding how to discuss the major benefits of your
product or service in your advertising, keep "AIDA" in mind:
attract Attention, hold Interest, arouse Desire and motivate
Action.
Where Should I Place My Advertising?
Every month, new advertising options become available. Beyond "traditional" media you can place ads in airports, on ski lifts
and on television monitors in the front of grocery carts. Where
you place your advertising should be guided by a simple
principle: Go where your target audience will have the highest
likelihood of seeing or hearing it. Many advertising media work
well to reach a diverse range of target consumers. There is no
single medium that is inherently good or bad. In fact, a good
medium for one product or service may be a poor medium for
another. As you consider media choices, look for one that fits
your advertising goals, reaches your target efficiently and
cost effectively and is within your advertising budget.
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