Here's the problem; Everyone will tell you that your advertising is clever and that they enjoyed reading your ads. People want to be polite to you and they don't want to be rude.
When you run ads, everyone will compliment you on the ad. It's their way of saying "I know who you are, and I'm letting you know I saw your ad". But they don't really know anything about advertising. They will know if they like the graphics, but not if the advertisement will produce a profit.
The only test of whether or not your ad was successful….is if the advertisement more than paid for itself, and generated a profit. The rest is fluff.
I used to frequent a local bar. I would write an ad. I took it to the bar and asked a few guys what they thought.
"Wow, Claude..this is a great ad!""
"I get it...very clever ad"
"Claude, you sure know how to make a fine ad"
Hearing anything like that meant I had work to do.
"Wow, Claude….can you really get this for that price? Do you have any in stock?"
Now, I knew the ad was a winner.
The only purpose of advertising is to make people want to come in your store and buy something. It isn't to get your name out there, be funny, crack jokes, or say something bad about a competitor. The purpose of advertising is to attract buyers to your business.
Being "clever" won't do it. If your ad is clever..they are thinking about the ad...and not your product. Most small business advertisers think that funny and witty equals sales. It doesn't. There is no relationship between how clever your ad is and how much it creates the desire to buy what you sell.
Trying to entertain won't do it. Ever watch an infomercial? They are selling. Everything in the time allotted is geared to selling. They don't sing jingles, they don't try to be clever in their ""company motto". They sell.
I have an exercise for you. This is what I did at the beginning of my advertising studies...to understand what made ads work.
I went to a library….took out a magazine…..looked at the ads...then got an issue a year old...and looked at those ads.
The ads that were still there (that sold something or offered information) were proven winners. How did I know?
Ads that sell something are tracked by the advertiser for effectiveness. After a few months...if they aren't profitable they are gone. If they are still in the magazine after a year..they are making a profit.
After you look at several successful ads, you'll begin to see commonalities. They leave clues as to why they are profitable.
And the ads that didn't work? They ones that are gone? They were written by someone who didn't do this research.
Do you save ads that advertise and sell what you sell?
I do. The ads that work become templates for me to "borrow" ideas from.
A couple of hours at the library can save any small business advertiser thousands of dollars a year in advertising mistakes. How do I know? That's what I did.
Author Resource:
Local Small Business and Marketing expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can purchase the book for $19.95 at http://www.claudewhitacre.com. You can also download your Free copy of the complete book at http://local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com
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