Does advertising work?
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Advertising can be good for the ego, but it can be expensive and needs to be critically assessed.
Before you start you need to be clear about why you are doing it. Are you aiming for response, or positioning and awareness?
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6 top tips for advertising: |
| 1. | One-off adverts rarely work - you need to plan a campaign |
| 2. | Size and frequency matters - especially frequency. If you can't afford either, see point 6! |
| 3. | The price is always negotiable - it's worth trying for a deal |
| 4. |
Consider classified pages - they're cheaper and can attract serious buyers |
| 5. |
Copy sells. Design sells the copy - a small advert has to work hard. Ask the experts |
| 6. |
There are alternatives - sales letters, networking, PR, web and email, to name a few
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Ultimately, all advertising must sell: there is no other justification for it, but just because you can't attribute a particular sale to your advert doesn't make it a failure. General awareness and positioning are important too: it supports your sales approaches because people like what they are familiar with.
The real trick with advertising is to find places where a good quantity of your potential customers will see your advert in an uncluttered environment.
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For example, if your business sells holiday homes you could advertise in a holiday homes magazine.
There's every sense in that, but all your competitors will advertise there too.
That means needing a big advert in a prime space to stand out ... which isn't cheap. Instead, seek out other publications where your advert will be seen by the right people, but where your competitors aren't advertising.
Think laterally. Advertising isn't just press. There's radio, bus stops, tube trains, even doctors' waiting rooms. And don't forget that there's a whole world on-line including search engine marketing and pay-per-click advertising.
Oh, and if you want a response, make sure there's a good, strong call to action - ring/visit/apply – always ask for the business.
Best wishes
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ASK THE EYE:
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What's a realistic advertising budget?
How do we measure if our advertising is working?
If you've got a question about advertising why not Ask the eye? It's free!
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IN NEXT MONTH'S
EYE LEVEL:
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Sourcing data
How do you find a good mailing list?
If you're considering direct marketing, the quality of your data is crucial.
Read our top tips next month ...
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| Featured customer: |
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