| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Advertising 101
Advertising has truly become a part of all of our lives as consumers, as business owners, as parents, as concerned citizens. We simply cannot escape from its presence no matter how hard we try. Considering how pervasive advertising is in our daily lives, it's no surprise that people have such extreme views about it. Many home-based business owners want to steer clear of it altogether. They might dabble in marketing or use some sales strategies, but most don't want much to do with actual advertising. Unfortunately, this is a mistake on their part and it usually comes as a result of not understanding the purpose of advertising. So what is the true reason for advertising? According to Michael Corbett, author of The 33 Ruthless Rules of Local Advertising, you should advertise "to create an equity position in a target market and to ...motivate a sufficient number of consumers..." In simple language, you advertise so that people will know you exist and will keep you in business. What's so evil about that? Absolutely nothing! Here are a few very good reasons why you need to start advertising today: 1. Potential customers are constantly shopping The truth is that most people are always looking for ways to spend their money. They don't always realize it, but they are. That's why banner ads, commercials, and billboards work even though they are being viewed miles away from the business. If you don't advertise, you're missing out on a chance to tap into that human desire. 2. Potential customers may forget you While the desire for shopping may be permanent, a consumer's memory is not. Even if they have had a tremendous experience with your business, even if they've recommended you to their friends and family, even if you were the only company they ever thought of doing business with, after awhile they would forget you or forget how to get in touch with you. 3. Potential customers don't always make buying decisions immediately Another tried and true rule about consumers is that they don't always decide to buy as soon as they see an ad. For example, if you see a commercial for a fast food restaurant right after Thanksgiving dinner, you're not going to run right out to the drive thru after seeing the commercial. However, the next time you're hungry, you might remember that commercial and choose to stop in then. So the idea of advertising is to plant an image in consumers minds so that when they need your product, your business comes to their minds. 4. Customers rely on name recognition to guide their consumer choices most of the time Why do people still buy name brand products over generics even when the price difference is significant and the quality of the products is equitable? Because of name recognition! Consumers respond to names that are familiar whether they are buying a new car, a computer, a lawyer, or ketchup. If you want to succeed, you need to be sure that your targeted audience will know your name when they hear it and will think of your name when they need your product. Advertising can make that happen. On the other hand, many business owners see advertising as a quick fix. If business gets a little slow, a newspaper ad or a direct mail piece will fix everything in a jiffy. That's not the case either. Let me give you a few reasons why. 1. Advertising works on a six month cycle Many times when people think their advertising hasn't worked, it's because they haven't waited long enough to see results. Generally, the advertising you do today won't fully pay off for another three to six months. For that reason, if you want to ensure a consistent stream of customers, you need to continue to advertise all the time. Advertising only when business is slow simply won't save your business because by the time you start seeing results, it may be too late. 2. Your problems are related to another step in the process Another reason advertising can't cure everything is that simply attracting customers is only one step of the process. Once you lure them in, you need to have the content or the customer service to convince potential buyers to take that next step. If any step in the process is lacking, then no amount of advertising is going to help. 3. You are neglecting your current customers and their potential Don't make the mistake of focusing all of your efforts on finding new customers when your best source of additional revenue is being neglected. Past customers are more likely to become repeat customers, plus they don't require the additional expenses of marketing and advertising. As you can see, the truth about advertising is that it can be a powerful force for your success if handled correctly. Too many people see it as an evil force or as a business miracle when the reality is somewhere in between. Vishal P. Rao is the owner of: http://www.work-at-home-forum.com/ An online community of people who work at home.
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets Yellow Pages Ads - Buying SecretsOK- let's agree that many businesses can benefit greatly from Yellow Pages advertising. Let's also agree that few businesses enjoy paying for this "necessary evil". Present Your Product On A TV Show for FREE Would you like to get your new or existing Internet business moving nearly at the speed of light? Do you know what is required to get your business noticed and how to build your personal credibility fast, making clients secure enough to purchase from you over the Internet?The Simple AnswerThe primary answer is putting potential clients in a comfort zone relative to your product quality and your reputation as an authority in your marketing niche.One SolutionMarket it on television. Mortgage Marketing - Broadcast Advertising vs Direct Advertising Do you know how to design and deploy a marketing campaign?Even if your ad budget is small you should still plan and measure the results of you advertising. This process is the key to your ultimate success. How To Use Pictures To Immediately Start Increasing The Response Rates Of Your Marketing There should only be one, over-riding reason why you're doing anything in your marketing.Know what that reason is?Of course! To increase the response rates of your sales promotions!Because that leads to. The Future of Voiceovers: Hold Your Tongue...Possibly Forever "Do we need to cast a voice-over talent for this project?"That's a valid question any producer might ask when creating an advertisement, corporate audio-video presentation, video game, etc. Of course, the answer depends on what elements the producer and client feel will best communicate with the audience. Become a Storyteller Not an Advertiser and Watch Your Traffic Increase When you read the newspaper, do you read advertisements as closely as you read news stories? Do you believe advertising as readily as you believe news stories? I don't and neither do most people I know.Because we have advertising shoved at us from every angle we tend to ignore it, but we pay attention to news or public interest stories. Create Your Own Business Cards, Part 1 In this lesson, we will create a business card, using Microsoft Word. I created a new template for my business card. Advertising For The Long Haul and Not the Short Term Gains New Age Media Concepts issues its first article of many that will focus on the advertising and marketing industry. "If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person and that's marketing. What's the Score? You may be aware that in a basketball game the assistant coaches keep an almost unending list of personal statistics for each player. Rebounds, assists, points, minutes played, etc. The Importance of Your Business Card What are you trying to say with you business card?We have talked about collecting other people's business cards and also about how they are often tough to differentiate from one another. These are things you should avoid for your own business card. In Advertising Bigger isn't Always Better If you have been following the recent advertising news you will notice that more and more major advertisers are looking to smaller ad agencies to handle their campaigns.Is it because they feel bad? Is it because they are cheaper? Or is it because they see the level of creative talent of smaller agencies?Lets take a quick look at why this is happening and how this is good for the consumers and the advertisers. LED Moving Message Displays LED's are becoming more and more popular in all kinds of lighting fixtures. For simpler, slimmer design, moving message displays utilize Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) as the display technology. Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards? If you have a computer and a printer, preferably one that can print in color, then you can make your own brochures and business cards that are very professional-looking! Be sure to use good quality paper (that is available at any office supplies store like Office Depot or Staples) for anything that you are going to hand out or send to potential customers and clients.Writing Text for Your Brochure and Business CardThe very best thing to do is to get a few examples of business brochures and business cards, preferably from the same type of business as the business you are starting. Localized Advertising - Door-to-Door Ad Distribution on the Fly! Have you ever had to distribute door-hanger advertisements for your business? Have you ever employed door-to-door sales techniques to increase your brand awareness? Have you ever had to walk mile-after-mile repeating the sales pitch, over and over? Have you ever had to stand outside of an arena event and pass out flyers to exiting patrons? If you stop to think of the cold calling technique of door-to door advertising, you would discover how sometimes humiliating it is to have a disinterested and irritated individual slam the door in your face, yell insulting things toward you, or be escorted off of their property. To combat this instantaneous humiliation, the idea of door-hanging advertisements gives the sales person a means of getting the word out to more people faster than before but more importantly, it saves the person the anguish of the advertised becoming irate over the interruption. 10 Ways To Improve Your Print Ads 1) Include a coupon in your large ads. This can increase response from 25 to 100 percent. The Secrets of High Money Classified Ads When used effectively, classified ads can be one of the quickest and most inexpensive ways to increase your sales. A well written classified ad can generate thousands in sales, yet could cost you pennies to write and run. Adding Art to Business Spaces Larger companies have learned that collecting art adds something special to its overall corporate image. An art collection may include art on display in waiting, or general areas. Advertising Copy: What's Really Important? You labor long and hard trying to create the perfect advertising piece but only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned. Media Planning: Smart Choices for Your Success Media Planning for SmartiesYou say you're ready to advertise. How are you going to choose whether to place your ad in the local newspaper or a national magazine? Why not do a radio spot or place a banner ad on a related company's website? Understanding the benefits and pitfalls of these different forms of media will help you get the most out of your advertising budget. The Inside Secrets Of Free Publicity For Your Business Product publicity is the "secret pathway" to business success everyone wants. In simple terms, product publicity is a kind of advertising that costs you nothing, yet brings in the orders for you.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
