Mistake number one
The biggest mistake you can make with your printed or digital media is to make image more important than content. Image advertising is all about you and your business, your experience, your qualifications, your success, your product lines. Kill the cleverness that makes you shine instead of your product, as it will smother your product’s message. Your readers or listeners only buy benefits and they are only interested in themselves and their problems. They are always asking “What is in it for me,” make sure you answer their question.
You cannot track the response from image advertising and its only function it to keep the company name in front of the readers, listeners or viewers. Such advertising is typically used in TV commercials for drinks or cars.
Mistake number two
Not monitoring RTA (Response to advertisement)
You must track and evaluate the response from your advertising in all
of its forms. If you don’t know what is working you won’t
know where to invest your money.
Simple ways to monitor the response are:
1. Ask. Simply asking a visitor or caller how they heard of you and why
they contacted you is all you need to do. Some of the replies you receive
using this method will be inaccurate as people forget where they saw your
advertisement or prefer not to say.
2. Use a different telephone number for you advertisements – then when that number is called you know someone is responding to the advertisement.
3. Use different contact names in the advertisement. Ask for Paul, ask for Jane, ask for Mohammed would tell you which advertisement the response is coming from. Matching your contact name to the product you are selling or the area in which you are selling it in could be beneficial. For example if you were promoting a nightclub, as a fun night out would contact Cindy or contact Agatha give the better impression? If you were promoting a finishing school for young ladies Agatha may be a better choice than Cindy. Everyone has preconceived ideas of how people are from just knowing their name. It is the way things are so use it to your advantage.
4. Use coupons and ask your customers to redeem them. Print a code number on the coupon, and use a different code number for each publication.
Mistake number three
Making it hard for customers to contact you. Give your customers plenty
of ways to get in touch with you in the advertisement and avoid having
a telephone system where they have to listen to lots of instructions and
press button, after button, after button. The same can be said of your
web site, don’t make visitors click more links that is necessary.
Mistake number four
Having a poor headline. 80% of your advertisements success is in the headline.
It must be attractive enough to make your potential customers stop and
read you advertisement. It should promise the reader a believable benefit,
be memorable and fun to read.
Mistake number five
Using poor quality or unsuitable images. A striking image, preferably
of the product being used is great for attracting attention. The image
is what the reader will see first. A good image should convey most of
the sales story and direct the eye to the headline. It should support
your sales message and present your product in the best possible light.
A poor image will produce the opposite result and the reader won’t
bother to read your advertisement and see all the great benefits you have
to offer.
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