Nine Elements of Excellence in Small Business Advertising - Follow the Formula for Business Advertising Success
It's just as difficult to gauge the likely success of an advertisement as of any creative work. Directors are never sure which movies will be hits, bands don't know which songs will be the most appreciated... if they did, they'd simply follow the formula every time! The need for novelty and uniqueness means that advertisers are constantly testing the waters with their business advertising. However, there are some ground rules to help you foster a basis for excellence. We examine those eight elements of excellence in small business advertising here!
1. Know your target
You have to be able to see your target to hit it... and in the case of business advertising, the 'target' refers to your target market. The first hurdle to jump is deciding who you're selling to. The second hurdle in this step is designing the advertising visuals, wording and offer to attract this audience.
2. Know what you want
In order to get what you want out of your business advertising, you have to know what you want. Set an objective for your ads - what do you want, and what can you realistically expect customers to do after they see your business advertising? Your objective could be:
- Visiting the website
- Coming to the store
3. Increase in sales of X per cent
- Phoning the store
- Sending in a coupon or competition entry form (for example, if you are aiming to build your mailing list)
The better you can quantify an objective the more useful it will be!
4. Know your Unique Selling Points
Without inclusion of your Unique Selling Points (USPs), your ad looks exactly the same as every one of your competitors. If people don't know why they should buy from you, there's just as likely to buy from a competitor.
5. Know your benefits
Every product or service has both features and benefits. Features are material aspects of the product (e.g. Lawn mowing in under 20 minutes); benefits are what the customer gets out of that feature (e.g. Well-maintained lawns with no hassle).
6. Remove barriers
There are always barriers within your customers' minds to buying your products or services. Your business advertising should try to offset these as much as possible. Some examples of barriers (and how ads can jump them) are:
Barrier: Your customers don't believe what you say about your products
Jump it by: Including testimonials, contactable referees, independent articles that reference your product, etc.
Barrier: Customers cannot find their preferred purchasing/payment method
Jump it by: Offering as many purchase and payment options as possible, indicating these on your advertisement or website
Barrier: The risk of buying a new brand or type of product and possibly 'wasting' money
Jump it by: Offering a money-back guarantee
7. Know the power of your headline
Headlines follow the old 80/20 rule in life: They make up 20% of your ad copy, but 80% of your business advertising success is directly attributable to the headline. Look for one of the following angles for the headline in your small business advertising:
- A benefit angle
- A news angle
- A how-to angle
- A curiosity angle
8. Call to action
People need to be told what your business advertising wants them to do. How can they act to receive these fabulous benefits that are directly targeted to their needs?! Tell them whether they should come into the store, visit the website, etc.
9. Know how to make it easy
If your business advertising is on the web, always provide a link. If you want customers to contact you by phone, businesses above a certain size (or with a larger geographic range) should use a toll-free number. Importantly, if you want people to contact you by phone, don't make them wait on hold! If you want people to come to your store, provide maps and directions showing how to reach you.
Questions and Answers
Small business owners are constantly fighting to stay afloat in a changing marketplace. Expanding their client base is of paramount importance in making sure that a small business continues to grow. Advertising small business can be particularly challenging given tight budgetary constraints. Local business marketing can take several forms including television, radio, mailings and perhaps even fliers.
This article explains the various methods of small business marketing and advertising
It is possible to double small business profits in one month by applying big business advertising rules. Affordable business lists are the answer.
The Author gives an insight on how to develop ecommerce for small businesses in Africa, in a very simple, easy-to-read language devoid of technical jargons
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http://localwebhits.com/. small business online marketing, small business online advertising, Local small business advertising. We have an affordable advertising and marketing solution for your local business or your small business.
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