The Small Business Marketing Secret Of Knowing If Your Local Advertising Is A Winner

The Small Business Marketing Secret Of Knowing If Your Local Advertising Is A Winner
One thing I hear from fellow small business advertisers is "I know this ad I ran is a winner. I get people all the time saying that they saw my ad….they tell me how clever it is...and how much they enjoy it" But does that mean your ad is a winner? Let’s find out.
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.

By the way, I'm the 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://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com/ So There!

Small Business Advertising Idea; Use Your Blog.

Have you noticed that many speakers have blogs?
This is for several reasons.
1) It's a cheap way to get people to "follow" your ideas.
2) Its an easy way to include content that isn't on your website.
3) Your blog creates links that lead the reader back to your websites.

Let's talk about #3;
I have several websites that have offers in different businesses.
http://www.sweeperstore.com/ sells vacuum cleaner parts, bags, and supplies.
http://www.sweeperstoreonline.com/ is my local retail store website. It leads people doing local searches to my retail store.
http://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com/ is a site where you can download a free complete copy of my book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual.
And http://www.claudewhitacre.com/ is my Speaker website.

Now, all the links I just listed are automatically adding one more link to each of thse websites.

So what do I recommend you do? Go to http://www.blogger.com/ and create a blog for your business.
It's fast, easy, free, and will create a steady stream of new visitors to your main website. See you soon, Claude

Small Business Advertising In Las Vagas

I go to Las Vegas every March for an industry event. This month, I'll be giving a workshop on internet marketing for small business owners and retailers. Then, (the same day) I'll give my talk about small business and retail advertising. Here's a tidbit from my advertising speach;

One of the huge secrets in making sure your advertising pays, is putting everything the reader (or listener-viewer) needs to decide to buy. My ads are complete sales presentations.
It isn't enough to create "curiosity" to bring the prospect into your store...you need to make them want to buy...then they may get off their butts and drive to your store.

I don't need to sell hard when the customer comes through my door, because the marketing and advertising does most of the selling for me. After my speech is videotaped, I may post it for everyone to see. Until then, you can download a complete copy of my book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual for free. Just go to;
www.Local-Small-Business-Advertising-Marketing-Book.com

Small Business Advertising Success Secret. Pay less for advertising.

Here's the reason that some advertisers get better results from their ads. They pay less than you do. I'm not talking about a 15% discount because you claim to be an advertising agency. I mean discounts of 60-80% from the advertised rate.

It's called "remnant space".

If you ask about it, your rep will tell you that the media never has any available.
I always say "I know, but if something opens up...this is how much I can pay".

Amazingly, a few days later an opening occurs.

And that becomes you new advertising rate.

There is so much more in my book, The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can download a free copy at www.Local-Small-Business-Advertising-Marketing-Book.com