The five most important things you need to know about successful advertising
So what is it that makes a successful advertisement effective? There are five key areas that I believe are the very essence of effective advertising. They are:
2. Being clear about your target audience
3. Making your advertisement stand out from millions of others
4. Ensuring people see your advertising often
5. Giving your advertising time to work.
Each of these areas are explained in more detail below.
4. Ensuring people see your advertising often
5. Giving your advertising time to work.
Each of these areas are explained in more detail below.
1. Establishing the exact message you are trying to put forward
A lot of advertising sends a very confusing message to poten- tial customers. Advertising needs to be planned and it needs to be simple. Sit down and allow some time to think about the exact message you are trying to pass on to potential cus- tomers. Give them a reason to pick up the telephone or to drop into your business.
Often advertising becomes cluttered and confusing because there is simply too much information in the adver- tisement or commercial. If you can’t summarise what you want your message to say in one short sentence, go back to the drawing board until you can. Once this magic sentence has been determined, build your advertisement to portray this message clearly. Your advertising will have far greater results if you repeat this message rather than try to introduce a number of other messages.
Take a few minutes to flick through today’s newspaper and pay close attention to the advertisements that really stand out. They are often the least cluttered. They will have a clear message. They may promote a lot of products but there is no doubt about what they are selling and what the message they are trying to get across is.
For advertising to work for any business, deciding the specific message you want to pass on to potential customers is critical.
2. Being clear about your target audience
If you are advertising parachuting courses it is unlikely you will get the best results from a commercial on television during daytime soap operas (apart from some adventurous retirees perhaps). Likewise, if you are selling a new product to relieve the pain of arthritis it is unlikely to produce excel- lent results if it is advertised during coverage of some world extreme sport (although many participants will definitely need the product in a few years).
Knowing exactly the type of person you want to see your advertisement is an essential component for planning your campaign. This is a question most advertising sales representatives will normally ask you (or at least they should ask you). The advertising lingo for it is the ‘demographic’ you are trying to reach. This can include such details as the age of the potential customers, their sex, their wealth status and their geographical location, to mention a few of the elements of a demographic breakdown.
Advertising should be planned to reach particular kinds of consumers in a specific manner. The clearer you are about your targeted customers the more effectively you can plan your advertising. Placing advertisements randomly in any medium is not an effective way to advertise. Different people watch television at different times (and of course they watch different shows). Different people read various sections of the paper, listen to particular radio stations and so on.
Whenever you are planning an advertising campaign take a few moments to stop and consider the exact type of person you want to see your advertisements.
If you are advertising parachuting courses it is unlikely you will get the best results from a commercial on television during daytime soap operas (apart from some adventurous retirees perhaps). Likewise, if you are selling a new product to relieve the pain of arthritis it is unlikely to produce excel- lent results if it is advertised during coverage of some world extreme sport (although many participants will definitely need the product in a few years).
Knowing exactly the type of person you want to see your advertisement is an essential component for planning your campaign. This is a question most advertising sales representatives will normally ask you (or at least they should ask you). The advertising lingo for it is the ‘demographic’ you are trying to reach. This can include such details as the age of the potential customers, their sex, their wealth status and their geographical location, to mention a few of the elements of a demographic breakdown.
Advertising should be planned to reach particular kinds of consumers in a specific manner. The clearer you are about your targeted customers the more effectively you can plan your advertising. Placing advertisements randomly in any medium is not an effective way to advertise. Different people watch television at different times (and of course they watch different shows). Different people read various sections of the paper, listen to particular radio stations and so on.
Whenever you are planning an advertising campaign take a few moments to stop and consider the exact type of person you want to see your advertisements.
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