Ad Inspiration
Throughout my career I’ve seen a LOT of advertisements. Some were good, some were dismal (I mean, really bad) and then there are also a few that have stuck in my mind through the years as examples of pure excellence in this industry. They were ads that made someone stop and pay attention and, most importantly, follow through with a call to action or remember a brand when he or she truly needed a product or service.
These are the ads we always strive for – the ones that “stand out” for whatever reason.
Since it’s Friday, and we all need a little fun, creative inspiration at the end of a long week, I’ve decided to share this article I found with examples of truly great advertisements. Note the things you like and the things you dislike (we all have different tastes), but most importantly note what you think is most effective. I challenge you to incorporate something you liked into your next ad campaign to see if it makes a difference in response. Next time I’ll share a few tried and true methods to test ad ROI and effectiveness but, until then, take a break and enjoy these examples of creativity at its finest.
See you around the neighborhood,
Greg
What’s New?
As you might have noticed, we’re changing things up a bit here at the Zip Code Magazines. Most notably, we are “ReConnecting” with more online options, like our new online magazines and our ReConnect Email Newsletter for readers.
How does this affect you? Now you have even more options to reach our readers, we just need information from you about what’s going on at your business:
- Reader Deals: Want to offer special deals for our online subscribers? Just let us know! We’ll post it in our Reader Deal Bulletin Board and on our Twitter page.
- Community News and Events: Have news or an event you want to let our readers know about? We’ll get it posted for you as well as included in the ReConnect Newsletter!
- Videos: Want to feature your business video on the Zip Code Magazines YouTube page? You guessed it. It’s as easy as sending us the link.
You can send all of your information to Meghan at mpescio@ppplv.com and she’ll make the rest happen. Keep an eye out for more announcements and updates on how we’re “ReConnecting” with our community online.
See you around the neighborhood!
Native Advertising
Let’s be honest here. Raise your hand if you know what Native Advertising means and how it’s used for marketing?
If your hand is still resting on your keyboard, you’re not alone. A recent survey by Copy Blogger found you’re among 49% of respondents (over 2,000 people took the survey) who, literally, had no idea what Native Advertising entails and how it’s used. In a world that mixes Tweets and “Likes” with more traditional forms of advertising and marketing, it’s admittedly hard to keep up with it all.
While Native Advertising may not be for everyone, wouldn’t you like to know more about it, in case it makes sense as a marketing tactic for your business? We found this great article that gives a simple, understandable breakdown of Native Advertising and it’s many uses: http://www.copyblogger.com/examples-of-native-ads/.
We hope it is helpful for you!
See you around the neighborhood,
Greg
Shop Around for Advertising Using the Cost Per Thousand Method
Shopping around. It’s smart, necessary to run a successful business, and just makes sense all around. We all want the best deal on everything we purchase, so before we put down our hard earned money we shop around to make sure we get the best price. Now, with access to the internet at our fingertips at all times, we can simply type in information about a product we are looking for and with a mere keystroke get the best prices available. Shoppers are more informed than ever before with a method that works great for physical products like computers, cars and washing machines…but how do you shop around when you decide you need to invest in advertising? If two ad sales representatives are standing in front of you, both holding a similar looking product in their hands, how do you determine which is giving you the best value?
I hear of this dilemma frequently from business owners I work with, and unfortunately many times it comes down to whatever price the sales rep is quoting. However, it’s not always the case that the lower “price” is the best value. A simple formula that professional advertising agencies and media buyers use daily (but most business owners who purchase their own advertising aren’t aware of) is called Cost Per Thousand (CPM…”M” stands for mille which is Latin for thousand). The CPM is the “Great Equalizer” that puts the base price of advertising on an even playing field, so a business owner can make an informed decision.
No need to break out the fancy calculator. The CPM is straightforward, reflecting the cost for your ad to reach 1000 potential advertisers. To figure the CPM all you need to do is take the cost of the ad and divide it by the distribution (thousands only).
For example, if an ad costs $1000 and the distribution is 23,000 here’s what you do:
1. Divide $1000 by 23.
Yep, that’s it. What does it mean? It means your cost to reach 1000 potential customers is $43.47. Using the CPM, the base value when comparing advertising will become very apparent to you.
I mention advertising base value because, just like add-ons to other products, there are added value features in advertising that you must also take into account when considering the full value of your advertising. The quality of the publication, brand awareness, direct mail vs. rack distribution, in state vs. out of state distribution and readership numbers all add to the value of that base number.
Buying advertising doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark if you ask the right questions and use CPM to ensure you are getting the best value for the money you are spending.
Once is not enough: The Importance of Frequency in Advertising
“I just want to try advertising once to see what kind of results I will get.”
This is a statement I hear from business owners all too often that will, in the end, cause a huge deal of aggravation, wasted expense and ultimately disappointment with an advertising campaign. What’s the reason for this? In advertising, once is just not enough.
A successful advertising campaign has so many variables to consider: Where do you advertise? What size is the ad? What product or service are you advertising? How does your message and call to action relate with your target audience? These are all important questions, but one of the most important (yet often overlooked) questions when considering the effectiveness of your campaign is: What is your ad frequency?
How often you advertise and how consistently your target audience engages with your brand through advertisement is one of the keys to a successful program.
A Common Misconception
We all advertise for the same reason, right? We want to bring customers through the door and sell more products (or services)! Most business owners I have spoken with over the years grasp that concept. What I’ve noticed, however, is those same business owners don’t truly understand the process a customer goes through, starting way before seeing an advertisement, leading up to purchase. In their minds it’s a seemingly simple equation:
– I take out an advertisement.
– Targeted potential customer, John, sees the advertisement.
– John walks in to my store and buys my goods or services.
If the first-time ad doesn’t go according to this equation, then the advertising doesn’t work and I just lost money. In fact the only true part of that last sentence is – If you only ran the ad one time, you probably did just waste your money. In reality, your advertising did better than you thought, but without frequency you never got the chance to experience it.
So, why is frequency so important?
It all comes down to the buying cycle. Research shows a consumer goes through a similar process every time they consider a purchase. The higher the ticket price or the more personal it is, the longer the buying cycle. A typical buying cycle a new advertiser must take into account is:
#1 – Awareness – Before a potential customer even enters the buying cycle they must know you exist. This means they will consider your company once they enter the cycle and also allows you the ability to bring potential customers into the purchase cycle for your product or service (See #2).
#2 – Interest – After your customer realizes you exist; you have the opportunity to then influence the buying cycle by creating interest in what you are selling.
#3 – Need – If you have done a good job of creating interest, it will push the customer to determine if they have a need for your product or service.
#4 – Comparison – This is the point at which knowing your competitor is crucial. The value of the product and buying risk for the customer will determine how thorough this stage will be.
#5 – Purchase – The customer has satisfied the previous four steps and makes the purchase.
#6 – Satisfaction – Once the purchase is made the customer then enters post-purchase mode, in which they determine whether the product lives up to their expectations.
#7 – Referrals – This is also a post-purchase activity, but extremely important with the rise of websites like Yelp (a recent study showed nearly 90% of customers are influenced by a positive review online). If everything is as “advertised” customers will gladly send their friends and family to you. Momentum begins from this point.
So what does frequency have to do with the buying cycle? Depending on budget and urgency there could be weeks, months or years between Step 1 and Step 5. Frequency in advertising is what pushes you through the steps and why the more you advertise consistently, the better your results become. Different studies have suggested the frequency of advertising should range from three to seven times depending on the product, cost, target audience and medium. Industry opinion can dictate up to eleven impressions before action is taken. After this, however, consistent advertising serves to reinforce your brand, and provide top of mind awareness among your current customers while simultaneously engaging new customers in the buying cycle.
Here today gone tomorrow advertising is one of the most expensive actions that a business owner can take. Patience and effective frequency pays off in the long run, generating new business and building a sustainable foundation for your brand.
The Value of Print in Your Media Mix
“Print is ‘dying’ and online is taking over.”
The sentence above is what we have been hearing lately. What we are seeing, however, tells a different story. What we are seeing, as a 10-year-old print magazine with a 100% advertising-based revenue model, is that those who consider their media mix to leverage print and online in tandem are having far more success than those willing to throw all their eggs into the “online” basket. The article below explains why print, and more importantly targeted print advertising, is still a very important piece in your marketing puzzle.
The Value of Print in Your Media Mix
By Amy Hansen, MPA Media Marketing Services Coordinator
In today’s new media landscape and challenging economic times, companies are undoubtedly feeling pressure to justify how their media budget is allocated. With marketing budgets shrinking and new media platforms emerging every day, the decision to continue to invest in traditional media such as print is being challenged to prove its value and impact on sales. The time has come to evaluate your media mix to make certain you are successfully reaching your target audience, building brand awareness and effectively communicating the value of your products. Print advertising can help you do just that.
In recent times, some marketers have dismissed print as an “outdated” medium no longer relevant to today’s marketing efforts, but market research suggests that print is not dead. In fact, data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) shows magazine readership has actually risen 4.3 percent over the past five years. This same data also tells us that four out of five adults are currently reading magazines. These statistics tell us print is very much “alive and well” and reinforces the idea that print media is still a very viable advertising medium.
Another recent study by Yankelovich proved print ads are “much more likely” to make a positive impact on people than ads in digital media. Why? Readers of print media are more immersed in the content and tend to be more receptive to the publication’s print ads. In today’s world of email overload, a well-designed print ad can easily stand out, grab attention and cut through the overwhelming amount of online clutter we are exposed to on a daily basis.
Even online advertisers are starting to recognize the value and impact print can bring to their marketing initiatives. They are finding print is especially powerful when it is effectively combined with other media elements as part of an integrated marketing program. Online advertisers are catching on to print media’s ability to target a specific audience where they “live.” While online advertising can effectively reach large numbers of people, the audience reached is much less targeted then it is with print advertising.
In addition to targeting a specific audience, print advertising also has the power to boost web traffic and spur online purchasing as shown in studies by Marketing Evolution, JupiterResearch and the Online Publishers Association. Print is the number one driver of purchase intent with more than half of all readers acting on magazine ads, according to a study by Affinity Research. In fact, a study from BIGresearch in 2008 shows that magazines lead newer media channels in influencing customers to start an online search. A study by McPfeters & Company, Conde Nast and CBS Vision also revealed that print builds more brand awareness than other mediums. In the study, magazine ad recall was three times that of online banner ads, yet again reinforcing the power of print and the tremendous value it brings as part of your marketing approach.
I’m not advocating you abandon any of your online tactics, but rather combine multiple media platforms to reach more of your target audience and achieve greater marketing impact. The growing use of new media channels, combined with the power of print can move you closer to achieving sales and branding goals. Print can drive your customers and prospects to your website where you can convert clicks into sales. It can raise your brand awareness and push people to your Facebook and Twitter pages where you can connect deeper with your customers and communicate your brand and product values. The key to any successful marketing campaign is the ability to engage your target audience with compelling content that prompts them to take action. Print advertising, when used as part of an integrated, multichannel marketing strategy, can do just that by reaching your customers and prospects where they are to build your brand and drive your sales.
21 Ways to Fail in Advertising
Are you thinking about starting an advertising campaign? Our expert account representatives have years of experience helping businesses to be as successful as possible with their advertising. To help you in your planning stages, we compiled a list of the major advertising offenses we’ve seen over the years that can throw your campaign off track:
#1 – Don’t write a marketing or business advertising plan
Please think about this. Marketing is probably your company’s only source of income. In turn, your marketing plan is probably the most important document you have.
#2 – Make the wrong offer of advertise the wrong merchandise
Your customer’s opinion is the only that one that ultimately counts. Your offer should match their needs and wants. Ask for their opinion, and tailor your offer to their desires. Feature well-known, branded products in your business advertising that are in high demand. This will bring in the customers.
#3 – Don’t advertise with correct frequency
You will waste more money in business advertising by running ads too infrequently than by funning them too often. Don’t try to save money by reducing advertising frequency. You must stay in contact with your customers.
#4 – Don’t advertise the benefits your customers want
Everything must be relevant to your customers. Always talk customer benefits, not product features. For example: “Saves three hours” is a feature. “Three hours to spend with your kids” is a benefit. “Three hours to pay your bills” is not exactly the benefit your customers want. Ask them what they want. Talk to them about the benefits they want with your business advertising, not about the features that you have.
#5 – Set unrealistic expectations for your ads
Consistent, long-term advertising builds a clientele. Running a few ads will not bury you in new customers. You need patience and determination. As a general rule, look for your advertising to impact your business after six months. This is reality. Business advertising is an investment, not a miracle.
#6 – Advertise to a non-existent market
A little research can go a long way in determining the actual demand for your products or services. If there is no demand, advertising cannot create it. Business advertising can make people aware of solutions to their problems, but people will not buy solutions for problems they don’t have, no matter how much you advertise.
#7 – Think of advertising and selling as unimportant or undignified
You probably wouldn’t be reading this if you thought selling was unimportant, but let’s say it anyway: all of the business advertising in the world won’t help you if you don’t close the sale. You must sell, you must be good at it, and you must respect it.
#8 – Miss your target audience
This is targeting and media selection and planning. A vital question is where do your clients get their information? What do they read? What do they find believable and influential? It could be the newspaper, or the mail, or their friends. Match what your customers tell you with the demographic information your media company provides.
#9 – Design bad advertisements
Your ad represents your company to the customer. It is all they have to judge you by. Your ad is the first, and maybe the las impression you make. It’s simple: poorly designed ads make you look bad. Professionally designed ads make you look…professional.
#10 – Advertise merchandise that you don’t have enough of
Your advertising expenditure will be wasted if you don’t have the products people came in for. And, you get unhappy customers.
#11 – Write bad copy
Avoid copy that is too obscure, witty, technical, or fully of jargon. Don’t hide your benefits in your copy. Write copy that sells, and ask for the sale. Remember that professional copy writers get paid for a reason.
#12 – Select the wrong media
It is true that the media IS the message. In addition to your ad, the form of media you choose also represents your company. It should be a good fit. your choice of media should make you look professional. [This does not mean to go and buy television time.] You want to match your advertising to your clients. Where do your customers go to get information? Don’t guess — ask them.
#13 – Don’t copy your competitors’ business advertising
As a general rule, you need to match your competitors’ level of business advertising as a percentage of gross sales in order to maintain your current level of business. If you want your business to grow, you need to advertise more than, or more effectively than, your competitors. If you are up against much larger competitors, you will need to spend proportionately more than they do to grow your sales.
#14 – Feature yourself in your ads
In general, this is a bad idea. Seldom is the owner of a company the most effective advertising spokesperson for that company. Advertising is about getting the best results possible. This is also a consideration when you choose the name of your company. Your name should reflect the business you are in. Saying “Johnson & Sons” says nothing about what it is you do. Stick to “Johnson’s Construction Company,” or better, “Dream Home Construction.”
#15 – Fail to close the sale after your business advertisement brings in prospects
The job of an advertisement is to get a potential customer to call you or to walk in the door. It is the job of your staff and customer service representatives, and you, to close the deal.
#16 – Advertise to new prospects and not to your existing customers
Marketing experts claim that is costs five to eight times the amount of money to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing customer. And, it takes at least three exposures to your business advertising just to get a new customer to notice you. Your existing customers already know and trust you. They are your best, first prospects. Direct your business advertising to them first.
#17 – Don’t do any advertising or promotions at all
Business advertising is expensive, and it can be scary. The truth is that some advertising doesn’t work. However, if you’re careful, and you advertise in the most professional way you can, the odds are with you. If you don’t advertise at all, the odds of financial success are a million to one. You could give away your services, and your reputation will grow like wildfire. But if you want to earn a profit in a competitive marketplace, you need to advertise.
#18 – Look for a business advertising miracle with a one-shot advertising program
Business advertising is a long-term process of building recognition and trust with the public. Miracles rarely happen, and one-shot ads are just a waste of money. Expect to stick with an advertising program for at least six months just to measure the initial impact.
#19 – Change your business advertising too frequently
You and everyone around you and close to the business will get tired of your ads. But only the customer counts. It takes a long, long time for your customers to get tired of your ads. Many companies never change their business advertising. Create professional advertisements that really work, and then stick to them until they no longer generate the sales response you want. Don’t change the ads that are working.
#20 – Slow down or stop your business advertising when the economy slows down
The Golden Rule of business advertising, if there is such a thing: Stay in touch with your customers. If you are inconsistent, they won’t trust you. If they can’t find you, they will go to your competitor. And, if they forget who you are, you have to start all over again.
#21 – Don’t tell the truth
The Federal Trade Commission monitors business advertising in the United States. If ads are misleading or untruthful, penalties can be very severe. Please read this: http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus35-advertising-faqs-guide-small-business for more information.
