Get noticed by Google
By Philip Shaw
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
WITH one billion internet users worldwide and 14 million in Australia, being easily found in Google can have a huge impact on the success of your business.
Even if you don't sell online, many of your potential customers do research on Google before making their buying decisions.
If customers don't find your business online, you can be fairly sure they'll find your competition.
To rank high in Google's search results, you can hire a consultant or, given the time, there are some easy changes you can make to your website yourself, or perhaps ask your web developer to do for you.
How does Google rank websites?
Before you make any changes to your website, you need to understand how Google finds and ranks your website in the search results.
Search engines use software, often called a "robot" or a "spider", that constantly "crawls" the internet following links from one site to another, reading the text of the sites it finds, then recording or "indexing" the results in its database.
When a potential customer does a search (for say "Sydney drycleaners"), the search engine uses its secret formula or "algorithm" to create a list of what it deems to be the most relevant search results for that request.
The Google search results page is made up of two sections: sponsored links and organic results.
The sponsored links (paid advertising, such as Google Adwords) are the entries at the top of the page and the right-hand column. The organic results are in the left-hand column below the first sponsored entries.
Getting your website to rank as high as possible in the organic results is referred to as search engine optimisation (or SEO).
There are two basic steps to improve your rankings. You need to improve the content of your website so your keywords are very prominent in the text of your website, then you need to get lots of other websites that are relevant to your business linking to your website.
Very few website visitors click on beyond the second page of the search results, so your goal should be to get at least within the top 20 search results (that is, the first two search results pages) for any keyword phrase.
Let's focus on improving the rankings of your home page. Follow this step-by-step approach to optimise your home page for two keyword phrases. (This process can be repeated for each of your web pages.)
Step 1: Keyword research
What keywords do you think your customers would type in to search for your products or services? A keyword can be one word (for example "restaurant"), but multiple keywords or keyword phrases are usually preferred, because they are more specific to what your customers are looking for (for example "French restaurant Bondi").
Write down as many as you can think of. Brainstorm with your team. Think of alternative words. Consider geographical phrases if they are important to your customer (for example, "house cleaning Hornsby"). Get some ideas from your competitors' websites. Try to make a list of 20-30 keyword phrases.
Choose the two keyword phrases you think would be searched for the most. But remember, the more competition there is for a keyword, the harder it is to achieve top rankings.
If you want to rank high in Google for the keyword "insurance", you have a very long journey ahead. So try your best to select two keyword phrases that are the most relevant to your business but are not vague nor competitive. It's a good idea to have two or three words in each phrase (for example, "wedding catering services").
Once you've selected your two best keyword phrases the next step shows you how to make some improvements to your home page.
Step 2: Web copy
Web copy refers to all the words or text on your website. Because content is king in the world of search engines, your keyword phrases need to be placed strategically on your webpage to convince Google that your content is highly relevant to those keywords.
The more prominent they are, the better. But keep in mind that as important as search engines are, customers come first, so make sure your copy also reads well.
Here's how you can increase each keyword's prominence:
- Put them in headings, preferably at the beginning of the heading;
- Include keywords towards the top of the page;
- Bold or italicise keywords where appropriate;
- Instead of a link to another page "Click here to read more", include keywords, e.g. "Read more about our vehicle fleet financing".
An important tip is to also include these keywords in your HTML "title tag". Use your content management system to make these changes or ask your web developer to do it.
Consider adding new content, such as detailed descriptions of what you offer, FAQs and informative articles about your products and services. (If you don't want to write these yourself, they can be located for free on the internet - do a search for "articles directory").
It's also good to bear in mind that search engines can only read text, not pictures. Often web developers embed words in images to look better or use Flash for animation, but this is a major impediment to search engines.
Step 3: Linking
Each link from another website to your website (not from your website) is considered by search engines as a vote of popularity for your business and will improve your rankings.
But it is the quality, not quantity, of the links that is crucial. The other websites should be relevant to your industry, and preferably highly regarded themselves. Ten quality links count far more than 500 links from arbitrary websites.
In the same way your personal business network can have a significant impact on the success of your business, so too the online network you build on the internet.
Brainstorm all the relevant websites that could link to you, such as non-competing companies, and industry bodies and organisations.
Write a friendly email to each describing the benefit their visitors would get in knowing about your business, and request them to create a link to your website.
Most people will not respond first time round, so a follow-up phone call is usually required.
How do I monitor my results?
Monitor your rankings in Google over the next few months by typing your chosen keywords into the search box and recording your ranking. You should also have an analytics reporting tool in place with your web hosting service to allow you to see how many visitors your site gets and, importantly, what search term they are using to find your website.
The above process can be also be repeated for each page of your website. Remember to keep updating your content and continually increase the number of links to your website.
As you see your rankings climb, you should see a corresponding increase in web traffic and a substantial increase in sales inquiries.
Be sure to record the source of your customer inquiries, so you can measure the success of your marketing efforts. If you measure it, you can improve it.
The author of this blog would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the writer and publisher of this article.
How To Test Your Advertising
The first rule of advertising is, "Advertising must be an investment not an expense". In simple terms your advertising has to not only pay for itself but make a profit for your business just like a good stock or mutual fund.
In order for that to happen you must know how to evaluate your advertising. Is it really producing customers? Are they buying? Is the advertising paying for itself and making a profit? In this article I will explore the ways to test advertising so you can answer these questions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get it right the first time?
If you are new in business you probably haven't placed a lot of ads yet. Let me save you a little frustration. Rarely do even experienced ad agencies get it right the very first time out. Not to say it doesn't happen but it's extremely rare. So don't be discouraged if your early efforts don't bare immediate fruit.
Advertising takes time. Remember, you are developing a relationship with the customer. Friendships and relationships take time to develop... be patient.
If you think this sounds discouraging just keep in mind that testing and being able to evaluate your advertising will make it effective in a much shorter time. It's much more economical and efficient than just placing ads without a plan and hoping something happens.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to create a plan to evaluate your advertising
The success or failure of any plan, advertising or any other, comes down to a strict definition of what you want the plan to accomplish. Yes, I know we want more business but it must be more specific than that.
For example: Do you just want to generate more traffic in your business? Do you want to increase the dollar amount of each sale? Do you want to attract a better quality customer? Do you want to reduce the cost of bringing a customer to your business?
Your first response might be all of the above. If so, put them in order of importance and let's begin there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I start the plan
Well, if you are familiar with medical testing you may have heard the term, "control group." A control group is a known entity. It's the best we've been able to do so far. Even if your advertising isn't working, this will still be your control group. (See: Here's Why Your Advertising Isn't Working.)
So, we have an ad that's working or not working. Start with that and test against it. If it's a newspaper ad you might try testing the identical ad on radio and evaluate any change. If the radio ad is more successful, then that becomes your new control group.
Caution: Keep in mind that a one time good response may be just a fluke. Look for consistent improvement before you make the new group the control group.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to format your test
There used to be a company in San Diego, California called King Schools. Not sure if they are still in existence. They advertised a video package to help pilots get their licenses and instrument ratings.
They ran two test of an ad in magazines in two parts of the country. One test priced the packages at $199.95 and the other at $249.95. Which one do you think would pull the most customers.
The lower price right? Wrong. The higher priced course pulled more customers than the lower price. Why? Because people felt that to offer so much for so little there must be a "catch." The customers felt there was something wrong to offer it for such a low price.
People are happy to pay the price if they can see the value. (See: Pricing Methods And How To Use Them)
Don't feel compelled to only test price. Remember, people are not shopping exclusively for price they are really looking for benefits that will make their life better is some way. (See: Why Customers Buy)
As you can see, knowing your customers can play a large part in the success or failure of your advertising. The better you know them the easier it is to find the message that works and the fewer tests you'll have to do.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I test too much?
You can test too much and that's what you'll want to avoid. The purpose of testing is to do as few as possible and lean from the results to make the testing pay off in the long run with profitable advertising.
Here are some testing guidelines to keep in mind when you design your test packages.
Testing can be an ongoing process. How many times has your brochure or business card changed? That's a form of testing that never ends.
Don't try to test everything at once. It's too hard to keep track against the control group. Find one item that you really think would make a difference to your customers and just test that.
If you are using direct mail to test you need about 100 responses for the test to really give you a good example. Test about 5,000 names and hope for a 1% to 2% response=100.
Try telemarketing to test before you spend bigger bucks. 100 phone calls will get as good a result as 1,000 mailers.
In a small town there is a chance that people who receive different offers may compare notes and wonder what's going on. Be honest and tell them you are testing some advertising they will understand. Always honor whichever offer the customer wants. Also always provide the customer with the item at the lowest price being tested.
Tests can be expensive. Only use them to test the important things. Test the "offer", the "message" and the format and usually in that order.
The test may reveal some negatives about your business. Learn from these numbers and make the necessary corrections.
Always "key" your ads. That's the next item I'll discuss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I know my advertising is pulling customers
In order to know if your advertising is really pulling customers you need a way to track the ads. We do that by "keying" the ads. There is something in the ad that will alert us as to what media the ad come from.
For example: If it's a coupon in the newspaper or direct mail, you can imprint a small code in one of the corners to let us know what newspaper or mailing the ad came from. BC 6/00 might mean the Bozeman Chronicle - June 2000. We would then start an advertising file and collect these coupons and compare them to rate of sale and whether or not they produced paying customers.
If it's radio or TV, you can have them ask for a product or person. Call now and ask for Jim or extension 123. Some keyword to let people who answer the phone to record this as an ad response.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last word on testing advertising
The real secret of testing advertising is knowing your customers. The better you know them the easier and cheaper your testing will be. After all, the purpose of advertising is to reach the right people with the right message at the right time. Knowing who they are is the most important part of that equation.
Used With Permission
©2000, 2001, 2002 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll Free (888) 550-6100
email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
In order for that to happen you must know how to evaluate your advertising. Is it really producing customers? Are they buying? Is the advertising paying for itself and making a profit? In this article I will explore the ways to test advertising so you can answer these questions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get it right the first time?
If you are new in business you probably haven't placed a lot of ads yet. Let me save you a little frustration. Rarely do even experienced ad agencies get it right the very first time out. Not to say it doesn't happen but it's extremely rare. So don't be discouraged if your early efforts don't bare immediate fruit.
Advertising takes time. Remember, you are developing a relationship with the customer. Friendships and relationships take time to develop... be patient.
If you think this sounds discouraging just keep in mind that testing and being able to evaluate your advertising will make it effective in a much shorter time. It's much more economical and efficient than just placing ads without a plan and hoping something happens.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to create a plan to evaluate your advertising
The success or failure of any plan, advertising or any other, comes down to a strict definition of what you want the plan to accomplish. Yes, I know we want more business but it must be more specific than that.
For example: Do you just want to generate more traffic in your business? Do you want to increase the dollar amount of each sale? Do you want to attract a better quality customer? Do you want to reduce the cost of bringing a customer to your business?
Your first response might be all of the above. If so, put them in order of importance and let's begin there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I start the plan
Well, if you are familiar with medical testing you may have heard the term, "control group." A control group is a known entity. It's the best we've been able to do so far. Even if your advertising isn't working, this will still be your control group. (See: Here's Why Your Advertising Isn't Working.)
So, we have an ad that's working or not working. Start with that and test against it. If it's a newspaper ad you might try testing the identical ad on radio and evaluate any change. If the radio ad is more successful, then that becomes your new control group.
Caution: Keep in mind that a one time good response may be just a fluke. Look for consistent improvement before you make the new group the control group.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to format your test
There used to be a company in San Diego, California called King Schools. Not sure if they are still in existence. They advertised a video package to help pilots get their licenses and instrument ratings.
They ran two test of an ad in magazines in two parts of the country. One test priced the packages at $199.95 and the other at $249.95. Which one do you think would pull the most customers.
The lower price right? Wrong. The higher priced course pulled more customers than the lower price. Why? Because people felt that to offer so much for so little there must be a "catch." The customers felt there was something wrong to offer it for such a low price.
People are happy to pay the price if they can see the value. (See: Pricing Methods And How To Use Them)
Don't feel compelled to only test price. Remember, people are not shopping exclusively for price they are really looking for benefits that will make their life better is some way. (See: Why Customers Buy)
As you can see, knowing your customers can play a large part in the success or failure of your advertising. The better you know them the easier it is to find the message that works and the fewer tests you'll have to do.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I test too much?
You can test too much and that's what you'll want to avoid. The purpose of testing is to do as few as possible and lean from the results to make the testing pay off in the long run with profitable advertising.
Here are some testing guidelines to keep in mind when you design your test packages.
Testing can be an ongoing process. How many times has your brochure or business card changed? That's a form of testing that never ends.
Don't try to test everything at once. It's too hard to keep track against the control group. Find one item that you really think would make a difference to your customers and just test that.
If you are using direct mail to test you need about 100 responses for the test to really give you a good example. Test about 5,000 names and hope for a 1% to 2% response=100.
Try telemarketing to test before you spend bigger bucks. 100 phone calls will get as good a result as 1,000 mailers.
In a small town there is a chance that people who receive different offers may compare notes and wonder what's going on. Be honest and tell them you are testing some advertising they will understand. Always honor whichever offer the customer wants. Also always provide the customer with the item at the lowest price being tested.
Tests can be expensive. Only use them to test the important things. Test the "offer", the "message" and the format and usually in that order.
The test may reveal some negatives about your business. Learn from these numbers and make the necessary corrections.
Always "key" your ads. That's the next item I'll discuss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do I know my advertising is pulling customers
In order to know if your advertising is really pulling customers you need a way to track the ads. We do that by "keying" the ads. There is something in the ad that will alert us as to what media the ad come from.
For example: If it's a coupon in the newspaper or direct mail, you can imprint a small code in one of the corners to let us know what newspaper or mailing the ad came from. BC 6/00 might mean the Bozeman Chronicle - June 2000. We would then start an advertising file and collect these coupons and compare them to rate of sale and whether or not they produced paying customers.
If it's radio or TV, you can have them ask for a product or person. Call now and ask for Jim or extension 123. Some keyword to let people who answer the phone to record this as an ad response.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last word on testing advertising
The real secret of testing advertising is knowing your customers. The better you know them the easier and cheaper your testing will be. After all, the purpose of advertising is to reach the right people with the right message at the right time. Knowing who they are is the most important part of that equation.
Used With Permission
©2000, 2001, 2002 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll Free (888) 550-6100
email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
25 Low Cost Advertising Tips
25 Low Cost
Advertising Tips
By Tom Egelhoff
If there is one mistake small town businesses make more often than any other it's, "What ever is left over, we'll use for advertising." Marketing and advertising is an investment, not an expense. I know it sure seems like an expense to me when I'm writing the check, but trust me it's not. Without enough money put aside for advertising your sales can go down and you suddenly have less and less for promotion.
When do you advertise the most? For most businesses it's the first day of business. Don't you have a Grand Opening, balloons, flyers, ads, on-site radio stations, contests, and prizes? Did the income from sales pay for that? No, it didn't. You advertise most when you need business. You advertise more when you don't.
An average cost of advertising is usually 1 to 5% of gross sales, which can vary according to location, local advertising rates, and industry. Car dealers need more advertising than funeral homes.
Before we get to the 25 tips let's look at the basic strategies of successful advertising.
* In order to be successful, your advertising must provide a consumer benefit or solve a problem.
* That benefit or solution must be wanted by the consumer.
* The product or service you are offering must be tied directly to that benefit or solution.
* The benefit or solution must be distinctly communicated through medial advertising. In other words, be clear, forget the advertising glitz and make sure the message isn't lost in the ad.
A small-budget advertiser doesn't have the ''deep pockets" to develop big advertising campaigns. Some time you need to break the rules to be noticed. Avis did it by admitting they were "Number 2" in the car rental business and that campaign took them from 6th place to second place. When they stopped that campaign they dropped back to 6th again. In the past year they have gone back to it.
Budget conscious advertisers must achieve top results for their advertising dollar. Expand your dollars by adopting some creative techniques.
Here's 25 tips I hope will help you.
* Radio, newspapers and magazine specialists will frequently give free help in developing an advertising strategy. Things like demographic information, money-saving ways to produce your ads etc.
* Place your ads in off hours or in unusual locations for less. Many times you can still reach your target market with these spots.
* Instead of a one-time big splash ad, be consistent with frequent small ads that work.
* Monthly magazines sometimes have unsold ad space at the end of the month they will sell at a discount.
* If you have an 800 number, put it in every ad for immediate response and feedback.
* Try advertising consistently in the classifieds. These ads may draw more customers than more expensive display ads.
* Can you barter for the cost of ad production? Maybe the newspaper needs painting in exchange for an ad about your paint store.
* Piggyback advertising are the ads you receive with your Mastercard bill. Is there someone in your town that sends out a lot of bills? Can you put a small flyer in with their bills and split the postage? Or pay a small fee?
* Split advertising costs with the people who sell to you. Vendors and manufactures are always looking for exposure. Let people know you carry their products and have the vendor pick up part of the ad cost.
* Are there up front advertising discounts for cash?
* Consider advertising in regional issues of national magazines. The costs are lower and you can still reach your target market. TV Guide is a good choice. It stays around for at least a week. Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report may stay in local doctors offices for years.
* Share ad costs with neighbor business. Video stores and Pizza parlors are natural partners. Have coupons to each others stores or share the cost of flyers.
* Try reducing the size of your ad (not in the Yellow Pages) or length of your radio spots. A 60 second spot is not twice as much as a 30 second spot but you won't get twice as many customers for a 60 over a 30. Going with small ads or shorter spots will allow you to do more ads which normally pulls more customers. It's better to be there every day with small ads than every month with one big one.
* Develop tight production controls to minimize the need to reject finished ads. The message is more important than the messenger. Don't try to produce ads that win awards, produce ads that sell.
* Who are your very best customers? Aim your ads to talk directly to people like them.
* What will suppliers give you in the way of point-of-purchase materials. Posters, stand ups, handouts, etc. Some have excellent display racks you can use.
* Some national chains like Coke and Pepsi provide outdoor signs for businesses. There are also indoor lighted signs you write on with special markers to advertise your special offers.
* Can you sponsor a community event? A fun-run, golf tournament, or other event that will be well publicized in the community. Your name may not be prominently displayed but sometimes the positive exposure in the community will bring in new customers.
* Small businesses can seldom afford saturation advertising. You must be selective in the media that reaches your customers. Pin your ad reps down and make them show you exactly how their media reaches your target audience.
* Exploit the media you choose to the fullest. If your message is verbal, you don't need TV. Use radio, billboards and newspapers to the fullest.
* Consider direct mail. A letter and brochure before customer contact can increase business. An IBM study concluded that selling time can be reduced from 9.3 to 1.3 total hours with direct mail advertising. A Sales and Marketing Executives International Study showed salespeople went from eight orders per 100 cold calls to 38 orders per 100 when direct mail was used.
* Try an editorial style ad. These are ads that look like actual stories in the newspaper. They will have "advertisement" at the top of the article. Develop a good headline, and 50% more people will read the article than would read an ad of the same size.
* You can't match larger competitors dollar-for-dollar but, you can use unusual approaches (like the Avis idea above), color, music, slogans, humor (be careful here), or media selection to win your market away from the big guys.
* Due to the high costs of conventional advertising on, radio, TV, newspapers, many cost conscious business have been forced to look for lower cost methods. Can you advertise on parking meters, taxi boards, balloons, blimps, and grocery shopping carts. Community bulletin boards, movie ads, and weekly newspaper shoppers.
* Key your ads. Put something in the ad that will let you know which media it came from. On coupons, put a code that will record the paper and date of the ad. In radio or TV, have them mention the ad to get the discount. Ask every customer how they found you.
* Plan for a rainy day. During the year put a small amount aside each month for emergencies. You never know when you'll need to react quickly to whatever the competition is doing. You must be able to capitalize on breaking national events or news regarding your industry. If negative things happen in your industry you may need to respond quickly to make sure the right message is presented.
* Always give the customer more than you promised and more than they expected. This is tip number 26 of the 25 we advertised. Maybe this last one is the one you needed.
I hope these tips will help your business grow. Not all may be relevant to your particular situation. Hopefully, they will illustrate the importance to plan and control your advertising budget. (To Main Menu)
©1998-2004 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll Free (888) 550-6100
email:tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
Advertising Tips
By Tom Egelhoff
If there is one mistake small town businesses make more often than any other it's, "What ever is left over, we'll use for advertising." Marketing and advertising is an investment, not an expense. I know it sure seems like an expense to me when I'm writing the check, but trust me it's not. Without enough money put aside for advertising your sales can go down and you suddenly have less and less for promotion.
When do you advertise the most? For most businesses it's the first day of business. Don't you have a Grand Opening, balloons, flyers, ads, on-site radio stations, contests, and prizes? Did the income from sales pay for that? No, it didn't. You advertise most when you need business. You advertise more when you don't.
An average cost of advertising is usually 1 to 5% of gross sales, which can vary according to location, local advertising rates, and industry. Car dealers need more advertising than funeral homes.
Before we get to the 25 tips let's look at the basic strategies of successful advertising.
* In order to be successful, your advertising must provide a consumer benefit or solve a problem.
* That benefit or solution must be wanted by the consumer.
* The product or service you are offering must be tied directly to that benefit or solution.
* The benefit or solution must be distinctly communicated through medial advertising. In other words, be clear, forget the advertising glitz and make sure the message isn't lost in the ad.
A small-budget advertiser doesn't have the ''deep pockets" to develop big advertising campaigns. Some time you need to break the rules to be noticed. Avis did it by admitting they were "Number 2" in the car rental business and that campaign took them from 6th place to second place. When they stopped that campaign they dropped back to 6th again. In the past year they have gone back to it.
Budget conscious advertisers must achieve top results for their advertising dollar. Expand your dollars by adopting some creative techniques.
Here's 25 tips I hope will help you.
* Radio, newspapers and magazine specialists will frequently give free help in developing an advertising strategy. Things like demographic information, money-saving ways to produce your ads etc.
* Place your ads in off hours or in unusual locations for less. Many times you can still reach your target market with these spots.
* Instead of a one-time big splash ad, be consistent with frequent small ads that work.
* Monthly magazines sometimes have unsold ad space at the end of the month they will sell at a discount.
* If you have an 800 number, put it in every ad for immediate response and feedback.
* Try advertising consistently in the classifieds. These ads may draw more customers than more expensive display ads.
* Can you barter for the cost of ad production? Maybe the newspaper needs painting in exchange for an ad about your paint store.
* Piggyback advertising are the ads you receive with your Mastercard bill. Is there someone in your town that sends out a lot of bills? Can you put a small flyer in with their bills and split the postage? Or pay a small fee?
* Split advertising costs with the people who sell to you. Vendors and manufactures are always looking for exposure. Let people know you carry their products and have the vendor pick up part of the ad cost.
* Are there up front advertising discounts for cash?
* Consider advertising in regional issues of national magazines. The costs are lower and you can still reach your target market. TV Guide is a good choice. It stays around for at least a week. Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report may stay in local doctors offices for years.
* Share ad costs with neighbor business. Video stores and Pizza parlors are natural partners. Have coupons to each others stores or share the cost of flyers.
* Try reducing the size of your ad (not in the Yellow Pages) or length of your radio spots. A 60 second spot is not twice as much as a 30 second spot but you won't get twice as many customers for a 60 over a 30. Going with small ads or shorter spots will allow you to do more ads which normally pulls more customers. It's better to be there every day with small ads than every month with one big one.
* Develop tight production controls to minimize the need to reject finished ads. The message is more important than the messenger. Don't try to produce ads that win awards, produce ads that sell.
* Who are your very best customers? Aim your ads to talk directly to people like them.
* What will suppliers give you in the way of point-of-purchase materials. Posters, stand ups, handouts, etc. Some have excellent display racks you can use.
* Some national chains like Coke and Pepsi provide outdoor signs for businesses. There are also indoor lighted signs you write on with special markers to advertise your special offers.
* Can you sponsor a community event? A fun-run, golf tournament, or other event that will be well publicized in the community. Your name may not be prominently displayed but sometimes the positive exposure in the community will bring in new customers.
* Small businesses can seldom afford saturation advertising. You must be selective in the media that reaches your customers. Pin your ad reps down and make them show you exactly how their media reaches your target audience.
* Exploit the media you choose to the fullest. If your message is verbal, you don't need TV. Use radio, billboards and newspapers to the fullest.
* Consider direct mail. A letter and brochure before customer contact can increase business. An IBM study concluded that selling time can be reduced from 9.3 to 1.3 total hours with direct mail advertising. A Sales and Marketing Executives International Study showed salespeople went from eight orders per 100 cold calls to 38 orders per 100 when direct mail was used.
* Try an editorial style ad. These are ads that look like actual stories in the newspaper. They will have "advertisement" at the top of the article. Develop a good headline, and 50% more people will read the article than would read an ad of the same size.
* You can't match larger competitors dollar-for-dollar but, you can use unusual approaches (like the Avis idea above), color, music, slogans, humor (be careful here), or media selection to win your market away from the big guys.
* Due to the high costs of conventional advertising on, radio, TV, newspapers, many cost conscious business have been forced to look for lower cost methods. Can you advertise on parking meters, taxi boards, balloons, blimps, and grocery shopping carts. Community bulletin boards, movie ads, and weekly newspaper shoppers.
* Key your ads. Put something in the ad that will let you know which media it came from. On coupons, put a code that will record the paper and date of the ad. In radio or TV, have them mention the ad to get the discount. Ask every customer how they found you.
* Plan for a rainy day. During the year put a small amount aside each month for emergencies. You never know when you'll need to react quickly to whatever the competition is doing. You must be able to capitalize on breaking national events or news regarding your industry. If negative things happen in your industry you may need to respond quickly to make sure the right message is presented.
* Always give the customer more than you promised and more than they expected. This is tip number 26 of the 25 we advertised. Maybe this last one is the one you needed.
I hope these tips will help your business grow. Not all may be relevant to your particular situation. Hopefully, they will illustrate the importance to plan and control your advertising budget. (To Main Menu)
©1998-2004 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll Free (888) 550-6100
email:tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
What Makes A Great Ad?
This is something I find Useful for people who wants their advertisements to be noticed.If you find it useful then dont forget to thank the writer. so guys read on!
What Makes A Great Ad?
By Tom Egelhoff
The following tips are from an article in Before and After Magazine published by John McWade.
1. We all like surprises.
Can you state an ordinary message in an unusual way? Not comedy, but differently. Commercials done this way are the ones we talk about at work the next day.
2. Keep It Simple.
Don't let the design overpower the message. The idea is the most important part of the message.
3. Get me involved.
Shock me, make me mad, make me happy, make me cry, but don't bore me and leave me cold.
4. Make me curious.
Isn't the real purpose of an ad to make me want more information? Grab my attention and hold it.
5. Great ads command answers.
They demand that you respond to the ad. They are like an unanswered question that must be resolved.
6. Draw your own conclusion.
Isn't the strongest conclusion the one we draw ourselves? An ad that brings me to a conclusion is powerful indeed.
7. The headline and the image tell the story.
The headline should never tell you what is in the picture. Only what you don't see. The headline and picture together create the story.
8. They never brag.
Yellowstone Harley-Davidson® in Belgrade, Montana, population 3,000-4,000, has a billboard on the edge of town proclaiming, "The largest Harley-Davidson® dealer in Belgrade!" They are not only the largest, and only dealer in Belgrade, they are the only dealer in over a hundred miles. Just a fact, not a brag.
9. They're always well executed.
They have good design that doesn't overpower the message. They have sharp photos, good typefaces, etc.
10. They Sell.
An ad can look great and still not sell anything.In advertising, what you say is as important as how you say it.What good is an ad that wins award after award if it doesn't sell?
What Makes A Great Ad?
By Tom Egelhoff
The following tips are from an article in Before and After Magazine published by John McWade.
1. We all like surprises.
Can you state an ordinary message in an unusual way? Not comedy, but differently. Commercials done this way are the ones we talk about at work the next day.
2. Keep It Simple.
Don't let the design overpower the message. The idea is the most important part of the message.
3. Get me involved.
Shock me, make me mad, make me happy, make me cry, but don't bore me and leave me cold.
4. Make me curious.
Isn't the real purpose of an ad to make me want more information? Grab my attention and hold it.
5. Great ads command answers.
They demand that you respond to the ad. They are like an unanswered question that must be resolved.
6. Draw your own conclusion.
Isn't the strongest conclusion the one we draw ourselves? An ad that brings me to a conclusion is powerful indeed.
7. The headline and the image tell the story.
The headline should never tell you what is in the picture. Only what you don't see. The headline and picture together create the story.
8. They never brag.
Yellowstone Harley-Davidson® in Belgrade, Montana, population 3,000-4,000, has a billboard on the edge of town proclaiming, "The largest Harley-Davidson® dealer in Belgrade!" They are not only the largest, and only dealer in Belgrade, they are the only dealer in over a hundred miles. Just a fact, not a brag.
9. They're always well executed.
They have good design that doesn't overpower the message. They have sharp photos, good typefaces, etc.
10. They Sell.
An ad can look great and still not sell anything.In advertising, what you say is as important as how you say it.What good is an ad that wins award after award if it doesn't sell?
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