Month: April 2011

Is there such a thing as GREAT advertising?

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

Pretend you’re at a networking event. And to introduce yourself, you have to say your name, followed by your advertising slogan (or a version of it). For example:

“Hi, I’m John Smith, when quality counts.”

“Hi, I’m Jenny Johnson, we’re people you can trust.”

“Hi, I’m Lenny Doonesbury, you belong with us.”

Those don’t really get you pumped up to learn more about them do they? But that’s the kind of drivel that’s used in advertising every day!

You want to use slogans and words in your advertising that create intrigue. Or that says something about you that nobody else could claim. Or hits an emotional hot button.

How about some BETTER examples:

“Hi, I’m Derek, we give you back your summer.”  (It makes you want to know HOW he can do that.)

“Hi, I’m Pete, I make taste buds do a jig.”  (Tell me you don’t want to know more about the food Pete creates.)

“Hi, I’m Angie, I help people wake up with more energy.”  (The majority of people would LOVE that! The person Angie said that to, raised their eyebrows about an inch.)

The goal of any communication with the public should be for SOMETHING to happen. Boring, cliché, and predictable advertising makes nothing happen. Yes…nothing. You might believe your ho-hum, yawn-city advertising is making people “aware” of you. But bad advertising doesn’t create awareness. It doesn’t make people “aware” of you because nobody sticks with your ad long enough for them to care what you’re telling them.

When you say things in your advertising that make people pay attention, good things result. Will advertising make people act IMMEDIATELY? Will they buy something from you right now? Not necessarily. Not everyone needs what you’re offering right now. In fact, only one or two percent of the population probably needs what you’re selling at this moment in time. And how many competitors are going after that one or two percent?

So, here’s how GREAT advertising works…

Your advertisement should make your prospects that need you now…ACT (a very small percentage). And mentioning your business name, location, website, and phone number six times  in your ads, will NOT make that happen.

Your advertisement should also move people who don’t quite need you now…closer to actually buying from you. Your ad should help them trust you more. It should make them feel good about your company.

When your prospects are “touched” by another ad from you, and then another, and another…their feeling of trust should keep growing. And guess what happens over time? When they finally are in the market for your product or service…they think of YOU first. THAT is what GREAT advertising should do. GREAT advertising is a process, not an event.

Good advertising brings you new customers that need you NOW.

GREAT advertising brings you new customers consistently because they remember you when they need you.

GREAT advertising eliminates the need for promotions, gimmicks, and price reductions.

It’s not “make-believe”. YOU can have great advertising.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/ (And if you’d like a business website like this, or nothing like this, give me a shout. I’ll point you in the right direction)

And if you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the market.

Marketing. What the heck IS marketing?

/ Duane Christensen

The marketing pro Jack Trout that wrote the book “Positioning” said something like, “Marketing is just taking your product or service to the marketplace and trying to make a few bucks.”

Which is exactly true.

“I’ve got this THING here…and I’d like people to buy it.  Now what?”

Well, you’ve got to tell people.  Think of all the ways there are to market your business.  Spam, pop-ups, in your face on the strip, signs, facebook, fliers on windshields, telemarketing, tattoos of canaries, sky writers, blogs, keychains, pens, dress up as the Statue of Liberty and wave to traffic, yada yada yada.  It’s endless.

Choices.  What are you supposed to do with too many choices?  You can nickel and dime yourself to death with marketing tactics.  $100 here, $295 there, $40 there, throw in $2500 quarterly, maybe a $9500 website you overpaid for, etc.  Pretty soon you’ve spent 40-grand on “marketing” and you have nothing to show for it.

I’ve got a better way.  Find an advertising person that has your best interest at heart.  How will you know?  They’ll say things that nobody has ever said to you before.  They’ll ask questions that make you think.  And they won’t bombard you with circulation numbers, bar graphs, or demographics.

How do you market?  Do you have somebody you can ask advice of in all areas of marketing?  Or do you only know marketing people that try to sell you something at every encounter?

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/

If you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the Sioux Falls market.

Business Killer

/ Duane Christensen

I gotta say it.  The coupon will kill your business.

When you throw coupons out like candy to the public every day or every week…you train your customers to look for them.  The coupon should be used sparingly (if at all) and with caution.  When coupons are your entire advertising “strategy” or marketing plan…that tells me a few things.  See if one of these might pertain to you…

1  Your product isn’t worth what you’re charging.

2  You’ve been burned by other forms of advertising so many times, you don’t know what else to do.

3  You believe that people only care about saving money.  That they’ll only buy if they have a coupon in their hand.

4  You want to know exactly how your advertising performs…and a coupon makes that possible for you.

Do you have any customers that pay FULL price for your products or services?  I assume you do.  THEY are the ones you actually make a profit from.  Do you know WHY they’re willing to pay full price?  Your advertising should include those reasons.  Wouldn’t you like to attract more profitable customers instead of bargain hunters?

I create ads and a strategies that attract profitable customers.  I’m just a phone call away.

Profitable customers care about:

  • Their time
  • Convenience
  • Quality
  • Improving their lifestyle
  • Comfort
  • Getting rid of a problem

My wife and I use coupons.  We use coupons for places we already do business with.  If I like a particular restaurant, and I see a coupon…that’s a no-brainer.  Of course I’m going to cut it out.  I would have paid full price, but now my meal is discounted.  Yay me!  We’ve seen coupons for new stores and restaurants…and decided to check it out.  If what you offer is what I need…and the service you provided was good…I’ll probably be back.  But you didn’t need to give me a discount to attract me. All you have to do is talk to me about how you’re going to improve my life (Do you know how to do that?).

And those people that ONLY do business where they get a discount…are you sure you want them?  They will go somewhere else the next time, just as fast as you attracted them with your coupon.  To me…it doesn’t make sense to attract more people that don’t make you any money.

The savings of money is NOT a profitable customer’s number one priority.  So, let’s start attracting people that can help you make a better living.  Profitable customers also spread the word about you more than a coupon carrying customer.

Are you ready for some new profitable customers?  I can help you with that.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/

If you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the Sioux Falls market.

How will you get to the MOON?

/ Duane Christensen

If you were planning a trip to the moon…would you go by 747?  OR…would you want NASA to take many many months to devise a plan and use the appropriate aircraft to get you there?

If you were to request an advertising plan to get your business from where it is now to where you want it to be…how would you go about it?  Would you go with the “747” plan?  Or the “NASA” plan?

The success of your advertising depends on the research and planning that is put forth in the beginning.  And then follows through, week-in and week-out making the necessary adjustments and tweaks.  The days of buying an “ad package” to see what it can do…are over (they should be anyway).  But businesses still “try this” and “try that” with the mindset that it’s the radio station that matters.  Or that it’s the number of times their phone number is repeated…or that they mention they’ve been in business since 1976.

Nobody cares about contacting you at all…until you tell them something of value.  Not of value to YOU…but to THEM.  There’s a difference.

If you advertised that you were giving away a hundred-dollar bill to the first 20 people who contacted you…do you think you’d even HAVE to mention your phone number or your website in the ad?  Of course not.  People would find you.

Give people a good reason to remember you and contact you.  Make them feel good about you.  Then when they DO need you (which you can’t predict)…they’ll find you.

Let’s not try to fly to the moon in a 747.  Let’s put some good research and planning into it.  A solid advertising strategy and well-thought-out marketing plan of attack can get you to the moon.*

*As long as your advertising isn’t sabotaged by what goes on INSIDE your business.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/

If you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the Sioux Falls market.