What Makes a Good Ad

Ads that work are simple. Your ad should contain a simple message based on the motivation of why people want to invest in your product or service. The aim should be to leave enough of an impression on the consumer that they want more information about the offer, and prompt them to take the next step, whether that be going to a website or calling for more information.

The consumer should know what you do or are offering at an initial glance. Taking into consideration the amount of space that you have to work with, adverts should contain the maximum amount of information with the minimum amount of wording and always include the following:

• Company name & logo
• Contact details & website
• Brief description of the product service or offer
• Call to action

The bigger space you have to work with the more flexible you can be with additional content but as a rule less is more. Instead, gain attention through the design, using typography, colour, layout, company branding etc.

Want to stand out from the crowd?

Does your business stand out from your competitors? Why would someone choose to use your product or service? Do they even know what you offer? 

No matter how unique your product or service is, people need to know it exists and how it’s different to others. To get the word out, you need to firstly create a marketing plan to outline what you offer, your goals, how you’re going to reach potential customers and how you’ll measure your success. 

The plan does not need to be overly detailed or time consuming to prepare, but it should be clear and focussed on outcomes. Take into consideration marketing tactics for both peak and low seasons in advance - this allows you to stay pro-active and in control, as opposed to re-actively scrambling to promote when business is slow.

The key to a great marketing plan is to ask the right questions. 

 Who is your ideal customer?

 The ideal customer is one that is the most profitable. Research shows that 20% of existing customers generate 80% of profits. Therefore, the plan should be to find more of these type of customers and retain them. Although the goods/service that you offer may appeal to a range of people – you shouldn’t use your resources initially trying to reach everyone.

Why will they buy from me?

You need to establish what differentiates you from competitors. The reason your best customers will return time after time is because they find some unique value in what you offer. These customers are likely to spread the word, generating more customers and building your brand. Find out what your unique value is, keep doing it and promote it.

Why have some good customers left me?

These reasons will tell you how to improve aspects of what you offer to encourage customers to return to you. It will also help you retain the customers you do have. Always remember that it is more difficult and expensive to get new customers than to keep the ones you already have.

How do I find new customers?

To find new customers, you must firstly get their attention. As mentioned in our December email, there are many channels of marketing to choose from, however identifying your ideal customer will make your decision of which channels to use easier. Here are a few:

School Newsletters - Provide a unique approach to targeted marketing by presenting a guaranteed attentive audience of mums and dads in your local area. Families spend most of their income within a radius of 10km from home on household goods and services. This is a proven measurable way to not only market, but keep an ongoing awareness of what you offer and your brand.

Social Media - A great way to find out what people are interested in and talking about. It can also be used to start conversations about the uniqueness of what you offer.

Direct Mail - A well designed printed flyer, with a single focused message is an effective way of keeping people's awareness about you current. Flyers can also include a call to action which will enable you to measure the rate of success.

Website - can act as a landing page for your prospective customers funnelled in from the different marketing channels mentioned above.

Word of mouth - One of the oldest and still most effective ways to build awareness. Start with your friends and family. 

What do I tell them when I reach out to them?

Try to understand why someone would buy from you. What motivates them to invest in what you offer? This will form the basis of your unique selling point. Incorporate this into your marketing through your tagline or call to action to prompt potential customers to contact you for more information or take the next step in your sales process.

The more relevant and meaningful your message is to you target audience, the stronger your response rate will be.

How do I know my marketing is working?

One of the best ways to measure the success of your marketing is to provide your audience with a clear call to action on all your promotional items, then track the results. You could use vouchers on printed items or specific links that take the reader to a carefully crafted online landing page for digital channels.

Ask every new customer how they found out about you and record these answers on a spreadsheet to analyse regularly.  Track what works well for you and what doesn’t. Then focus your marketing strategy on what provides the best results.

Having thought about the questions above - it’s time to make a plan or review the one you do have in place! There’s lots of resources available, but here is a great one from the business.gov.au website, which includes a marketing template in word format. 
http://www.business.gov.au/information/marketing-plan-template-and-guide/pages/default.aspx
Good luck planning!