5 COMMON ADVERTISING MISTAKES YOU CAN EASILY AVOID
Copyright 2002 Bob Leduc
These 5 common advertising mistakes cause you to lose sales.
But you can easily avoid these mistakes once you become
aware of them.
1. STOP AND GO ADVERTISING
Many businesses reduce their advertising when they are
getting plenty of sales. Then they increase their
advertising when sales decline. This pattern of stop and go
advertising creates a repeating cycle of high sales volume
and low sales volume. It also prevents the business from
growing.
Develop and follow a plan of regularly scheduled advertising
regardless of your sales volume. Continuous advertising
produces steady growth. It also reduces the time you have to
spend on making advertising decisions.
2. ONE SHOT ADVERTISING
Businesses often devote all of their advertising efforts to
attracting new customers. But they devote little or no
effort to cultivating these prospects for future sales.
Most prospective customers will not buy the first time they
hear or see your sales message. But many will buy later if
you follow up with them. Your follow up can be as simple as
contacting them periodically with a new offer.
TIP: Customers are prospects too. Stay in contact with them.
Find or develop other products or services you can offer
them. It's easier to make a sale to a previous customer than
to someone who never bought from you.
3. COPYCAT ADVERTISING
Businesses often copy their competitors advertising ideas.
This can be effective for a short time. But results quickly
decline as more and more competitors copy the same idea.
Instead of copying your competitors advertising ideas,
improve on them. Create something better - something your
competitors cannot copy.
For example, give your customers a reason to buy from you
instead of from a competitor. This can be as simple as
including a unique bonus only you can offer - or providing
the personal attention your competitors are not willing or
able to provide.
4. SCATTER SHOT ADVERTISING
Many businesses get poor results from their advertising
because they reach too many prospects with little or no
interest in what they are selling. This often occurs because
they choose the cheapest
advertising instead of looking for
low cost targeted advertising.
Take some time to research and plan your advertising
efforts. Look for ways you can reach concentrations of
prospects likely to be interested in your product or
service. Then design your message to appeal specifically to
their interests and needs.
TIP: Look for alternative media your competition may be
overlooking. For example, many online marketers have started
using direct mail postcards to generate traffic to their web
sites. It's a low cost way to bypass the heavy competition
online.
5. SELF FOCUSED ADVERTISING
Advertisers often promote facts about themselves or their
products in their advertising. But facts don't sell.
Benefits sell. For example, which of the following has more
impact?
1. "We provide complete marketing services for starting your
own business"
2. "No more time clock. Work when you want. Take long
vacations"
The first focuses on the company and describes the service
it provides. It's boring and unattractive. The second
focuses on the benefit provided by that service. It attracts
attention and creates excitement - and generates more sales.
These 5 common advertising mistakes cause you to lose sales
How many are you making? Apply the information revealed in
this article to avoid these mistakes - and maximize the
results you get from your advertising efforts.
