What is Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising?

Pay per click is a form of paid for online advertising by Google. These adverts are found in the shaded area of a search engine page above the ‘organic’ or natural links (usually the first three links), and the remainder are placed in the area reserved for Sponsored Links in the right sidebar.

PPC, also known as Google Adwords, comprises a headline link (which is extremely important, as it contains keywords that are relevant to the search details), two lines for the description (carefully composed to contain highlighted relevant words plus being meaningful) followed by a URL which shows which website you are going to. The headline is the live link and should be directed to a highly relevant webpage for maximum effect.

Every time a visitor clicks on an Adwords ad, the company pays a fee ranging from 1p to £25. How much is paid depends on the value of the keywords in the headline. The more popular keywords command a higher price, and that depends on the subject and how many people are searching for that particular word.

But the more you pay doesn’t guarantee a higher position in the sidebar, this is dependent on the performance of the ad. So if you’re clever, you could have your ad with a lower paying keyword performing better above a more expensive advert. The more relevant your keyword is to the destination of the link, the better its chances in placement.

You don’t need to spend a fortune in PPC if you employ a wise Adwords adviser. As well as selecting inexpensive and highly performing keywords, you can juggle the price during a campaign, and set a ceiling per day so you don’t go over budget (once you’ve reached the maximum amount of clicks, your ad is automatically withdrawn). The more relevant you are in your adverts, particularly when directed to squeeze pages or highly suitable webpages, the more you’ll succeed in your conversions.

Top tips on PPC

• Take time to properly research your keywords
• Use wordtracker.com or digitalpoint.com or tools.seobook.com to find keywords
• Services: acknowledge the problem rather then offer the solution; products: be specific with particular items rather than the general shop
• Reverse thinking: don’t go for the most popular general keyword because it will be extremely expensive and you won’t position very high
• Look for highly relevant selected keywords for more poignant searches that get you further to the top of the page for less money
• It’s vital your ad is relevant to its destination, your headline keyword should totally match the webpage it is directed to
• If necessary, create specific webpages for each advert to maximise conversions

Pay per click works if performed properly

How sad it is when you see examples of online marketing failing to work, and sigh when you think of how much money is wasted.

I suppose this is the same for other forms of advertising, which brings to mind a local magazine that is delivered monthly through my letterbox full of hopeful advertisers actively publicising their services. But that is a subject for another post.

Let’s get back to online advertising. I wanted to get a galvanised metal watering can for my husband’s birthday, a big sturdy one rather than one of those delicate versions you daintily water your house plants with.

So I typed in ‘metal watering can’ into Google and surveyed the screen in front of me. (Please bear in mind that entries on Google continuously change, so if you do this you may see something different.) The top five links seemed likely possibilities.

How annoying! Amongst small dainty examples that I didn’t want, there were some sites that didn’t even have ordinary watering cans available. Eh? I didn’t want to buy discounted garden furniture or a 100 ft hose. And further investigation revealed the company didn’t sell watering cans because their search mechanisms didn’t bring any up.

So I looked at the paid for links in the shaded areas, and started to receive the same treatment – and this struck me: why did they compose these pay per click adverts that didn’t deliver what they said on the tin? Surely it would be a waste of money if the visitor ends up being confronted with something they didn’t ask for?

Pay per click advertising is only effective if it is properly targeted. If your ad mentions metal watering cans then you should be directed to a page with metal watering cans in it. The index page of the garden centre is not the answer, as it is not what the clicker wanted.  A webpage offering another special offer is a complete no-no! And if your company’s website doesn’t bring up watering cans via searching, then there is definitely something wrong with your search engine optimisation.

I did find a website that had the watering can I wanted. Their concisely written pay per click ad directed me straight to a page that offered three metal watering cans. I made my selection, paid through an efficient shopping cart system, and received confirmation of my purchase plus tracking information for my watering can’s delivery progress. The watering can arrived before the time specified, and I have a happy husband.

That’s the way to succeed through PPC.

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For more common-sense advice on online marketing, Alice Elliott offers a free half-hour health check for your business.

Always provide a focus for your adverts

At my first networking meeting for a month (since I had got Bell’s Palsy) I met an interesting lady who taught golf, at home as well as at the golf course.

I asked her how she marketed her business. (It’s wise to do that to see if they know what they are talking about – there’s nothing worse than trying to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.) She mentioned that she did do advertising in magazines in the past, but had given it up because it was a waste of money.

Probing a little further I found out that the magazines that fared the worst were the national golfing magazines, whereas the adverts that did achieve a result were from the monthlies that are pushed through letterboxes. I asked her what did the ads say, and found that the contents was generally publicising the business and what it offered to customers.

I asked her if her ads had a purpose, an aim or an end goal. I explained that general adverts weren’t going to do as well as ones with a focus, something that led towards an event, a special course or whatever, and that there should also be an incentive, like 10% off when you present this advert or coupon, and a time to achieve this by, for example the actual day of the event or advance bookings to get £5 off the price.

Three simple things to include in your advertising: a purpose, an incentive and a time to achieve it by. General ads don’t grab the customers’ attention, don’t play with their wants or needs, don’t pander to their greed, and don’t command an action to ‘get something for nothing’ by a certain date. Think about these phenomena the next time you write your ads or leaflets…

Magazine awareness to provide marketing value

Guest post by Tamra Booth, Editor of Vive Magazine

Combining design with marketing? Well, this is absolutely essential if you want your marketing to be effective and to deliver value for money.

Magazines and newspapers are notoriously terrible at making sure their clients’ adverts are effective. How many times do you hear people say, ‘I never advertise, it doesn’t work’. Well, I have a fair few times, but that is because they have had an advert designed that might look pretty but it does not grab the reader’s attention, it does not relate to the reader, there is no call to action, so the reader’s eye moves on to the next advert. If we are sent an ineffective advert by a client then we send it back with suggestions. Our designer has a marketing background. Also we offer packages to clients so they reach their customers in different ways, so a mix of designs to drive home a clear and eye-catching marketing message.

Advertising can and does work wonders but it is all down to this Design/Marketing theory that Alice wisely promotes. Whether online or in-print marketing, a clear marketing objective is the way to go. Otherwise you might as well throw your money down the drain.

Tamra Booth | Editor | Vive Magazine
Tel/Fax: 01753 857855 | Mob: 07798 501549 |
25 Hemwood Road, Windsor SL4 4YX | tamra@vivemagazine.co.uk

Alice’s comments: Tamra failed to mention the importance of headlines highlighting the customer’s pain, the subheading announcing your solution to that pain, bullet points listing the benefits behind the purpose of the advert, provide an incentive-laden, time dependent call to action and make sure your contact details are large, clear and accompanied by a demand to ‘do’ something!

How to use your customers to promote your business

Customers are extremely important to your business, where would it be without them? This may sound obvious, but there are some businesses that trundle along taking no notice of this vital element.

When analysing a business promotion, take notice of to whom they are talking to. Who is the main objective in their marketing message? Who is placed at the top of their advertising? Who are they describing when they talk about their services or products? Who is first, the company or the customer?

Humans are naturally self-centred; it’s in our nature to look after ‘number one’. But for business purposes this needs to be turned on its head: you need to think about who you are selling to, rather than banging on about how great you are. Customers don’t give a tinker’s toot about your business, they only care about what’s in it for them. How are they going to benefit from your product or services? Will their lives be improved, and by how much? Will they get value for money?

This concept should be prevalent in all your visual marketing: website, promotional literature, advertising, shop front, merchandise, networking: pitch, presentation and social on-line, sales patter with your customers – in fact any visual outlet of your company. The customer always comes first, as it is they you are promoting to, and it is they who will ultimately buy.

Another factor to take notice of is time. Don’t go mad trying to explain everything, especially if it’s really dull stuff about your company. The 21st century is a fast moving world; customers won’t (or even can’t) spend time reading cluttered and over-long descriptions; they usually make split-second decisions and can be very cruel if it doesn’t match their requirements.

For example, visitors to your website usually spend up to eight seconds to make up their mind whether it the right one, what they can do (go further in, click on something, sign up for a newsletter or download a free report) or just decide to disappear. Your leaflets have even less time to make an impression as to whether they are picked up or discarded: is this relevant to me, does it have the information I want, do I understand all of it, what’s in it for me, who do I contact to find out more?

OK, customers are self-centred, but they are also greedy. You may have got an idea of this from the website reference above. If there is something they can get for nothing, they will have it. Take advantage, and offer an exchange of their details in return for something they want, is of value, is relevant and will benefit them. You now have their details in a secure database for future communication; they are now at your mercy to be promoted at! And customers like being kept in touch, especially if they will have first hand knowledge of any new promotions and can benefit from early-bird discounts!

Use your customers’ opinions, comments and feedback. Write a questionnaire to find out more about their wants and needs. Encourage them to respond to your blog posts, tweets, social networking walls, on-line articles, events and workshops, teleseminars or whatever, and use this incredible source of information to find out how you can make your business even better for them. If customers feel they are appreciated, empathised with, understood and you are willing to adapt for their gain, then they will come back for more, tell their friends, spread the news and even provide testimonials and references (I have a great referral postcard designed specifically for this).

Create your unique selling proposition

Guest blog post by Jessica Swanson of Shoestring Marketing

In order to succeed in your small business, you simply cannot be like everyone else; you need to stand apart from the crowd. Always keep in mind that you don’t want to be ‘just another fish in the sea’. You want to be the biggest, brightest and fastest fish in the sea!

So how do you accomplish this? You create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). A USP differentiates you from your competition and gets you noticed.

Here are a few examples of companies with clear, concise and memorable USP’s:

Head and Shoulders: We get rid of dandruff

Dominos Pizza: Pizza in 30 minutes or less – or it’s FREE

FedEx: When your package positively, absolutely has to get there overnight.

M & M’s: The milk chocolate melts in your mouth not in your hands

Olay: For younger looking skin

In order to be effective, your USP must contain the following three components:

1) You must offer your customers a specific benefit (if you buy this product, you will receive this benefit).

2) Your offer must be unique and different than your competition.

3) Your offer must be compelling enough to pull in new customers.

Once you create a USP that truly stands out, you will find prospects and customers lining up at your door! With all of the competition out there, you must find a way to make yourself unique.

Use The Following 7-Step Formula To Create Your USP:

Step 1: Describe the Benefits of Doing Business With YOU

Describe 3 benefits that customers will receive by doing business with you. The reality of the situation is that your customer doesn’t care if you offer the best quality, service, or price.  These are simply features of your business or service.

Your customer only cares what your business can do for him/her. For instance, will the customer be happier, healthier, wealthier, or smarter if they use your product or services? 

Take some time to write down three benefits that your business/ service offers to your customer/client.

Step 2: How Are You Unique?

Remember, you MUST offer your customer something that others DO NOT offer him/her. Basically, your USP separates you from the competition so that the prospect feels that clearly the best option is to do business with you (as opposed to your competition).

Write the different ways in which you can differentiate yourself from your competition. What unique qualities, attributes or skills do you have to offer?

Step 3: What Problem Can You Solve?

At this very moment, there are numerous problems in your industry that customers would like to see solved.
•    How to write great ad-copy
•    How to reduce your mortgage
•    How to train your dog in 7 days or less
•    How to find a date in 30 days
•    How to find inexpensive health insurance
•    How to find leads…
Obviously, the possibilities are endless!

Start by identifying pressing problems that exist in your particular industry. Brainstorm various ways that you could help solve or alleviate these problems.

There are always ways that you can help solve your customers’ problems, you just need to be creative. However, always make sure that you can deliver on your promises!

Step 4: Be Specific And Offer Proof:

Do not simply proclaim that you are “the best.” This means virtually nothing to your customers. Remember, people in today’s world are often skeptical and need specific examples and proof that you can fulfill your promises.

Tell your prospects exactly what they can expect by doing business with you. Do not be vague or ambiguous. The more precise and accurate you are, the more your prospects will trust you.
In addition, you should also offer testimonials from satisfied customers. This is important proof that helps your prospects believe that you will deliver on your promises.

Step 5: Use Your USP In ALL Of Your Marketing Materials:

Variations of your USP should be included in ALL or your marketing materials such as:
•    Advertising and sales copy headlines
•    Business cards, brochures, flyers, and signs
•    Your “elevator pitch”, phone, and sales script
•    Letterhead, letters, and postcards
•    Landing Pages and Websites
•    Newsletters and Ezines
•    Social Networking Sites and Other Internet Marketing Efforts

Final Step: Write Your USP!

After going through some of the above steps, take some time to write out a USP for yourself that you will use in conjunction with your business. Your USP should be clear and concise. You want your prospects to see the benefits and unique qualities that you have to offer so that they feel compelled to do business with you!

Once you discover your Unique Selling Proposition, your business will never be the same!

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Jessica Swanson, ‘The Shoestring Marketer’, has helped entrepreneurs, all over the world, explode their businesses using cutting-edge, proven, NO-COST internet marketing strategies. To receive your FREE Marketing Kit,  which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, just like you, learn the exact techniques for marketing their businesses for NO-COST, visit: http://www.ShoestringMarketingKit.com

Remember: problem, solution and then product

Talking to a businesswoman who had trouble promoting her new product, I told her she needed to take a step back and view how she marketed from another viewpoint – that of the customer.

So many people bang on about themselves and their product – this is only natural, as humans think about the most important thing: ‘me’. Great if you’re a customer, not so if you’re the business.

Customers are naturally self-centred, but the business cannot afford to be so. The best way to market your product is within the perimetres of how your customer thinks, not to your perception of what they should be thinking. Your customers don’t give a tinker’s toot about you or your business, they only care for ‘what’s in it for me’, what tangible thing they can take away in their paw, how their lives will be improved, whether it’s good value for money…

Therefore you must think of the kind of questions your customers will ask when searching or asking for a solution to their problem. In other words, what is their problem, have you got the solution, and does your product match up? Let’s examine a well-known scenario from TV:

Problem: a really greasy and dirty cooker surface that won’t shift with ordinary cream cleaners: “How can I clean my cooker, it’s totally baked on?”

Solution: a spray that cuts through the grease and tackles the grime with the minimum of effort: “Great, my cooker’s really clean after only a couple of wipes!”

Product: (I bet you can guess, as it’s represented by a well-toned orange cartoon figure.) This uses something the customer can to latch onto, and provides a focal point for the customer when searching the supermarket shelves…

The method? Problem, solution, product – and note the order they come in. Your business’s contribution comes last, whereas your customer has top billing. That’s how you get their attention, show your empathy, maintain a memorable presence, win above your competitors, and achieve those sales.

But what is this advert really saying?

I’ve just finished an advert.

The process was that it needed to be made ready for print: the image at 300 dpi, changed from RGB to CMYK, collect the logo from the original and superimpose it onto the new one (using Photoshop to separate it from its original background), work out what font was used for the text and transform it to the right size for the magazine’s dimensions including bleed.

The effect is stunning, because the image used is stunning. But that is all it has going for it. Sure, it will fit in extremely well into the kind of magazine it is going into, as it will look like just the rest of the pages, beautiful. But the problem is, is it really an advert?

Why am I questioning this? Because it misses some vital points. OK, it has a logo, but that isn’t the be-and-end-all of an advert, not unless it is Coca-Cola which needs no explanation. Do you understand exactly what it is promoting? If you do, what makes it different from anything else? Also, the text (if you could read it because it is so small) is too cryptic to understand its message properly; there are no instructions for the reader to take action; and even if they did want to make contact, there’s only a webaddress which is miniscule and totally unnoticeable (can you find it?).

I suppose the owner wanted their promotion to be subtle, like their product, but unless you have managed to secure world-wide fame and a huge following, have made millions of pounds and have several well-placed outlets throughout the world, have all the fashion magazines falling over themselves to do a story on your product and the biggest celebrities showing off their latest version on the red carpet, then this kind of advertising is not going to work – at all!

How to make your clicks more effective

A website owner was moaning to me about how much he had spent on pay per click (PPC) advertising and had got very little in return. This is probably because he had entered into the venture by himself, so obviously there were some concepts he was not using correctly.

To start with I would advise you to go see a Google Adwords expert, because this is the area they work in every day, so they understand how to effectively use this system and will get the best deal for you.

But if you don’t, then here are some things to consider. First, each PPC advert works on the effective use of keywords. You can find these out through sites like Wordtracker.com where you will see which keywords surfers on the net are using the most. But this means the most popular words cost more to use, so it is worth looking further afield or thinking outside the box to find more cost efficient versions.

Second, where are you sending your clickers? You may have produced an effective ad which get lots of clicks at a reasonable cost, but how can you maximise on converting them into paying customers? Consider the subject of your advert, and then look at the landing webpage. Is it relevant?

It’s no good having an advert on one particular subject, let’s say baked beans, and your advert’s URL directs your customers to the index page of Heinz. Your customers are looking only for baked beans, so give them a landing page which is solely about baked beans. Going to a more general page will not only put off your customers, they may get diverted onto another subject or leave through another link. Your landing page needs to be totally focused on the subject at hand.

Third, what is the objective to your PPC advertising? Your landing page should have one aim and that is to get your customers to do something: contact you for more information, sign up for a free gift or special report, fill in a questionnaire or whatever. Don’t expect people to respond to an unfocused or cryptic message, or just the index page of your website which doesn’t have the advert’s subject immediately available.

You need to effectively guide your customers to do what you want them to do, but without being condescending in your approach. Explain concisely and coherently the purpose of the advert, and limit the number of choices to achieve a more positive response.

How to convert warm prospects into hot customers

One of the most important parts of a campaign is the call to action. This is, in fact, one element that some leaflet campaigns actually forget to include! Not only does a single leaflet campaign provide just one shot at attempting to persuade customers to buy, but the command to pick up the phone, go to a particular website or send an email is somehow either omitted or presented in such a weak method it is bound to fail.

I used the word ‘command’, because that is what should be done. It’s no good saying “If you would like to know more, please call xxx xxxx”, as this ‘pretty please’ attitude will not induce the customer to pick up the phone. “Call NOW to find out more!” has far more impact, especially if it is combined with an incentive. This statement should also be followed by large, bold contact details on a separate line, not hidden within the closing text.

Unless your offer is so incredibly compelling, it is unlikely that the phone will be ringing off the hook. So the answer is to collect warm leads (people who may not want to buy now, but who may be interested and are sitting undecided on the fence) with a view to conversion at a later date. Marketing is essentially forming a long term relationship with your customers, so you need to be able to gather their details to communicate with them on a gradual basis.

Customers are, by nature, greedy and self-centred, so you should play along with those traits. It’s much easier to work with how your customers think than to try and mould them to match you. Therefore provide an incentive they can’t refuse, something of value that costs relatively little to you, such as a ‘Special Report’, ‘Early Preview’ or ‘Ten Top Tips’ that they can’t fail to resist, in return for their contact details.

Collecting details is made much easier through automation, as you cannot be there 24/7 to receive and send out requests. By setting up an autoresponder on the internet you can collect customer details into a safe and secure database to respond immediately to deliver any ‘free gifts’ you’ve promised, and be ready for later communications. Your marketing can continue with on-line campaigns, such as e-zines or e-newsletters, which are relatively inexpensive and much more versatile.

You may still need to continue with the multiple leaflet or postcard campaigns. This is because it can take anything between seven and 21 times to persuade your customers to buy from you. The on-line campaigns should work alongside the paper version for continuous gentle reminders, particularly with different messages or viewpoints, to avoid repetition and therefore indifference. As I said in Part I, create a storyboard to encourage a following, with cliff-hangers and new incentives, to entice a positive response. Each ‘episode’ should continue to have a call to action, especially if it is time-dependent, either to make direct contact or to receive a special offer in return for their details, as you will want to expand your database of prospects.

And an extra: Alice’s Actions #31 – Create landing pages to host sign up forms

When enticing prospective customers to sign up for their special offer or gift, make it easier for them by creating a special landing page (webpage totally devoted to the cause) to encourage a positive response. It should be devoid of all external stimuli such as links elsewhere, with its main focus solely on the matter at hand, getting them to sign up!  And to facilitate a better reaction, you could always add testimonials and case studies to back up your offer, as long as they don’t detract from the original purpose: obtaining your customers’ contact details.

Comparing incentives with a trifle

One of the most important parts of a campaign is the call to action. This feature can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but one popular version is the ’special offer’ acting as an incentive to get the customer to make contact.

Try to think of and create a really compelling ’special offer’. Is it a free gift or sample, a special report, a video or audio to explain your business and offer advice, or an offer of time or consultancy (like my ‘free half hour health check’ to see how I can transform your literature into something more successful)?

Plan how tasty and full of value your gift will be, as these attributes all contribute to a more successful response. And don’t forget to make your offer time-dependent, as this increases the incentive factor.

Once you’ve decided what your incentive is, then it needs to be professionally produced. What methods will be used to package and deliver it? How easily can the customer view this offer, and what will compel them to sign up for it? The process needs to be made as easy as possible for the customer to rise to the occasion.

Then make sure you prepare yourself and your staff so that once the customers start taking the bait, you are ready and waiting for them. Not only should you have your patter up to speed, but you be ready with an opportunity up your sleeve for a series of upselling motives to add on if applicable.

Think of the call to action incentive on your advert or webpage as the sponge layer of the trifle. The upselling techniques should be represented by the jelly, fruit, custard, cream and, eventually, the chocolate sprinkles. Of course even with just one addition it will taste nice, but think how scrumptuous it will be with all the benefits added together! Plan your response methods to take the best advantage of the situation.

Don’t skimp during a recession

The last thing businesses should be doing during a recession is to limit their amount of marketing. In fact they should be focusing on highlighting all the positive aspects of their organisation so that once the recession has ended they are riding the crest of the wave.

It is a time for reflection and reorganisation, for analysis of where their business is going, for rewriting the text to make it more customer focused, for adapting the services or product to add value, for restructuring so to provide better upselling from an improved base, for watching their competitors to understand how to keep one step ahead, for creating new products ready for the ‘all clear’, for a chance to weed out ‘the wheat from the chaff’.

The Financial Times recently placed this advert on billboards (see picture) that showed exactly what many businesses do during a recession. Do you want your customers to forget who you are and what you stand for? Isn’t it important to maintain your profile at the same level, even more so, when similar companies are reducing theirs? Make sure your visibility hasn’t diminished, even if the internal workings have; it’s much harder to come back from a diminished point than to carry on from where you were before.

What does the word ‘marketing’ mean to you?

Why is it with reporters and broadcasters always associate advertising as the primary source of marketing? Is there a mental block with the public when it comes to understanding what marketing is? Is advertising always the first thing people think of when the word ‘marketing’ is mentioned?

I suppose that is the case, because advertising tends to be the most visible form of marketing. But it is also the most expensive, and, in most cases, the most unproductive, especially if it is not done well. I have seen some really bad examples: companies assuming all their readers know who they are, or their message is too cryptic so it doesn’t make sense, or blabbing on about themselves rather than what they can provide for their customers.

I suppose the misconception that advertising is the be-all-and-end-all of marketing will continue unless the public want to find out what marketing really is. This is probably because alot of marketing is almost invisible to the public, silently working away in the background creating that effective message to form relationships with people to eventually encourage them to buy.

How clearly do you describe your business?

One of the most difficult things in networking is adequately describing your business so that your listener’s eyes don’t glaze over. With some networking groups you only get 60 seconds to give your pitch, which is actually a blessing in disguise. It makes you concentrate your mind on the most important parts, enabling you to condense your ideas into a few concise and well-chosen words.

But be aware of speaking value to your audience. Waffling on about unimportant details will cloud your description and waste your opportunity. Pin-point the areas that concern your customers the most, analyze exactly what they need in this present economic climate, and once you’ve understood their pain, offer a solution that cannot be ignored and highlighted as your USP to stand above your competitors.

For example, I wish to bring to your attention the importance of good design in promotional literature. There are various elements which are ignored because they are either considered as ‘old fashioned’ or are not properly taught, as they require what is termed as ‘having an eye’ for placement and positioning of text and images.

Today’s world is forever getting faster, and our brains haven’t time to stop and analyze subjects at length like they did 20 years ago. Concepts need to be understood in a nano-second, and this recognition will either result in taking action or being rejected. Multiple promotions are required to drive a message home, usually in various methods to avoid repetition, as on-the-spot decisions or reactions are rare.

The main element is the importance of margins. The eye needs to be navigated towards its passage across the page, guiding it to the relevant areas to aid comprehension. This cannot be achieved if the margins are too narrow or non-existant (as with bleeds and images set outside of grids) as is the wont with many ‘modern’ designs. Misunderstanding the use of ‘white space’ and therefore cramming in as much information as possible into the space will not enable the reader to fully understand the message and another opportunity will be lost.

In marketing terms, this concept could also be stressed by not having too many words in your promotional literature. The old adage ‘less is more’ results in summarising your message into a concise select number of words or phrases, especially if they have a ‘benefits’ bent rather than ‘features’, and will enable skimmers and scanners to ‘get’ your point quickly in this fast moving world of ours. They maybe will be able to retain the information somewhere, and remember the concept when it is presented to them again soon afterwards. Don’t expect instant recognition or action, people need to be coerced or seduced into your way of thinking, all aided by expert design and pin-pointed copywriting.

Aussie Ads Cause Total Disruption

We tried to watch a Harry Potter film the other day on Australian television and it was virtually impossible. They have ads every ten minutes or so which last about five minutes, and the constant repeats were waring and annoying.  But what goaded me most was that they were so badly constructed I didn’t get what they were advertising about! The amount of money that must be spent and totally wasted, because I’m sure not every Australian is stupid enough to sit there gormly goggling at the TV regardless what is on, so activities must happen inbetween the programmes (getting another beer from the fridge, chasing cockroaches around the room, cleaning the barbecue for the next round of steaks, swatting the mosquitoes because someone forgot to close the fly-door, swabbing after-sun gel on red and raw limbs) – which means either the ads are really useless in their purpose, or the ad-making companies don’t know how to construct an ad that is efficient in driving the message home. The only ones that worked were those that had been adapted from English ads (with Aussie dubbing) and they really stuck out like sore thumbs because I actually understood them. Maybe it’s a culture thing, or because I’m not Australian…

Postcard Pointers for Pertinent Promotions

This is my version of the subject on postcards mentioned a few posts ago:

Take another look at the humble postcard. Size A6, although appears small, is actually quite versatile (and fits nicely into a C6 envelope if necessary), and even though it’s dimensions restrict the amount of content you can fit on it, there is no reason why you should stick to only one at a time.

Set up a series of postcards as part of a promotional exercise. Think of a story you would like to share with your prospective customers, or isolate valuable items or points you would like to tell them about. Put together a coherent message in separate episodes using a connective theme, target your audience, decide on a timeframe, chose which day they will receive your postcards, and remember to get them professionally designed and printed.

You will make it easier for your target market to cope by sending out your mail-shot in manageable bite-sized amounts, because at the end of your campaign you will need to call each recipient to ask them if they have received your postcards, find out what they thought of them, ask if they struck a chord with their business and whether they interested in what you are offering.  Restrict your mail-outs to a small number at a time to make the follow-up a little easier and less daunting.

Using this slow trickle of reminding advertising will give your potential customers a chance to remember you, especially if the theme is clever, relevant, amusing or eye-catching.  When you do make contact, remember to listen carefully to their answers and take their lead to arrange a meeting with them to discuss their part in your campaign.

What to include in your postcard

The beauty of the postcard is that it can be used in so many ways.  Both sides can be filled with information, or one side only with a picture that is relevant, coercive, stimulating, funny, different or influential. The other face could be designed like a postcard with separate areas for the message and address.  If you’re doing a long-term campaign remember ‘more is less’, especially if your message is thought-provoking, contains an incentive-laden cliff-hanger, or maybe includes a series of clues to culminate in the final issue.

An excellent headline is vital to draw attention to your reader.  Make it short and snappy, rememberable by being amusing, using gimmicks like alliteration or playing on a colloquial phrase, or posed in a question leading to an affirmative answer relevant to your purpose. A sub-heading or catch-phrase will help emphasise it further, or even explain or support particularly ‘clever’ examples.

Advertise your solution to your customers’ pain by highlighting your business benefits, arranged in a scanable format with jargon-free, simply digestible words. Add a time-induced call to action, laced with gifts or incentives, to keep the momentum going.  And make sure your contact details are always highly visible, just in case they don’t want to wait until the end of your campaign.

Presentation is always important, as good quality and well designed publicity reflects well on the professionalism of your company. Care should be taken on the materials used, colours and fonts for modern and noticeable effect, and layout for efficient use of space. If you want to know more, then just go ask Alice!

How images can work better than words

Driving from an event, I noticed a van in front of me.  It was coming up to lunchtime and my stomach was rumbling, exasperated by the fact that pasted on the back windows of this van were the most wonderful pictures of various breads and pastries.  It was obviously a baker’s van, but the imagery was so powerful, you could imagine the interior packed to the gills with warm, yeasty rolls and sticky fruit buns dusted over with icing sugar.

What a wonderful way to advertise their wares. Just a logo and name of the company would not have had the same impact…