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The Ten Dumbest Marketing Mishaps - #10
Almost every business I’ve worked with has been guilty of, at one time or another, of no less than 10 major marketing mishaps that had to be immediately corrected before we could get on with the business of boosting their profit performance.
You, or your business are probably making these very same 10 mistakes. Most do. But this short primer should improve your business’s performance in just a few short weeks.
What you’ll find here is an entirely fresh, new way of viewing your marketing messages — a logical perspective that may seem obvious, but isn’t, until it’s laid out before you.
Eliminating just one or two of these ten errors can catapult your business beyond your competitor’s. Incorporate all of them and the sky’s the limit.
Mishap 10: Forgetting to Focus on the Intended Customer . . . And No One Else!
How many times have you read an ad in a newspaper or magazine and not had the slightest idea what it was about, or who the information was intended for?
Websites, emails, ads, mailing pieces, or commercials — they all need a headline. And a headline is an ad for the ad.
It’s purpose should be to cull out only those who are most qualified to be a prospect for your proposition. Save for the rare exception, humorous, abstract, or circuitous ads or commercials are a waste.
If you run ads in general interest publications, TV, and radio, and your product is pest control, you should not use headlines or opening statements like, “Got the bug to clean the house?,” or “This problem affects every homeowner.”
That’s pathetically trying to be clever. Emphasis on the trying — i.e., you’re not being clever.
Instead, craft a headline or opening that states the purpose of the ad and qualifies the reader.
For example: “If Your Home is Plagued By Ants, Roaches, Mice, or Rats, We Can Eliminate The Problem With Our Exciting, New Monthly Maintenance Service.”
Nice, eh?
If you sell plumbing supplies to the contractor market and you run ads in Contractor magazine, you shouldn’t run ads that begin, ‘The best source of them all.’
Instead, craft a headline that states your proposition, such as: “If You are Looking for a Source of Quality Plumbing Supplies, We Sell Them Exclusively to Contractors at 15% over our Cost, with 45-day Invoicing and an added Discount for Orders Over $2,500.”
If you’re a contractor, you’re already picking up the phone before you’ve finished.
Address your target audience in the headline with teaser copy or the opening line.
If you want to reach people over 45, for instance, say: “If You’re 45 or Over and Thinking of Adding to, Replacing, or Acquiring Life, Health or Disability Insurance, This Information . . .” or “Insurance Coverage for People over 45 with No Physical, No Waiting, No Restrictions.”
If you’re target market is health or weight-conscious people for membership in your health club, use a headline or opening line like this: “Here’s a Way to Become Tight, Lean, Attractive, Radiant and Remarkable Healthy in Just 45 Minutes, 3 Times a Week.”
If you want to reach people interested in furniture, don’t use a cutesy headline. Instead: “Looking for a $1,500 Sofa Value for Just $475? We’ve got 150 in Stock Right Now.”
Or, “We Sell Expensive Furniture at Deep Discounts. Our Average Price is 45% Less Than the Manufacturer’s Suggested Price.”
Whatever you sell, and whoever you want to reach with your story or message, be specific.
Telegraph your message directly to your prospective customers, and tell them what you’re offering.
I could go on and on, but remember these points:
Attract the attention of your target audience in your headline or opening remarks.
State your proposition or offer.
Use the rest of the ad to develop, support and present your offer and your reasons why the prospect should embrace it.
Finally, tell that prospect how to act.
From now on, always telegraph your message only to the people who are your primary prospects. Never again let yourself be content with intellectually-lazy humorous, nonspecific, or abstract headlines or ads.
By Walter |
Topics: Client Top Secret, Marketing Mishaps |