Advertising Information

If You're Tired Of Adverts That Don't Work And Letters That Don't Sell, Then You Must Read This


Over the 32 years I've been involved in sales, marketing and management, I've discovered that there are two fatal marketing mistakes made by business owners. They are?

· Lack of focus

· Lack of implementation

There's certainly no shortage of ideas and information - the world is full of it - but what are you doing with it all? Let's do a quick reality check here and now:

· How frequently do you get in touch with your customers?

· How far up your hierarchy of buyers do you go?

· What actions are you taking to make next week, next month or next year better?

Pick one thing you've always meant to do and do it tomorrow to start marketing your business more effectively.

It may be to focus on a market sector, write an article to gain you more exposure as an authority in your industry or it may be to write a better Yellow pages advert.

The more you do now, the more you will have to do down the road. There are all kinds of lame excuses and I've heard most of them. Excuses like "I don't have time" or "Maybe when I'm less busy"

Here's a blinding flash of the obvious - the best time to market yourself IS when you're busy. Why? Because one day you won't be? You see, how you get less busy is by NOT marketing yourself.

To make sure you have a constantly increasing flow of customers, develop and implement marketing processes that you can put on autopilot. They run whether you're busy or not.

Of all of the things you've read or heard that you could or should do, how many have you actually done? You know what it's like - you go to a seminar or read a book and say, "I should do that" but you never do.

Successful strategies are based on solutions and information. Your customers don't really care about you or your company - what they care about is what you can do for them. Yet sadly, far too few companies bother to tell their prospects what they can actually do for them.

No, they're far too busy "getting the name out there" or "promoting our logo" If this is a little too close for comfort, consider this provocative statement:

"If you're advertising for any other reason than to generate leads or sales, you're wasting your money"

Run this checklist over your Yellow Pages advert and see how well it rates. Score 1 point for each Yes. Those points may save your ad from oblivion?

1. It looks like an article instead of an ad

2. It has a strong, benefit-rich headline

3. It includes a personal photo

4. It promotes benefits NOT facts

5. It uses testimonial(s)

6. It states your performance guarantee

7. It contains an irresistible offer

8. It has a strong call to action

9. The phone number is clearly displayed

10. The Company name and logo play a very small part

How many did you score? Six or more? Good, your advert might work for you. Less than four? Good luck?

© James Yuille, Brisbane, Australia, 2004.

About the author:

James Yuille is a sales and marketing consultant and trainer with over 32 years experience. He is based in Brisbane, Australia. His free weekly sales and marketing newsletter provides topical information for business owners and salespeople. Find out more at http://www.jamesyuille.com


MORE RESOURCES:

The Associated Press

New York Times now offers front-page advertising
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
"In 2006 we began testing ads on some section fronts and received a very positive response from the advertising community," said Denise Warren, ...
Video: Money Minute: Times Ads, Hyundai, Construction AssociatedPress
NY Times debuts front-page ad; new revenue source The Associated Press
New York Times to sell front-page display ads Reuters
AFP - Chicago Tribune
all 314 news articles


BBC News

Strikes greet Sarkozy's TV reform
BBC News, UK - 8 hours ago
President Nicolas Sarkozy's changes will ban advertising on prime time public TV from Monday evening. The president says the reforms will increase quality, ...
French unions decry TV advertising change Forbes
French Public TV Scraps Nighttime Ads Voice of America
France bans adverts on state TV during primetime guardian.co.uk
Telegraph.co.uk - Irish Times
all 41 news articles


Dunkin' Donuts' New Advertising Offers Rallying Cry for 2009: 'You ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 8 hours ago
5 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, today unveiled a new $100+ million integrated advertising ...
Dunkin' launches $100M ad campaign today Bizjournals.com
Dunkin' Donuts Finds Its Inner Cheerleader AdAge.com (subscription)
Click to see commercial via YouTube video Blue MauMau
Adweek - MediaPost Publications
all 27 news articles


Sun-Times Media Group Names Jim Dyer Vice President, Classified ...
Business Wire (press release), CA - 11 hours ago
He was a key player in the launch of AutoTrader.com, serving as Regional Sales Director, Advertising Operations Director and General Manager of Non Contract ...
Sun-Times Media Group Appoints Jim Dyer VP, Classified Advertising ... RTT News
Sun-Times News Group Names VP/Classifieds Editor & Publisher
Sun-Times Media Group proceeds with deregistration of Class A ... Trading Markets (press release)
Earthtimes (press release) - TechWhack (press release)
all 15 news articles


Reuters

Hyundai Super Bowl ad to feature music by Yo-Yo Ma
Reuters - 42 minutes ago
But advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, which produced the Hyundai spot, said it expects the ad to resonate with many of those watching the ...


Vigilante Advertising's Annual 'Next 5' List of Key Social and ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 8 hours ago
5 /PRNewswire/ -- Vigilante, a leading advertising agency, today released its annual top five list of social and commercial drivers. ...


China Daily

DMG Signs Michael Phelps as Face of Mazda in China
MSNBC - 5 hours ago
Phelps, the world's greatest Olympian and 14-times Gold Medal winner, will exclusively endorse the new Mazda 6 model in a series of advertising campaigns ...
Michael Phelps to endorse Mazda in China Hollywood Reporter
Michael Phelps to Promote Mazda 6 in China AdAge.com (subscription)
Michael Phelps signs groundbreaking deal with Mazda in China Brand Republic
mad.co.uk
all 44 news articles


Nation’s Largest Grocery Advertising Network Celebrates Anniversary
PR Web (press release), WA - 5 hours ago
Colchester, VT -- MyWebGrocer has grown during 2008 to be the largest grocery advertising network in the US by providing relevant, timely and measurable ...


TheaterMania.com

reasons to be pretty to Hold Open Casting Call for Broadway ...
TheaterMania.com, NY - 12 hours ago
The producers of the Broadway production of Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty have announced that they will hold an open casting call for its advertising ...
Ad Campaign for LaBute's reasons to be pretty Seeks Real Bodies Playbill.com
LaBute's 'reasons to be pretty' Looking for 'Real People' for Ad ... Broadway World
all 5 news articles


JP Morgan: '09 to be Rocky for Web and Brand Ads
Adweek, NY - 8 hours ago
That’s because the rocky macro-economic climate has caused performance based advertising to gain market share at a faster rate, a trend that should continue ...
paidContent.org - JP Morgan Sees Long-Term Dominance For ... Washington Post
all 6 news articles

Advertising - Google News

home | index |site map
© 2006