Below is aa article that debunks the ‘false’ information about marketing that small businesses have unknowingly been ‘tricked’ to believe. Although most of these ad agencies and media reps are telling you lies, most of them truly believe what they tell you. They have not been taught any different and are passing on false information that is costing you BIG money.
I’ve come from a media and printing background so I’ve seen it first hand, I know the profits that are made from people being ‘oblivious’ to the truth. It’s time to take a stand and stop believing these lies.
BIG LIE # 1 – You Need To Spend A Lot Of Money On Advertising To Make It Work
Traditional advertising isn’t exactly cheap. But you don’t need to spend a fortune on it to get results from it. Most people have come to this limiting belief because they’ve tried different forms of advertising before and haven’t had any great results. This lie has become the reality for so many businesses because they’ve never been shown the ‘smart’ way to advertise. If you leave your advertising design to be created by: the newspaper, the yellow pages rep, the commercial printer or the graphic designer, you will never experience great results because, 1- They don’t know how to create ads that compel people to contact you. 2 – If they did know, they wouldn’t tell you because it conflicts with their “bigger is better” and “get your message out there” principals that they earn their money from.
BIG LIE # 2 – Get Your Message In Front Of As Many People As Possible
Many of us have been tricked into believing that if our ad is heard or seen by more people that we’ll get more results. We slap it on a billboard. Paint it on a park bench. Cover our cars in it. Put it in newspapers or place it on the radio. We do whatever we can to get our message in front of as many people as possible. This is the wrong approach. It wastes your money and energy and the results are usually very poor. Instead you should be crafting a compelling, targeted message to a small group of people who are potentially interested in what you do. Instead of just advertising here and there and praying to the advertising gods, you should be creating a strategic plan for your marketing where each ad has a specific purpose and everything is reliable, predictable and measurable.
BIG LIE # 3 – Bigger Ads Are Better. – If Your Ad Isn’t Working, Try A Bigger Ad
We’ve all heard it from the ad agencies; if we make a comment about the poor response we had from our ad, they will try to sell you that bigger ad. They are not interested in getting you results; they are interested in selling you more space. Certainly bigger can be better, if you have a successful ad, then if you make it bigger, generally it’s more exposed and you may see an increased response rate. But the reality is – The smallest size ad on a page can have more eye appeal and garner more response than the biggest one on the page. It’s all about the message and the approach you take. By changing a single headline on an advert, I have seen cases it results in a 600% increase in the response rate. It didn’t cost a cent extra, whereas, if you went “bigger” with the same message – it would cost you more and probably give you similar results. So only once you “know” your ad works, then you test going bigger.
BIG LIE # 4 – Pretty, Colour Ads Stand Out And Get Better Results
You’re probably thinking “this isn’t a lie” – But if you approach your advertising from this angle, you will generally see poorer results. The average graphic designer is paid a minimal amount on an hourly rate with no incentive to get you results. They have a set formula they use to pump out ads quickly, this structure is “This is who we are, This is what we do/sell, This is how to contact us.” And then they pretty it up in colour. But this structure doesn’t work. Don’t get me wrong, pretty has its place, but in the cluttered advertising world, if it looks like and ad, then you’ve got less than 2 seconds to get their attention. An ugly ad can have and often does have a much better result. And in a pretty, full colour world, the monochrome ugly stuff stands out! Colour does have it’s place, but use it intentionally, not just beacause it looks nicer!
BIG LIE # 5 – Use Images! – A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
This is a completely false statement, it’s true that images can be impactful, certain images evoke emotions and can make people feel a certain way. But the images that most businesses put on their advertising are pointless and just filling space. Images distract people from your message and the space is usually better utilised with more text, a testimonial or in some cases left blank. If you need to use an image make sure it actually ads to your message, evokes the right emotions, and isn’t just used to make the ad look prettier. If the image does not add to your message then lose it.
BIG LIE # 6 – With Advertising, You Can’t Expect Results Overnight
There are two kinds of advertising: branding and hardcore, retail-oriented, direct response, lead generating, low cost, overnight results-getting advertising. Building a strong, lasting, competitive brand image takes a long time. It’s built over generations with millions of advertising dollars. That’s why you don’t and can’t just brand your business. What you need is results. The good news is… results can happen overnight! – If your system is sound, your ads are positioned correctly and your message is crafted right, the results will be immediate. You can turn it on and off like a light switch. So stop trying to brand your business and focus on getting results instead. When you have a spare million then we can talk branding.
BIG LIE # 7 – You Can’t Control Word-Of-Mouth Advertising
We all rely on word of mouth advertising. It is by far the best form of advertising. Most businesses who fail at traditional advertising are only in business still because of this form of advertising. But almost everybody also agrees that it’s impossible to control. That’s a load of bull – started by the pay-per- advertise media. They don’t want you to find out that there’s a way to control the best advertising process of all – the one that’s 100% free. There are many things you can do to encourage referrals. It starts by altering your internal operations to stand out and be remembered, give them something to talk about, provide unbelievable service, and deliver massive value. Then implement a referral system that encourages and rewards referrals. This is such a low-cost method that will have a massive impact on your business.