 |
The Crystal Group |
 Jim Maher |
|
Ten Biggest Advertising Mistakes I've seen. Since 1991 I've been designing promotional advertising for my clients. Here is my top ten list of mistakes we all make in promoting our business, church, school, practice, etc. |
||
|
10 - Providing To Much Information - Your ad copy should be designed to generate interest or issue a call to action. It does not need to be cluttered up with every bit of detail about you (including everything you do!) 9 - Being Penny Wise & Pound Foolish - It's much better to buy a smaller quantity of a quality item than buy a lot of cheap items. There are three things everyone looks for: quality items, excellent customer service and a low price. The best you can get is two from a professional. For example, we use quality items, have excellent customer service with competitive pricing. 8 - Forgetting That Perception is Reality - You will be judged by the first impression you make, good or bad! How comfortable would you be talking to a Doctor for the first time who shows up with a wrinkled, blood stained lab coat versus one who is in a clean starched coat? How about a house painter that shows up at your doorstep in a paint splattered truck that's falling apart? I can give you a hundred examples like this, bottom line is you will be judged by how you are perceived rather than by your abilities. Does your ad do this? 7 - Forgetting that Impressions count - An impression is how many times someone sees your advertisement. For most small to medium entities, radio, TV and newspaper ads are real ego boosters but have no legs as they are fleeting, do not hang around and are not targeted to your audience. Did you know a refrigerator is opened 30 times a day? Put a magnet on the door and people will see it. 6 - Assuming Your Target Audience Really Knows What You Do - This is my biggest mistake! We all assume the person we are working with knows all about us. They don't and it is your fault, not theirs. We have to continually educate our clients, prospects on what we do that will help them. 4 - Getting Advice from Dream Killers! - Also known as friends, family or your Spouse! We are all guilty of this. As a group these people are know as Dream Killers as the majority look at why something will not work rather than seeing how it will work. Advertising is a mixture of art and science and most people do not have the experience to judge good work. 3 - Designing Your Own Ad - I've seen so many mistakes I cannot list them all but here are some of the ones that come to mind: forgetting about your target audience, using all capitals!, Telling how wonderful you are, forgetting to include how to reach you, using beautifull art, etc. 2 - No Tag Line - Your ad should have something unique in it that sets you apart from the competition. For example: calls returned within 10 minutes, 24 hour service, free consultation, 100% guarantee, free delivery, etc. 1 - Forgetting that most people listen to Radio Station WII-FM! (What's In It For Me!) - No one really cares who we are, how smart we are, how big we are, etc. All our clients are really interested in is how you can help them. Last, The purpose of your promotional item is to get a message out so your target audience will recognize what you do (so they can buy) or to get a message out (meeting, reach numbers, emergency contacts, etc.). Good graphic designers understand this and design accordingly. This is what we do, prepare effective advertising. |
||