There are some golden rules that you should follow to ensure
your small business advertising pieces give you the maximum
return for your dollar.
Here are 21 'golden rules' you should consider on every one of
your advertisements before you commit your money to publishing
them.
1. Have you clearly defined your ideal target market?
2. Have you written your marketing piece with your target market
in mind?
3. Is the marketing piece being placed/sent/posted where your
ideal target market will see it?
4. How many sales do you need to make to break even on this
advertisement?
5. Is there a more economical way of reaching this same group of
people?
6. Have you made an offer that's clear and easily understood by
the reader?
7. Is your headline attention grabbing?
8. Does your headline outline a major benefit in reading this
advertisement?
9. Is your headline 3 to 6 times bigger than the body copy, or
does it take up 25% to 30% of the space in the ad?
10. Does your headline qualify or attract the right reader for
your advertisement?
11. Does your body copy follow on from what's in your headline?
12. Does your body copy expand on the benefits in your headline?
13. Is the word YOU mentioned at least 4 times to every we, I or
XYZ Company?
14. Can you use sub-headings to break up the copy and allow
someone to get the full story, just by reading the sub-headings?
15. Have you included a picture of a person? Is the person
facing into the body of the piece?
16. Have you included a picture that shows the reader what the
benefit(s) of buying and using your product/service will be?
17. Have you let people know they're safe, by either including a
guarantee or using testimonials?
18. Have you been specific in your copy, or too general for it
to be believable?
19. Have you asked people to call, buy, or in some way act in
your advertisement?
20. Is your phone number and address included? (Is it included
on both the ad and the coupon, if you're using a coupon?)
21. Have the people in your business been told of this promotion
going out, and how they should handle the response from the
promotion?
As you run through this checklist be sure to be objective and as
critical as possible.
Key areas that should be in each and every piece:
1. Clearly Defined Target Market 2. Headline that sells the
benefit 3. Copy/Story that sells the benefits 4. Offer that
compels people to respond 5. Guarantee to take the risk away
from the reader 6. And... Call to Action, so that they contact
you.
All the points just covered are an excellent way for you to
prepare your marketing/advertising pieces based on time tested
and proven marketing/advertising principles.
By following them, you can ensure you'll creating profitable
advertisements for your small business growth.
Copyright © 2005 by Casey Gollan. All Rights Reserved
About the author:
Casey Gollan,
The
Business Growth Specialist, the specialist who grows $1
Million p.a. small businesses into $2 to $5 Million p.a.
businesses over a 2 to 3 year period. To learn more about
Casey's Business Growth Program, visit his site and sign up for
'The 23 Secrets of Business Growth' 2 hour audio program for
FREE.
