Ingredients for a successful advertising recipe

New Marketing Article: The Never-Fail Recipe for Ads That Work Like Crazy

Posted: 23 Jul 2009

From Elizabeth Walker, Duct Tape Marketing: It's always surprising to us to see so many pieces of advertising, especially in print, that don't work. They simply don't contain the ingredients needed to successfully communicate with customers.

If you make a cake, you don't leave out any ingredients, right? Then why leave out an important part of your advertising message?

With a small budget and not a lot of space, many people run so called "business card" ads. The ad consists of the same elements that are on a typical business card: business name (usually a logo), your name, telephone numbers, and address, email address and website. Sometimes a catchy slogan too!

But where's the offer? Where's the call-to-action? Business card ads simply don't do anything but take up space.

Think of your ad as a "salesperson in print." What would happen if your salesperson dropped by a prospect and said, "Hi, I'm Ned from the ABC Company. Here's my phone number and address. Hope you call sometime. Bye!"

Would that work? Nope, and it's the same with ads.

If you want your ad to get results it must contain some key elements. Here's the recipe:

First, make it crystal clear who you are talking to, e.g. "Small Business Owners" or "Sports Enthusiasts" or "Golfers" or whoever your prime target group is  - get their attention by putting this at the top of the ad.

Second, use emotionally strong words to outline a concern, need or frustration this group has that your product or service satisfies, e.g. "Tired of staying up late doing your bookkeeping?" or "Are you worried about data loss, security, viruses, and keeping your network safe from hackers?"

Third, offer a solution: "Our easy-to-use bookkeeping system lets you keep track of your business without losing sleep." Or "We can analyze your computer network, diagnose any problems you are currently having, and look for hidden problems."

Fourth, offer something they can get free or an action they can take immediately with no risk attached â€" go to the web site for a downloadable sample, a report, tips and tricks, or drop by the store for our free checklist.

Fifth, end the message with your contact info: name, phone, fax, email and web address, and, of course, your logo and tagline.

Sixth, have you got a good picture of the product, or something showing the service, or conversely, the situation prospects are facing because they do not have your product or service? Here's a secret: often the most powerful picture is one of you! Now readers can put a face on your company.

There, that was easy wasn't it?

Next time you are putting an ad together for your business, follow the six steps in this order. If you do this, and if your ad appears where your Ideal Clients can find it, you will be communicating your product or service far more effectively than you've ever done, and yes, the phone will ring.

 

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The motivational aspect of small, tangible achievements

New Managing Article: Tangible Microcosms of Achievement

Posted: 24 Jul 2009

From Scott Belsky, Behance:

There is something deeply gratifying (and motivational) about small, tangible achievements during long-term projects. Whether you are in a client service-based industry like consulting or advertising or if you are involved in a long-term pursuit to develop a new product, we can all benefit from internal short-term projects designed to produce something tangible. These microcosms of achievement provide us with interim rewards that help us maintain focus and momentum for the long term.

One firm that harnesses the rewarding power of tangible achievements is New York agency Brooklyn Brothers.  At the same time as they act as a creative agency serving clients, they also produce Fat Pig Chocolate, PMS vitamins, and a series of children's books. The team at Brooklyn Brothers believes that making a product lends invaluable insights into the life cycle of pushing a product to market. From these internal projects, the agency gains an understanding of the logistics behind developing, executing, and distributing a product, and that knowledge, in turn, gives them an edge on the client side.

And perhaps, in a world stuffed to the gills with digital and virtual products, there is a benefit to creating something tangible that can be held and felt - something entirely physical. At Behance, we were surprised by how much we learned through the process of creating our own line of paper products based on our organizational methodology, the Action Method. The product line forced us to simplify what we do with technology and knowledge. And it has served as a tangible, completed outcome that we can hold in our hands and consider as we undertake massive new projects with no end in sight.

Every team should venture to create something for themselves. If only as a refreshing team development exercise to experience what goes into the pursuit of making ideas happen with full control. The completion of smaller projects provides a sense of reward and confidence that can help you push larger projects through the sometimes demoralizing project plateau. And you also never know if your internal project may shed light on a larger opportunity that you hadn't anticipated. Many successful products such as Twitter and Gmail started out as unofficial side projects.

***This article is adapted from the research and writing of  Scott Belsky and the Behance team. Behance runs the Behance Creative Network, the Action Method project management application, the Creative Jobs List, and develops knowledge, products, and services that help creative professionals make ideas happen.

 

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