Touch Points

Just Imagine The Savings! Specificity is a Good Thing.

In our part of the world, the water is hard with lots of minerals so water softeners are commonly found in houses. They cost a couple of hundred bucks, sit in the basement, every couple of months you fill them with salt and mostly you forget about them. The only reason you remember to fill the salt barrel is because the drinking glasses start coming out of the dishwasher spotted and dirty. I tell you this to give you some background on an ad that I heard on the radio that really got me thinking.

The guy in the ad started explaining their new water softening system doesn’t use electricity to soften the water, it’s just a flow through system yada, yada, yada. Then he says, "JUST IMAGINE THE SAVINGS." I about fell off my chair.

Wow! Could I save enough to take my family on that long dreamed of Mediterranean cruise? Or maybe pay off my new car? Or maybe I could save enough to pay for a building to be built in my name at the Wizard Academy. I’m getting really excited now! What could I save from this guy’s water softener?

I asked my wife, "How much do we pay for our water softener?"

She replies, "I don’t know, we own it."

"So how much do you think it might cost us to run it?"

"Not a clue," came her answer.

As much as the guy in the ad thinks it might be easy for anyone to imagine, in fact, it’s rather difficult. I can’t even imagine a time when I would normally care enough to do the math, but this guy’s got me all revved up. Just imagine the savings!

Maybe I can retire the mortgage on my house, or buy an island in the Caribbean to spend my winters. Maybe

I still don’t know what the savings could be and I’ve been thinking about it for days now.

If you’re writing advertising, BE SPECIFIC! It’s more persuasive than generalities. "Just imagine the savings" is a generality that when it comes to advertising means squat.

He could have said, "Every day, my water softener will save you enough money to buy a cup of coffee and there might even be enough for a cup for your spouse too." I might have felt it was worth it and it probably would have kept my expectations in check, although a new Porsche still sounds pretty darn good.

Cheers

Steve

How To Write More Powerful Ads (and letters, brochures or just about anything you write)

Clay Campbell wrote in his Canadian Small Business post Unrealistic Expectations, that it’s "what the ad says, that determines the success of the campaign." Here’s a simple technique that you can use to improve your writing. It applies to ad copy, but also to letters and brochures as well as anything you write.

Ask your client to describe how people use their product or service. Write down all the verbs they use in their descriptions. Then using your imagination, a thesaurus or a dictionary, substitute the verbs with more powerful ones. You now possess a list of exciting and engaging verbs with which to craft your ads. For letters or brochures, after writing the first draft, pick out the verbs and apply the same technique.

You’ll discover very quickly that instead of laying flat, your writing will start to jump off the page with it’s own energy and verve.

Cheers

Steve

Digital Image Sorcery

In the continuing look at how digital tools are changing the images we look at in everyday advertising, here is the site of photographer Brian Dilg (click here) with explanations of what he has done to revamp the images. As you mouse over the images on his site you can look at the original photo and compare it with the re-done version. Fantastic talent!  Cheers, Steve

Getting Past the Gatekeeper, What’s in it for Them? vs What’s in it for Me?

"Nine times out of ten, the advertising message made more sense to the client than the consumer."

From Wizard Academy Grad- Mick Torbay

In the radio industry, we are guilty as charged. The focus of most advertising is on the client with their fast fair and friendly staff or their pathetic product line or their claim of "giving great service for over 67 years." Who really cares? Not the consumer and certainly not Broca’s area of the brain that hears all that drivel and blocks it from entering the brain.

To get past the gatekeeper, your ads must focus on the one thing consumers care about, themselves. If your ad answers the question, "what’s in it for them?" then your ad has a much higher chance of working. If you are an advertiser, get to it and get it fixed today.

Cheers

Steve

Jesus At The Mall, Controversial Church Ads Are Causing A Stir

The United Church of Canada is shaking things up a bit with their controversial new ad campaign (view ads here). The minister of the United Church in my town told me that reaction has been swift and not all of it positive. In fact a couple of members of the congregation wanted to be sure that their money was not being directed to finance the advertising campaign.

As I discussed with the minister, people are talking about this ad campaign like they have never talked before. To generate strong reaction to any campaign, there will always be some who are strongly opposed to it and some who embrace it and the reaction is causes.

Cheers

Steve

Number Six of 12 Most Common Advertising Mistakes Made by New Businesses

6. Using hype instead of truth.

Today’s consumers are so sick of hype that they immediately discount it and often ignore it. Think of your own case, when you see SALE - UP TO 75% OFF, what is your immediate reaction? The claim may be true, but most of us are thinking, "Oh sure, they’ll have a few items at 75% off, but will I be able to find them?" What the shop owner thinks of as an incredible offer is misconstrued by the consumer as hype and this possibly misleading advertising has caused us to be suspicious and stopped us from shopping. Instead, truth will set you free, but it must be delivered in a manner that peels back the layers of truth like layers of skin on an onion, exposed for all to see.

You now have the first six of the Twelve Most Common Mistakes Made By New Businesses. I hope you are beginning to see that advertising your new business is a serious part of your start-up planning. Don’t skimp on it, give it the time it deserves and you will reap the rewards

New Business Advertising Mistakes Part 5

5. Not having a strategy for advertising.

You should know exactly why you are advertising, what the core value of your business is and how to communicate it. If you allow an advertising rep to convince you that some goofy, wacky, far-out ad is the way to attract the attention of the consumer, then your ad campaign will never truly reflect your business unless you truly are goofy, wacky and far-out. Plan your ad strategy with the attention to detail that you used when you planned your business.

More New business Advertising mistakes

Congratulations! You’ve just opened your new business. Now, get ready to make a blunder of some sort. Believe me, you are going to make some bone-headed decisions in the next little while that you will look back on in the years to come and say, "What was I thinking?" We all do it. It’s inevitable. Get over it.

One way to navigate through this numbskull period is to find a wise person who has made those mistakes. A business mentor. With their help you may lessen the chances of major miscues and hopefully avoid those career ending blunders.

Here is number 4 in the series of the Twelve Most Common Advertising Mistakes Made by New Businesses Everywhere. Use these thought-starters to hold a mirror to your decisions and be smarter about your business.

4. Expecting instant results.

Think of your company’s advertising as a farmer thinks of a seed. You plant it in the minds of your potential customers and like a farmer, nurture it and allow it to grow. Farmers do not expect seeds to germinate and grow to a mature crop instantly, why would you with your advertising? The deeper the commitment to allow the advertising seed to grow, the better you will fare in the long run. Advertising takes a long time to grow, give yourself time to reap the harvest.

CAN YOU FOG A MIRROR OR ARE YOU JUST DEAD WHEN IT COMES TO ADVERTISING? Part 3

3. Not fully utilizing your available signage.

Your easiest and cheapest form of advertising will almost always be your signage. Nothing stimulates the purchasing power of the shopping public more than windows covered with a big sign saying “Opening Soon.” Capitalize on your location and the traffic (pedestrian and vehicular) with a sign or signs that stand out from the rest of the business signs around you. Don’t allow a graphic designer to create just another sign that fits in with all the rest; be bold, creative, different - but above all, make sure you do it right. The number of new businesses that skimp on signage is legend. A cheap, ill-conceived sign tells the world you really aren’t ready to play on the same turf as your competitors. Who intuitively knows that? Your potential customers. And guess who won’t shop your store because of it? Those same potential customers. They write you off without even giving you a chance.

CAN YOU FOG A MIRROR OR ARE YOU JUST DEAD WHEN IT COMES TO ADVERTISING? Part 2

2. Not making any room in your budget for advertising.

“I’ll advertise when I get more established and get some money coming in.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that. What usually happens is the money NEVER comes in and the business is always behind, so they never get to any promotion until they advertise their closing-out sale. One prime form of advertising is your location. Sometimes, an outstanding geographic location of your shop doesn’t even need much more advertising than eye-popping signage. However the less appealing your business’s location, the more you need to spend on alternate forms of advertising. Budget for it.