Most Advertising for small business usually ends up sounding like everybody else’s. That’s because everybody wants to advertise like “the big guys.” They’re successful, right? Maybe. But it may not be their cliché advertising that’s making them successful. Small businesses can’t afford to be a “brand builders,” trying to gain broad “brand identity” and name recognition. Why not? Because that’s expensive, and way out of your budget. It can’t just achieve “name recognition.” You can’t put name recognition in the bank. Ask any small business owner and you’ll get a simple answer: my advertising has to be profitable: advertising for small business has to sell something.
Why doesn’t advertising for small business work?
Look at most advertising for small business. It’s general. It’s vague. It’s silly. And it’s got nothing to do with why consumers should buy from you. Advertising for small business is filled with phrases like these: do you recognize any of them: “Moving your Forward” “We never stop working for you” “High Performance. Delivered”. Their competition says “High Performance. Amplified” “People Rule” Do any of these give you a feeling that they can help you? Can you even figure out what industry they’re in? The “High Performance” companies aren’t selling cars. They’re selling accounting. “We never stop…” is about cell phone service, which actually does often stop working. When you’re advertising for small business, you can’t afford this kind of stuff!
Another type of advertising for small business
The other type of advertising for small business we always see is an endless list of products or services: We sell chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate chip, coffee, cherry…” So does every ice cream parlor. In my small town in Connecticut, there are 4 ice cream parlors within easy walk of each other. There are a bunch of plumbers. Several auto repair shops. Several salons. And too many banks and nail parlors to count. To succeed with this kind of competition, advertising for small business has to do more than list what you do. Your ads have to tell me why I should buy from them and not their competition.
Advertising for small business is actually easy.
Who are your customers? Who else could buy from you? What do they want? What do they need? What can’t they find, or can’t they understand. What really makes a difference to them? These are their hot buttons. These are the things that motivate them. To find out more about advertising for small business read this article on Hot Button Marketing. Or call for a Free 15-minute strategy session. We’ll ask you 10 minutes of questions. And give you 5 minutes of answers that will help you start selling more today. Call 800-862-8896.