Does advertising work to attract new customers and help you sell more? Madison Avenue helped build some of the best known (and most profitable) brands of our time. But times have changed, and if you’re still using the “Mad Men” model of advertising, you’ve probably learned an expensive lesson: your advertising probably doesn’t work.
There’s a great explanation about the evolution of the ad industry, from birth to its peak, and eventual decline, in a book called Monopolize Your Marketplace. The key lesson that it teaches is that
- Old fashioned marketing could rely on
- Building a national brand and eliminating your small competition, so the consumer had very few choices
- Simply listing your products (“institutional ads”) because the customer had little information on your competition
- Relying on “creative” ads with “cute” images and jingles (clichés)
- Today’s world is different
- Your customer has too many choices. (just walk down the cereal aisle at your supermarket, or browse around Amazon)
- Information is too easy to get: any one can find your competition with a simple Google search
- Consumers want to make the best decision, so they’re trying to understand how you’re different from your competition.
Does adverting work differently now?
It has to. That’s because the consumer wants something different. Something more.
In order to make the best decision, the consumer has to choose from different options than ever. If your marketing doesn’t educate consumers about what makes you different/better/unique, they’ll look for other ways to compare you. And do you know the factor that’s always easy to compare?
Price.
We all know that comparing price isn’t the best way to get the best value. But when everything else looks the same, you leave the customer very little choice.
How does advertising work to help your customers…and you.
It’s simple. Today’s successful marketing communications include helpful information in place of clichés (“the best,” “the friendliest” or “helpful staff”) and meaningless claims (“we help you understand…” or “free estimates”…well, I’d hope so!) It eliminates “stock” phrases that everyone in your industry can make (“trained mechanics,” “professionals,” or “auto repair specialists”)
Instead give consumers information that’s important to them: What problems would them like to solve? What are their challenges? What are their desires? These are your customer’s “hot buttons.” They’re what’s most important to your customer. So educate your customers about how you help them with these challenges.
Does advertising work? Not if you sound like everybody else.
Here’s the challenge. Look at your advertising. Is there any “fluff”? Clichés? Can anyone else make the same claims? Does everything you say show how you’re unique?
If not, your competition will thank you. Because if you sound like your competition, your customers will probably buy from your competition.
Want advertising that will deliver the right message to the right people at the right time? And convince customers that you’re the best choice? Call for a Free 15-minute Discovery Session and we’ll give you 5 decisive statements that will help you stand out from the competition, and show you can use them. Call or email today to set up your session: Call 800-862-8896.
