What Do Your Ads Say?

Make a list of everything you think should be included at one time or another, in one of your ad, be it radio, newspaper or Little Jimmie's class play program.

Everything. Experience, staff, facility, product. The list will be quite long. Take the time to do it now, before you read the rest of this article.

Next, take a hard look at your list, pencil in hand, and cross off all items that are about YOU (including YOUR staff, YOUR building, YOUR ranking, awards etc). Now, x-out all the FEATURES of your products or service.

The number one rule, the only rule, for great advertising is "Sell the Benefits".

Take a poll, people don't care if you have the largest selection in town. It means nothing that "New Stuff is arriving daily". They want to know what you or your product can do for them. WIIFM or "What's In It For Me?" Ease pain and you gain.

You see and hear ads everyday that miss the point entirely. Giant billboards with pictures of the medical clinic staff standing in front of a wall of awards. Picture of a guy with a wrench and the words "See me for all your plumbing needs." Three little girls on TV yelling an unintelligible slogan about their daddy's store. It's all about them. It should be all about the customer.

Did you see the one on TV where a guy gets the water cooler dumped on him because he bought the good software? What picture does that tell? It would have been better if the guy told me (from a sunny beach location) the boss gave him another week of vacation because the new software saved the company 40 million bucks. Benefits.

How about the newspaper ad with the picture of the funeral home building and how they have been around for 85 years? Benefit?

Ads about "you you you" can look and sound really great, to you, you, you. We all love to talk about ourselves. Where are the benefits? What hook does your face on a billboard use to bring customers through the door? Your face is NOT a benefit.

We all grew up thinking "me me me". Remember how excited you got when you first saw your name or picture in the newspaper? Even the school paper. It was a BIG deal. "Me me me." Great for your ego, but take that thinking to your advertising and it flops.

The first time you make the list and cross out the me me mees and all the features, you may have only one or two points left to promote. Make a new list and think "them them them". Think benefits.

The ads that stick in your head are the ones that promise to make your life easier. The appliance store promising to deliver at the appointed time. You don't have to stay home all day waiting for the truck. A real benefit. It makes no difference if the TV is made by Acme or Zenith? They will deliver on time. Let's go there. Benefits.

The company that says their plumber will show up clean, on time, and not smell. Another benefit!

Who cares what a financial advisor looks like, but tell people they can retire and not eat dog food and you get their attention. Benefit.

Funny thing, the ads about benefits are the ones we make the mental note to remember. Hmmm.

Sell the benefits and you don't have to sell yourself.

For more about advertising, get my article "What's Your Selling Sentence?" Send a blank eMail to MailTo:[email protected]

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved [email protected] BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" Newsletter MailTo:[email protected]

---

How To Use Pictures To Immediately Start Increasing The Response Rates Of Your Marketing

There should only be one, over-riding reason why you're doing... Read More

How To Get Big Sponsorship Money for Your Band, Tour, Event or Production

Touring is a bands greatest opportunity for success. But, touring... Read More

Juice - Scam of the Decade or Opportunity of the Century

If you are an ardent web surfer and MLMer like... Read More

Yellow Pages Ads - Buying Secrets

Yellow Pages Ads - Buying SecretsOK- let's agree that many... Read More

Secrets to Profitable Mail Order Products

The most profitable mail order products are simple... Read More

Present Your Product On A TV Show for FREE

Would you like to get your new or existing Internet... Read More

Vinyl Banners for the Right Occasion

The sinage marketplace is competitive! Consequently, some companies are going... Read More

11 Ways To Make Your Business Cards Work For You

1. Spend money on decent quality business cards. Home made... Read More

Should Your Small Business Hire an Advertising Agency?

So, you own a small business, sales are down and... Read More

Magnetic Signs: Where Do They Work Best?

Recently, a woman called to ask about replacing a magnetic... Read More

The Not-So-Hidden Persuaders: The Power of The Media Upon Us All

In 1957, a perspicacious young journalist from Pennsylvania named Vance... Read More

How You Can Create Advertising That Sells

A well-planned and properly executed marketing program should include a... Read More

Cable TV Advertising; Mobile Detailing Customers

If you own a mobile detailing business or mobile car... Read More

What Does Your Business Card Say?

Business cards are the most underutilized and misunderstood marketing tool... Read More

Advertising on a Budget -- Part 3: Frequency, Frequency, Frequency

This is the third article of a three-part series. I'm... Read More

16 Methods for Getting Free Advertising

1. Place copies of your circular on bulletin... Read More

How To Tame The Buying Beast Inside Your Customer

What if you can understand and control your customer's mind?... Read More

Choosing a Print Mail Dealer

"Print & Mail is a type of service that... Read More

In Advertising Bigger isn?t Always Better

If you have been following the recent advertising news you... Read More

The Forgotten Advertising Tip

I'm sure while you have seen many tips on advertising,... Read More

What?s the Score?

You may be aware that in a basketball game the... Read More

Information Gathering & Delivery May Never Be The Same!

Give Us The Bottom Line!If you are like most people,... Read More

Design Your Own Newspaper Ads

Many people in business lay-out (design) their own ads. That... Read More

Does Your Brochure Pass the Test - Or is It Headed for the Trash? Part Two

In part one of this article we discussed the importance... Read More

5 Tips for Hot Yellow Pages Ads

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the most popular forms... Read More