{"id":7850,"date":"2011-02-07T08:36:53","date_gmt":"2011-02-07T13:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/37d57f8fa2.nxcli.io\/blog\/?p=7850"},"modified":"2011-02-07T09:39:02","modified_gmt":"2011-02-07T14:39:02","slug":"7-costly-ad-mistakes-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/advertising\/7-costly-ad-mistakes-2\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Years ago, a real estate broker hired me to help him sell more houses. We met for about 10 hours, reading over the real estate section of the paper and discussing his ads.\u00a0 I then told him I was ready to help him sell more houses.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir!\u201d he said in startled disbelief. \u201cDo you mean to tell me we can meet for 10 hours and you can tell me how to sell more houses?\u00a0 I\u2019ve been selling houses for 40 years.\u00a0 I\u2019ve forgotten more about selling houses than you will ever learn in your life.\u201d\"\"It was true. \u00a0\"\"Too bad the reply, \u201cSir, I have forgotten more about advertising than you have learned in forty years of selling houses,\u201d didn\u2019t occur to me till a few weeks later \u2013 my hindsight letting me know how clever I could have been now that it\u2019s too late.\u00a0 But my client was right.\u00a0 He had forgotten quite a lot about selling houses. The structure of his entire advertising campaign was wrong.\u00a0 Is yours?<\/p>\n

What my client was trying to do was sell a house in an ad. You don’t sell a house in a four-line listing.\u00a0 No one sees the listing and sends a down payment.\u00a0 The correct objective of the ad was not to sell a house but to generate a phone call.\u00a0 If the ad worked as planned, his phone rang.\u00a0 It was then up to him to sell the house.<\/p>\n

So we changed all the listings.\u00a0 \u201cCall now!\u201d the new ad copy said.\u00a0 \u201cCall to see this beautiful four bedroom\u2026\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFor additional information by mail, call\u2026\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFor a free brochure with pictures of this house call us at\u2026\u201d and we gave the phone number.\u00a0 If you read all of the listings you saw that phone number dozens of times.\u00a0 My client\u2019s phone calls tripled, starting in week number one.\u00a0 The first week!<\/p>\n

Lesson 1:<\/strong> Before drafting any copy for your ad, first write a clear objective to your ad.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself, \u201cIf this ad works perfectly, what is the action-step the reader will do?\u201d\u00a0 Then draft your ad to fulfill this specific objective.<\/p>\n

Increasing <\/strong>Advertising<\/strong><\/a> Response<\/strong>
\nWhat\u2019s the best way to get people to pick up the phone and call you?\u00a0 Here\u2019s a hint: offer Something for FREE.\u00a0 Everybody likes FREE.\u00a0 FREE FREE FREE = Call Call Call.<\/p>\n

Suppose you\u2019re selling the new book you\u2019ve just written.\u00a0 How can you generate the most response from a small ad for a book?\u00a0 Let\u2019s see, would \u201cBuy my new book\u201d get readers\u2019 attention? No, not really. Unless you\u2019re Steven King, people seeing this ad aren\u2019t going to rush into a bookstore \u2013 or dive into their pocket and send you a check.\u00a0 So, this headline won\u2019t work.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go to the other extreme: Would \u201cGet FREE MONEY!\u201d\u00a0 get people excited?\u00a0 Yes, that\u2019s it.\u00a0 Now you have everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

So the best way to generate maximum response from your advertising is to give something away \u2013 for FREE.\u00a0 But money isn\u2019t a good giveaway because it doesn\u2019t restrict calls from just your prospects: and you don\u2019t want calls from people who just want free money, because who doesn\u2019t?\u00a0 These people are outside of your book\u2019s niche audience, unless of course you are writing a book about giving away free money, in which case\u2026 we should talk.<\/p>\n

Most people who respond to \u201cget free money\u201d are not \u201cthe most likely immediate purchasers,\u201d which is my definition of a target market. So why waste money, literature and postage on them?\u00a0 Let\u2019s still give something away, but first let\u2019s make sure our FREE gift is of exceptional value\u2026 but only to our target market: people who are actively considering buying a book\u2014such as yours.<\/p>\n

I think the best way to attract potential customers is to give away FREE information.\u00a0 It\u2019s valuable to the respondent, they can\u2019t get it anywhere else, and it\u2019s cheap to produce for you – generally just a few sheets of paper and ink.\u00a0 Nice combo.<\/p>\n

The information you produce should be in booklet form.\u00a0 In fact, \u201cCall now for a FREE BOOKLET\u201d is my favorite advertising headline \u2014 it promises prospects something for free, and it gives people a \u201creason to call.\u201d The free booklet helps overcome the law of reader inertia (a body at rest… on the couch… gets up, walks over and picks up the phone.)\u00a0 Additionally, to people who get flustered when they have to call somewhere new \u2013 they won\u2019t have to figure out what to say when you answer the phone, they can just ask for their FREE booklet.\u00a0 You may not think this is important, but it\u2019s a big factor with folks who have problems calling anyone other than friends.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t have a booklet? How about dressing up your new brochure as a helpful educational and information-rich resource guide?\u00a0 Just a few pieces of paper can become a powerful sales tool when talked about in this regard. Brochures are so pass\u00e9!<\/p>\n

Face it: a sheet of paper folded in thirds is a brochure. And you can get them anywhere: Chevy agency, bank, post office \u2013 there\u2019s just no value in an advertising brochure.\u00a0 But that same piece of paper folded in half\u2026 well \u2013 that becomes a valuable informational booklet.\u00a0 Would you rather receive a company\u2019s advertising brochure, or a free informational booklet?\u00a0 Yea, me too.<\/p>\n

Lesson 2:<\/strong> Offer something for FREE to make people pick up the phone.<\/p>\n

This was the objective of your advertisement.\u00a0 You do remember the objective, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a big bonus for you: when people call to ask for something free, they are generally in a pleasant and giving mood \u2013 after all they\u2019re getting something for FREE.\u00a0 When they call for their free booklet, you can take that opportunity to poke around for the information you need from them in your own marketing. That\u2019s the time to qualify each caller as a serious prospect, a literature collector or someone with a phone and nothing better to do.\u00a0 So…<\/p>\n

Lesson 3:<\/strong> Qualify the prospect on the incoming phone call.<\/p>\n

Qualifying Prospects
\nWhen someone responds to an ad by calling and asking me to send information, my next words rarely\u2014if ever\u2014are \u201cOK, what\u2019s your address?\u201d\u00a0 Instead, I ask probing questions designed to qualify prospects (i.e., figure out how likely they are to buy, and when). \u201cI\u2019d be happy to send you this FREE booklet; say, where did you see our ad…\u201d<\/p>\n

Frankly, the qualification process starts much sooner than when you speak with a prospect.\u00a0 You initially qualify response by deciding in which publications to run your ad. Whatever audience your chosen medium reaches is the start of your qualification process.\u00a0 Looking for camera buffs?\u00a0 Camera magazines. Airplane aficionados? Modern Flyer Magazine.\u00a0 Looking for beautiful women under 35 who drive nice cars and fly first class to wonderful destinations around the world?\u00a0 Yea, me too.\u00a0 But that\u2019s beside the point.<\/p>\n

The best way to generate a more highly qualified advertising response is to title your free booklet with a direct benefit to your perfectly targeted customers.\u00a0 Use this formula for your headline:\u00a0 \u201cFree Booklet offers [useful information].\u201d For example: \u201cFREE Booklet shows you how to pack valuables when moving!\u201d The subhead would continue: Call now to get your FREE \u201cGuide to Packing Valuables!\u201d This would produce a ton of the highest-quality leads for a moving company, mostly from people who are planning an immediate move.<\/p>\n

When prospects call to say they\u2019d like to get the free guide, the moving company salesperson responds with, \u201cI\u2019d be happy to send it right out.\u00a0 How soon are you moving?\u201d If it\u2019s soon, the next question is a natural:\u00a0 \u201cHave you hired a moving company yet?\u201d\u00a0 Instant qualification in under 3 seconds.<\/p>\n

Lesson 4:<\/strong> Show the title of your booklet in the headline of your ad to attract more highly targeted prospects.<\/p>\n

Intentionally limiting response to your ad isn\u2019t always a bad idea.\u00a0 If your literature and postage is expensive, try this: To increase the value of each response to your offer even further, you may choose to ask for a response by mail that includes a stamped, self addressed envelope. This will wash out the least serious respondents, thereby cutting out pretty much all of the \u201cI saw your toll free number on this-here sheet of paper and decided to call while waiting for my bus!\u201d prospects \u2013 saving you on your literature and postage costs.<\/p>\n

In consumer offers, if you offer a hefty catalog or something otherwise\u00a0 of good value, you can separate the literature-seekers from more promising serious inquirers by requiring a dollar or two for postage and handling.\u00a0 This will cut your response way down to the really-serious.\u00a0 Viola: more limited response \u2013 and only from better prospects. Plus, it\u2019s always nice to get some income up front.\u00a0 I know a person who offered a stereo speaker parts catalog and charged $4 for it.\u00a0 He sold more catalogs and had more revenue from selling catalogs than from sales of speaker parts.<\/p>\n

Lesson 5:<\/strong> If your literature is expensive, or your market filled with \u201cConsultants\u201d (they never buy, they just want to look at everything\u2026) intentionally limit your response with a tight qualification net or by asking for literature shipping and handling fees.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your choice: more respondents who may be less qualified, or fewer respondents who are better qualified and more likely to buy.\u00a0 Do you go with the bigger numbers or the better percentages? This depends on your product, dollar amount of sale, lifetime value of a customer (LTV), your offer and your mailing package.\u00a0 We\u2019ll discuss this in another article (drop me a self-addressed envelope and I\u2019ll send it right out to you.\u00a0 Please include $2.)\u00a0 See how this works!\u00a0 If I had said, \u201cjust leave me an email and I\u2019ll send it to you \u2013 I\u2019d get inundated with requests.\u00a0 Ugh.\u00a0 This way, I just get the serious folks who\u2019ll invest 2 bucks in this information \u2013 and also took the time to find an envelope and stamp \u2013 no small feat around here\u2026)<\/p>\n

I guess the best way to determine what kind of loose or tight qualification net you throw depends on your market, your product, and cost of literature.\u00a0 With a $30 book, if your literature costs you $2 in the mail, and you make $20 on each book sold, you need to sell a book for every 10 mailing packages you send.\u00a0 This is a 10% order rate \u2013 not many people achieve that number in the mail, even with a strong direct mail package.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re selling a $500,000 printing press \u2013 you have a little more room to move.<\/p>\n

Lesson 6:<\/strong> When the phone rings, YOU close the sale.<\/p>\n

When someone sees your ad and calls your number, your advertising efforts worked.\u00a0 Not only that \u2013 they worked perfectly. Now it\u2019s your turn: it\u2019s up to you to sell your product to your customer, not the ad or literature.\u00a0 Selling the product is usually not the primary objective of the ad.\u00a0 You see,\u00a0 It fulfilled its objective \u2013 it got someone to call you. Now it\u2019s your turn: close the sale.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much easier closing a sale on the phone than trying to get someone to buy something from a sheet of paper.\u00a0 You can ask probing questions, see if they\u2019re really interested, and find out if they\u2019re ready to purchase.\u00a0 I close about 80% of the people who call me up and ask me about my books.\u00a0 All with a money back guarantee, and yes we get returns: we\u2019ve gotten 3 books back since its first run, the original publication in 1996.<\/p>\n

Lesson 7:<\/strong> Save the customers name and address, build a mailing list.<\/p>\n

Unless your product is shoddy, the \u201clifetime value of a customer\u201d or LTV (in case you\u2019re in the government and only speak only in acronyms,) is greater than this one single sale.\u00a0 A person who is happy with your purchase is – at that particular point in time – your most likely prospect.\u00a0 And, they are the cheapest to market to: you already have their name and address, they already know that you supply quality goods at a fair price.\u00a0 You simply need to offer them something else.\u00a0 What else can you offer these most-likely customers?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Years ago, a real estate broker hired me to help him sell more houses. We met for about 10 hours, reading over the real estate section of the paper and discussing his ads.\u00a0 I then told him I was ready to help him sell more houses. \u201cSir!\u201d he said in startled disbelief. \u201cDo you mean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[374],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7850\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}