Many people wonder “does advertisement really work, and how effective is it?”
Advertisement is powerful; that’s a fact – Patrick Carpen.
Advertisement gleans it power from several facts of life:
- People have so much on their mind, that they often forget things. A good advertisement reminds people that they need something and urges them to get it before they forget again, or before it’s gone. How many times did you go to the grocery store and come back forgetting to buy something that you needed? Let’s say the item was tomatoes? What if there was a flashing light in the supermarket saying “buy tomatoes”? Or how many times did you meet someone and after they were gone, you thought “oh I forgot to tell her so and so”? What if someone had walked up to you and said “please don’t forget to tell her so and so”?
- Advertisements, when properly created, appeals to the senses and human emotions. In this case, the buyer who has not previously had interest in the item will be convinced to want it.
- People may need something, but not know that it exists, or where to find it. Good advertisement gets through the right channel and straight to the eyes and ears of the people who are potential customers.
Here’s a little advertisement story I witnessed firsthand when I was teaching at the newly opened language school in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Silvana and Stephanie listened eagerly as the ad of the Wizard School played over the radio. Their eyes were bright and their faces broad with smiles. It was a well performed radio ad giving crucial information about the type of courses offered at the Wizard School, and the telephone number of the school. Just seconds after the ad was aired, the phone rang. It was a response to the ad.
Advertising is a powerful tool. It could be the thin line between success and failure of a business. Indeed, some businesses may thrive without any traditional forms of advertisement but many other factors come into play in these cases, such as location. On one hand, you could have the best product, but if nobody knows about it and it is not properly advertised, you’re getting nowhere. On the other hand, if you have a flimsy product or service, no amount of advertising will save you.
And here is where not wasting money on advertising comes in. What’s worst than spending thousands of dollars on advertising with a return on investment that marks a loss? Watching your dreams go up in flame?
If you are to succeed in certain businesses, you need to be an expert in advertising. Or hire an expert. A real expert, not some quack. The advertising, along with your product or service, should give you a profitable return on investment.
Whether your business is a digital product, a language school, or a webstore, here are some points to remember when spending your money on advertising.
- Give the prospect something to remember you by. For online businesses, this may be a free ebook that the prospects may read over and again. The ebook must state clearly the name and address of your business and tempt the reader repeatedly to return to your site. For an offline business, this may be a simple brochure of flyer. Since a brochure of flyer may be more easily disposable than an ebook, harness the power of viral advertising. Give the prospect ten or twelve flyers or brochure and ask him or her to share with his friends and family. This will multiply the power of your advertising dollars by ten.
- Capture the lead. People may forget, intentionally or unintentionally about your product or service even after contacting you. For this reason you need to capture the lead. In an internet business, this means capturing the email address and name and storing them in a database for follow-ups and future marketing purposes. Remember, a prospective lead captured today could be your customer years later. This is because people need time to think things over. And sometimes, a whole lot of time. In the offline world, ask permission to store this person’s name, address, telephone number and even email. Ask permission to contact when you have discounts, special offers and giveaways.
Related: It is better to give than to receive: the power of giving stuff away.
