Seven Ways to Kick Up the Power of Your Print Advertising - More Small Business Power Tools

If you're a retailer and the only kind of advertising you do is built around sales events, you don't need much in the way of advice. All your advertising needs to do is spell out as clearly as possible what's on sale, the amount to be saved and your store's name, address and phone number. You should also include your web address as most of today's consumers expect you to have one. But what if you're not a retailer or you don't have a sale to advertise?

Here are my seven tips for kicking up the power of your print advertising

Know thy customer. Close your eyes and try to visualize a typical customer. What's important to him? What problem(s) is she trying to solve? How old is he? Does she have children? How much do you suppose she earns a month? What would make him want to do business with you? What does he want from your product or service? The better you understand your customer the stronger a sales message you can create.
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Your headline must capture your propects' interest. Your reader's eye will be drawn to your ad by its main graphic, be it a picture or illustration. The second thing he/she will see is your headline. It must serve as a bridge between the graphic and your ad's copy, and then capture your readers' attention or you will lose them and will have wasted your money. The best way to do this is to build your headline around a strong benefit statement. Again, keep in mind your prospect's needs and interests or the problem they are looking to solve. For example, a strong benefit statement would be"How to retire at age 55 without sacrificing a penny of income." I also like headlines (see the title of this article) with numbers, i.e., "Eight ways to look younger in minutes," "Five mistakes to not make when buying fine furniture."
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Everybody wants to talk about their children and not yours. Of course, I don't mean this literally. What I mean is that people don't care about you and your business. They care about themselves and what you can do for them. I know this is going to depress you, but customers don't care how long you've been in business, how big your business has become, how beautiful your new store is, etc. They only want to know what you have to offer that can make their lives better, save them money or help them solve an important problem.
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People love stories. I'll bet that when you were a kid, one of your favorite things was story time. As human beings, we just seem to be hard-wired to love stories. If you business lends itself to this idea, try starting you ad with a simple story. For example, if you were selling financial advice, you might start out with: "I have two old friends. Let's call them Scott and Janet. They both loved gardening and their lifelong ambition was to retire early and start a garden shop. Unfortunately, they suffered some financial setbacks and found themselves at age 55, with enough money to retire but not enough to start that dream business. When Scott and Janet came to me ....etc."
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Start paragraphs with connecting words to keep your readers reading. Once you've pulled your readers into your ad, the challenge is to keep them reading to the end. The way you do this is by using connecting words at the beginning of paragraphs. Some good connecting words are "also," "in other words," "so," "but," "and," in short," "for another thing," and "plus.

Give your readers a reason to do something. You must end every ad with a call to action (see #7 below). But don't forget that you have to give your reader a reason to take that action. This could be the offer of something free such as a booklet or brochure, a free demonstration, a free sample, etc.

Always end with a call to action. Never, and I mean never, end an ad without asking your reader to do something. The something could be to call you (with a prominent phone number), stop by your store, cut out and mail a coupon, or visit your web site. This is not only critical to "closing the sale," but also can help you track the effectiveness of your advertising. If your call to action is for the prospect to phone you, it's always good to add something like "call us at 303-555-1234 and ask for, say, Bart." That way, whenever a person calls and asks for Bart, you will know your ad generated that response. The next time you run the ad, you could tell your prospect to call and ask for Chuck, etc. If your advertising includes a coupon, be sure to code it so you will know which ad generated the response.

Have you heard about HD radio technology? It makes AM sound as good as FM and FM sound almost like you were listening to a CD ... and its free! To learn more about this amazing new technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz. Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio and family finances.

Should Your Small Business Hire an Advertising Agency?

So, you own a small business, sales are down and you've come to the conclusion you need to start advertising. Questions: Where do I advertise, how much do I spend and do I need the help of an advertising agency? The answer to this question is really very simple. If you were going to court would you seek the advise and council of an attorney? Sure you would?
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If you were sick and over the counter medicine didn't work, would you seek the care of a doctor? Of course!

So the real question is, if you're going to spend your hard earned money on advertising why wouldn't you want to seek the advise of an expert who's job is to advise you on how to most cost effectively spend your advertising dollars.
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Below are just a few of the pro's and con's of hiring an advertising agency. I hope they help.

Reasons to hire an advertising agency:

· Advertising is a full time job and it can be a very timely job. Meeting with reps, going over rates and numbers. Agencies do this every day and often have a very time efficient system.
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· Agencies subscribe to services that help them determine the value of the advertising they purchase. Arbitron and Nielsen are just two services that most agencies subscribe to.

· Agencies help keep the newspaper, tv and radio stations honest. It's very easy for a tv, radio or newspaper rep to take advantage of an inexperienced buyer. They know you have little understanding of share and ratings and often don't disclose important information regarding programming and times.
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· Agencies often have relationships with reps and media outlets and can often negotiate on your behalf for value added commercials or space, "free stuff."

· Agencies are paid a 15% commission from the media sources they place with. They are your advocate and only make money if your advertising works and you continue to spend money. It's a very powerful reason for them to try as hard as they can to make your advertising it's best!

Reasons not to hire an advertising agency:

· You have worked in the advertising profession and have a great understand of all types of media.

· You have a very small budget and are unable to get an agency to help you.

Those are about the only reasons not to hire an advertising agency. So often, small business owners try to place media without the help and expertise of an advertising agency and usually the inevitable happens, their advertising fails and they are forever convinced that advertising doesn't work.

Buying advertising is something anyone can do, just like anyone can purchase stocks. But most importantly, are you making the right decision?

If you're a small business owner and have decided to advertise, do yourself a favor, get out your yellow pages and go directly to advertising agencies. It will be the best FREE service you'll ever receive.

Steve Moundzouris, 423-653-2201 BigWater Media Group. BigWater Media Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency.

Signage and Branding for the Small Business

Increasing brand awareness through the use of print advertising, TV and radio advertising, the internet and direct mail campaigns are generally the most well known methods of building up your business profile in today's dynamic market, another element in a successful brand strategy is vehicle and signage advertising which is one of the most important cost-effective advertising tools available to small businesses today. Today's business world is an increasingly competitive place to be and your company identity is an essential component of your image. It is the publics' first perception of you and your first opportunity to make a positive impression on potential customers. A well designed signage program can instantly and effectively communicate the style, professionalism and overall presence of your business, it conveys to people who you are, where you are and what you do.
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Vehicle signage advertising is one of the most cost-effective advertising tools available to maximize the potential of your business. With distinctive and effective design, your shop vehicle becomes a moving billboard and communicates with your customers in a way that no other advertising medium can. It sends the message to potential customers that your company is expert and professional and is also established and reputable. Vehicle advertising is long lasting and works 365 days a year, if you consider how many people might see your vehicle everyday, how can you afford not to advertise on it? The options available range from small discreet magnetic signage to large spectacular full vehicle sign wraps.
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Exterior and interior signage are also important marketing assets in promoting your business and enhancing its image, how your directional and informational signs are presented and function together with attractive storefront or forecourt signage are critical to a positive customer shopping experience which will in turn create more sales and leads. Advertising banners and displays can be used to announce new products, promote special events, advertise sales, generate excitement or attract and motivate customers.
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There are many different materials available to signmakers depending on your particular requirements in terms of durability and impression you may wish to convey. Signage is generally estimated in terms of lettering, installation and substrate materials. One of the first things to do when choosing a sign company is to find one that specializes in the type of signage you require. Although most companies will not refer to any specialties in their advertising, many will in fact be particularly accomplished at making a certain type of sign. You will often find faster turnaround and better pricing when working with such a company. Working with people who are particularly informed about the issues surrounding a given project can significantly impact the types of signs that are created. If you are not using your own designer, you may want to consider the portfolios and completed projects of graphic designers working at the sign company. Alternatively, companies that already know what they want achieved should look for a sign company that accepts computer files by internet or on disk for direct output.
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In today's competitive business world, advertising and marketing is not an expense, it's an investment. Effective signage is an important element of that advertising strategy.

(c) Copyright 2005, Tim McCarthy. All rights reserved.

Advertising Vs. PR in Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

A great small business marketing strategy includes a mix of tactics. Advertising and PR are two very important tools that all small business owners need to be using regularly. Many small businesses I talk to do one of the other, but don't commit to doing both. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and are complimentary to each other. Small Business Advertising Strengths:

-The biggest advantage with small business advertising is your complete control over the message. You get to focus on whatever you want, write the text, and choose the visuals. You ensure that your marketing message is delivered.
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-You control placement. You choose the exact timing and media in which your advertising is placed. This is a huge advantage because naturally you are going to choose to place your ads where your target market is most likely to see them.
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-You can repeat your messages over and over again. Effective small business marketing incorporates a high degree of repetition and consistency. Advertising can and should be run on regular schedules.

-With advertising, you (and your budget) control your marketing saturation. You can run the same ad across different publications serving the same market, run matching Internet advertising, put an ad on the radio, do cable TV, do outdoor advertising, etc. Ideally you need to be reaching your target market at least 4 different ways for them to respond.
What is Carbon Copy Pro Turn-key biz. No Calls. No selling. Realistic 250K first year.

Advertising Weaknesses

-Advertising generally costs money. Most small businesses don't have a huge budget for marketing. Sometimes being creative can help defray costs. Sometimes you can trade for advertising space. You may be able to do co-op advertising.

-Small business advertising needs to be very targeted to be effective. Sometimes the only choices you have in your community are mass-market like newspapers. You still need to advertise, but some of your marketing dollars will be spent to advertise to people who don't want or need what you're selling.
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-Most small business advertising stinks. I hate to say it, but it's true. Many do-it-yourself advertisers don't understand that there are advertising fundamentals that work. A good ad will always out-pull a bad one. Here's my plug: If you can't invest the time and money to learn how advertising REALLY works, get yourself a small business marketing coach to help you build more effective campaigns. It will be money well invested.

PR Strengths:

-It's FREE! OK, you might incur a very small charge if you hire someone to write and distribute a press release for you, but this is minimal. I think the reason why most small businesses don't do PR is that they don't know how it's done. Again, get some coaching, or pay someone to do it for you.

-Press is trusted more than advertising. If you read a review that says that a new restaurant is the best thing in town, there's some credibility there. We tend to assume that a person who is writing an article is an expert, and that they are an uninterested third party.

-You can distribute PR globally. As long as what you are doing is actually interesting globally, you can distribute your press releases globally. This isn't necessarily as targeted as your advertising needs to be, but you're not paying for editorial. By the way, never pay for editorial, and don't advertise with media that promises to give you editorial as long as you advertise. This is unethical and transparent - and the credibility of the media will always be in question.

PR Weaknesses:

-You have no control over what the press is actually going to write or say about you. They may spell your name wrong, they may get some details wrong, they may choose to focus on something you don't want to highlight. In general this isn't a big issue, as long as they are saying good things about you.

-PR tends to be single exposure. Unless circumstances are really unusual, the press is not going to run the same story over and over again. I have been involved with an exception to that. I was doing something that corresponded with a current event and the press came to me again and again over 4 weeks for TV interviews. This was pure timing. It's difficult to engineer press like that without seeming mercenary.

-There is no guarantee that you're even going to get coverage. I was called to do a TV interview once and rushed into the city to meet the reporter and photographer. On my way in ,the reporter called me on my cell phone to tell me they were pulling the story because there was breaking news that they had to go cover. Depending on what's going on you may get tons of press or none at all.

You see that small business advertising and PR are different things. You need them both, and you need to work at both of them consistently. They are two important tools in your small business marketing toolbox.

Copyright 2005 J D Moore

J D Moore - Marketing Comet Does your small business marketing stink? Let's fix it! http://marketingcomet.typepad.com

How to Avoid Failure in Your Small Business Advertising

Small business advertising shouldn't be done like most of the advertising you see on T.V. … or hear on the radio. There ARE exceptions, of course. But for the most part, small businesses shouldn't do much of the following:

1) Institutional advertising (a.k.a. "Madison Avenue" type advertising).
2) Public relations or simply publicity seeking.

3) Any type of response advertising that's non-measurable.

The kind of advertising you SHOULD be doing is measurable. By this I mean you can …

a) … control costs.

b) … measure results.
What is Carbon Copy Pro Turn-key biz. No Calls. No selling. Realistic 250K first year.

Small business advertising that doesn't fit these criteria is mostly like throwing money down a hole. (Like I said, there are exceptions. But if you try to promote your business using public relations you'd better have a business that can benefit from that …plus get the help of a professional who specializes in it.)
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Institutional … Madison Avenue type stuff … doesn't work in small business advertising any more than it effectively works for big companies using it. It's just that big companies typically have big budgets they can spend on bad advertising without going under financially.
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That's a luxury most of us don't have.

Direct marketing is different. You can control its costs. Taylor it to your ad budget. And measure its effectiveness based on response to the offer in the ad or sales letter.

Examples of response triggers used in effective small business advertising include:
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* Phone calls asking for a direct response … like a sales appointment … or a purchase … or an invitation to come into the store with a certain customer "code" one can use to receive a gift or purchase discount.

* A TV or radio commercial that asks for a direct response … like having the customer write or call in and tell what station they heard the ad on to get a free gift or special discount.

* Any type of media that asks for a direct response … like redeemable coupons sent through the mail … a sales letter send through the post or Email, with an invitation attached for a special "after hours" sale … a postcard offering a 2 for 1 restaurant special … or an invitation to call in and ask for free information.

Your small business advertising is going to be very wasteful unless you make the right offers to the right people. Being in tune with the needs, desires and motivations of your potential customers is crucial.

For example … if Jack's Sporting Goods store advertises a 30% discount sale on all golf equipment by sending 5,000 brochures through the mail to nearby residents the waste-factor is going to be extremely high.

After all, how many of those residents are golfers? Probably only a small percentage. And of those who are golfers, how many of them will come in for Jack's sale?

In this case, most of his small business advertising dollars are wasted.

However … if Jack takes that same offer … and sends it directly to 500 golfers in his area the response will be much higher. He's able to get the names and addresses of likely golfers from a list broker by renting the names of people in his area who receive golf magazines.

See the difference?

Jack doesn't even have to mail out all 500 letters at once. If his budget is a little tight, he can stagger his mailing over a period of days. Or even limit the sale to those bringing in a coupon received through his mailing to test the effectiveness of his direct mail campaign.

Any small business advertising failing to …

* offer a free gift(s)

* give a time limit on the offer so buyers will be motivated to act quickly

* award a bonus or premium of some sort just for coming into the store

* present a sale or discounted pricing

* announce something new (i.e., product, service, price)

… should be avoided. As a matter of fact … the more of these elements in your advertising the better.

An ad containing each of the above ingredients … targeting prospects known to be interested in the product/service… stands a very good chance of being a winner.

Your small business advertising doesn't have to fail. Once you learn the key ingredients you'll never again worry about throwing advertising dollars away.

Joe Farinaccio is an advertising specialist and copywriter. To get LOTS of information on getting customers to call … and buy stuff … visit his website at: http://www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com

Small Business Marketing Tip #2: Return To The Roots Of Advertising

Gravitational Marketing is about returning to the roots of what advertising is really all about.

But, the question is…What is real advertising?

Well, I can tell you with surety that it is not what they do on Madison Avenue these days. And for you, my small business marketing friends, it is not what most of your peers are doing either. On Madison Ave they have lost all clarity about what advertising is and its real purpose. I was reading an article today by Denny Hatch, who is an amazing direct marketer, about the current Bud Lite "Real American Genesis" advertising campaign.

Denny was expressing his frustration regarding the campaign and how the entire concept is a mockery of the core customer that the campaign has been designed to serve.
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So, where do you draw the line on cute and clever?

Is entertainment value at the expense of your core customer base a sound and acceptable practice in advertising today? Should it be?
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I would have to say no.

And I think the forefathers of advertising would back me.

See, at the heart of all of the big Madison Avenue ad agencies there was at one time a true ad man, a real marketer who knew what the purpose of advertising is.
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It's not entertaining, it's not alienating your core customer base, and it's not being funny or cute or creative for the sake of being funny, cute, creative or entertaining.
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But, these great ad men are gone and the new régime doesn't get it.

It's obvious they don't get it. Look at the high client turnover in the agency business and the crap they are putting out on the streets.

I don't expect you to take my word for it…here are some quotes from some of the great ad men of all time (courtesy of Denny Hatch's Business Common Sense Newsletter.)

"The object of advertising is to sell goods. It has no other justification worth mentioning." --Raymond Rubicam, Founder, Young & Rubicam

"Your job is to sell, not entertain." --Jack Maxson, Freelance Copywriter

"If it doesn't sell, it's not creative." --Benton & Bowles Credo in the 1930s and 1940s

"I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information." --David Ogilvy

"Advertising in the final analysis should be news. If it is not news it is worthless."--Adolph S. Ochs, American Newspaper Publisher

"Advertising nourishes the consuming power of men. It sets up before a man the goal of a better home, better clothing, better food for himself and his family. It spurs individual exertion and greater production." --Winston Churchill

"If I were starting life over again, I am inclined to think that I would go into the advertising business in preference to almost any other. The general raising of the standards of modern civilization among all groups of people during the past half century would have been impossible without the spreading of the knowledge of higher standards by means of advertising." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level." --William Bernbach, Founder, DDB

These men know what advertising is supposed to be about.

What it takes to be a good marketer and what it was when then started their agency. What they believed then is what we embrace today and what we teach in Gravitational Marketing.

So, let me tell you why this is so important for you to understand.

Many small businesses emulate the national advertising and marketing they see on T.V., Radio and in Print. - That is the crap these new agency guys are putting out.

The ad agencies in your area are wannabe Madison Avenue agencies and don't even do the crappy advertising half as good as they do. So it will never work.

Don't be fooled and fall in the trap of this mindlessness and lies. Read our Ten Tall Tales of Traditional Marketing That Cost Small Businesses Tons in the FREE e-books section at www.GravitationalMarketing.com.

How To Do Small Business Marketing Successfully

1. Become a master of your own marketing.

2. Learn to use the powerful strategies of Gravitational Marketing

3. Put them into action for your business.

Now go out and market your small business successfully.

Jim and Travis are the authors of "The Ten Tall Tales Of Traditional Advertising That Cost You Tons" and their newest release, "The Small Business Owner's Guide To The Galaxy: Jim & Travis's Super-Stellar, Out Of This World, Step-By-Step Guide To Generating Leads, Attracting Customers and Making Sales." Get FREE small business marketing tips, shortcuts and secrets - RIGHT NOW - at http://www.GravitationalMarketing.com

Warning: Small Business Owners-Before You Advertise, Read This Simple Checklist

If you're writing advertisements for your business follow these 23 principles to ensure you get maximum return for your advertising dollar.

These 23 advertising ‘rules' are based on direct response advertising principles from books like ‘Tested Advertising Methods' by John Caples and ‘Scientific Advertising' by Claude Hopkins.

1. Have you clearly researched and defined your ideal target market?
2. Have you written your advertisement directed solely to your ‘ideal target market'?

3. Is the marketing piece being placed/sent/posted where your ideal target market will easily see it?

4. Have you calculated how many sales you need to make to make a profit on this advertisement?

5. Have you considered any other ways that you can reach your target market that may be more cost effective for you?
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6. Have you made an offer that's easy for your reader to understand, and irrisistable for them to refuse?
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7. Does your headline ‘sing out' your ‘ideal target market' so that they know, that your advertisement is written especially for them?

8. Does your headline ‘grab' your ideal target market's attention and excite them?

9. Does your headline offer or describe to your target market a major benefit that's important to them?
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10. Have you written your advertisement so that your headline is approximately 5 sizes larger than the body copy font size?

11. Does the body copy of your advertisement naturally continue on from what the headline suggests/says?
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12. Through out the body copy, have you continued on with the benefits suggested in your headline, and described more benefits to your target market of using/owning your product/service?

13. Have you focused your writing on what your product/service will do for your target market, rather than just mentioning how good your business is?

14. Have you used ‘sub-headings' above some paragraphs to allow ‘skim readers' to get the main thrust of your advertisement, just by reading the sub-headings?

15. If you have included a picture of a person, is the person (or people) positioned so that their shoulders are facing into the body of the advertisement?

16. Have you included a picture that shows the reader what the benefit(s) of buying and using your product/service will be?

17. Have you taken the ‘buying risk' away from your ideal target market by letting people know that they are safe to buy from you by either including a guarantee and/or using testimonials?

18. Have you used specifics like 5, 7 and 11 in your copy, rather than using generalizations like large, limited or top quality?

19. Have specifically asked your ideal target market to call, buy, or in some way take action to contact you in a hurry?

20. Have you included your contact details on your advertisement so it's clear and easy for readers to contact you, or take action effortlessly?

21. Have you communicated with your staff so that they know when, why and how the advertisement is being published?

22. Have you trained your staff so that they know how to handle incoming calls, e-mails and shoppers when they contact/visit your business?

23. Have you communicated with your staff on how they are to record the results of the advertisement so you can track whether it's profitable or not?

The above 23 points are pretty comprehensive, and will help you make your advertisements comply with sound direct response advertising principles.

By following them, you can ensure you'll be closer to creating profitable advertisements for your small business growth.

Casey Gollan, The Business Growth Specialist, the specialist who grows $1 Million p.a. small businesses into $2 to $5 Million p.a. businesses over a 2 to 3 year period. To learn more about Casey's Business Growth Program, visit his site and sign up for 'The 23 Secrets of Business Growth' 2 hour audio program for FREE.

Effective Business Cards for Small Business

It's a well-known fact that anyone owning a business or a part of a business carries a bunch of visiting cards to be given away to people with whom there is a possibility of future contact and interaction. A business card usually carries details about the person's designation, organization that he represents office/factory address, telephone numbers and his email address. The earliest business cards were actually playing cards on which people put their signatures and other messages. Then slowly trade cards evolved - cards that gave direction to a merchant's shop or warehouse mainly and advertised the products the trader dealt in. Trade cards underwent modifications and it's now called business cards.
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In a market driven economy, it's impossible to do business without business cards. Big or small business, business cards are a must.

Contact details of a big business or a big brand can be easily found out from other sources, like the Internet. However, in case of a small business it's not possible to do so as in most of the times people don't even remember exactly the name of the organization or person they want to contact. Big businesses can spend more on advertisements and their promotions. Small businesses have business cards to do their advertising. Therefore, business cards are vital when it comes to small business.
What is Carbon Copy Pro Turn-key biz. No Calls. No selling. Realistic 250K first year.

By simply having a business card doesn't help when it comes to small business. As one cloth size doesn't fit all, similarly one type of business card doesn't suit all organizations. The business card should be designed in such a manner that it should make a positive statement about the organization or the personality aspect of the person carrying it.
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Moreover, there is so much of importance attached to first impressions in networking and sales that it's unthinkable to have a generic business card. The business card should be designed in such a manner that it would reflect strongly about your personality, the organization you represent, the products you deal with and the kind of service you can offer. For example, a business card made out of recycled material emphasizes the fact that you are an environment conscious person. It would immediately create a favorable impression of you and the esteem with which you are held will definitely go up.
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The business card should be designed in conformity with the business you are in. An undertaker with comic fonts and cartoon characters on his business cards should not expect much response. Whereas, a small animation firm can display as much creativity and color as possible on their business cards to make a lasting impact. If corporate clients are the targets, it would be prudent to avoid adding your photo to the business card. Too many words on the business cards confuse people. Similarly, faint fonts do not register well in the minds. All such factors should be considered before ordering business cards, because a well-designed business card can be a ticket to business success.

Natalie Aranda writes about business, sales, advertising and marketing. In a market driven economy, it's impossible to do business without business cards. Big or small business, business cards are a must.

Why Your Small Business Should Use Television Advertising

Advertising on television is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. With nearly 99 percent of American households owning a television, it is marketing tool that almost any type of business could use effectively to its advantage.

Unfortunately many small businesses don't even think about advertising on television because they feel it is just too expensive. Small business owners feel that television is a medium that is reserved for only large companies with huge advertising budgets.

However, with the growth of cable and regional television, a small business can benefit from television advertising just like the large corporations. The industry is exploding today, new cable stations are starting up every year, and they need advertising to be able to stay on the air. Because of the competitiveness of television today, many stations offer very affordable rate packages for small businesses.
What is Carbon Copy Pro Turn-key biz. No Calls. No selling. Realistic 250K first year.

Television advertising is very powerful. Your businesses can gain instant credibility when you advertise on television. Advertising on television puts you in the same league as the large companies in the eyes of consumers.
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Advertising on television is like any other form or marketing, it must be done correctly. Poor ads will do you no good and will cause you to loose a lot of money. Many ads you see on television today try to be cute, funny, and entertaining. With many television ads, it's hard to tell what the company is even selling.
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Studies show that with television advertising people pay attention to the graphics first, the headline second, the bullets third, and the text fourth. Headlines are just as important in television advertising as they are in print advertising. You only have a few seconds to grab the viewer's attention, so you need to begin with a powerful headline that stresses benefits and then end your ad with a strong call to action.
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Your ad must speak with a clear message to your target audience. With television advertising people will remember how they felt after seeing your ad more than the actual details of the ad itself. So it's important to have great visuals that are supported by a good script. You want your ad to leave people feeling good, well informed, and motivated to buy.

Your call to action at the end of the television ad is critical because you must tell people what to do. They need to know what's in it for them and how to reach you. Make sure you give your location, your phone number, and your Web address. If your ad will be seen by viewers outside of your immediate area, include your toll-free number.

The key to a successful television advertising campaign is no different than any other marketing campaign: repetition. The more times people see your ad, the deeper your message will driven into their subconscious mind which will bring your prospects closer to purchasing your product or service.

Television advertising can be expensive, so it's important to do your research before investing in a campaign. Look closely at the make-up of the station's viewing audience. There are plenty of cable channels out there that get a large viewing audience. Just make sure it is the audience you need to reach. How many viewers does the channel reach? Are the viewers made up of business owners and managers, or do they consist of mostly working men and women? It is a younger viewing audience, such as teens?

Getting a return on television advertising is like any other type of advertising, it takes time. It does not happen with just one ad. So once you've found the station that reaches your target audience, get a package that fits your budget, because it may take three to six months to begin to see results from your advertising.

It's important for any business and especially for a small businesses to make sure you're getting a good return on investment. So you need to be constantly planning, measuring, and evaluating your television advertising campaign. You must test your ad to see the audiences response. Testing is the best way to determine if television advertising is the right medium for your business.

Just because you're a small business, don't automatically discount television advertising. With all of the cable television stations, advertising on them has become more affordable. If you advertise on the right station that targets your prime prospects, and have the right message, television is the most powerful medium you can use to get your message out.

Copyright©2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America's largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

Do You Market Your Small Business Like an Ant or Grasshopper? Being the Grasshopper is Bad

Business owners contact me because they want to grow their business, they want to attract new customers and they want to separate their business from the competition. They aren't as successful as they want to be, and as marketing/design specialist I need to find out why.

During a sit down meeting I'll eventually ask her/him, "What is your current marketing strategy, and what are you doing to outreach and attract new customers?" But in my mind I am asking, "Are you an ant or a grasshopper?"
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More often than not, business owners that are as sharp as tacks get this curious, glazed-over expression on their face. After a about 5-10 seconds of uncomfortable silence they say with a sheepish look on their face, "We'll right now we're just relying on word of mouth advertising and referrals to sustain our business".
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I shudder when a client tells me this. I think to myself, "Yep, I am talking to a grasshopper". Let's break down what the client said here - what he/she truly meant by "…we're relying just on…":

· We don't have a marketing strategy, or at least a consistent one
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· We don't have any outreach programs or ways to attract new customers

· We are confused or apprehensive about marketing and promoting our business

· We are putting the company's success and growth in the hands and mouths of our customers (who aren't being paid)

· We need help badly

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Is your business heavily reliant on getting referrals to survive? Does that scare you a little bit?

Remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper, and how the grasshopper assumed the weather would always be good so he didn't look to gather food for when times got tough? When it comes to gaining market share and growing their customer base, a lot of businesses are like the grasshopper - they have no plan, and they just assume and hope things will be okay. Well, if you've every read or heard the story, the weather does turn bad on the grasshopper, winter comes early, and he starves. Not a good ending for the grasshopper or your business.

Now the ant, he had a different approach. The ant knew that sooner or later his food (or customers and referrals in our example) would run out. It was essential to continue to add to his stores for when times got tough. The ant had a plan to get more of what he needed, and he executed his well-designed growth strategy over a long period of time. The ant would have made a good businessperson, not only would he have survived he would have been very successful.

Are you running your business more like the grasshopper or the ant?

Business owners always hope to grow their business, attract new and better customers and separate from the competition. Hope is great, you need hope - but you need more than hope, you need a strategy and you need to be consistently working at it (just like the ant). No one plans to fail, they just fail to plan - the grasshopper failed to plan.

So what can you do to be like the ant?

Start by shifting your thinking. The key to attracting more customers and separating your business from the competition is through marketing, advertising and design. The more you can do this, generally the more customers you can attract. The more customers you attract the more money you can make. Are you following me?

The hidden power behind them is through consistency. Marketing, advertising and design are not expenses. If you see them as such, you're sunk. Rather, these are golden opportunities for you to catapult your business above the rest of the competition that are "relying just on word of mouth". Like the ant, successful businesses are consistently developing new outreach programs to find new customers and to continue to sell to the customers they already have. People that are succeeding in business understand how marketing and design are integral aspects to their business on a daily basis. Coke gets this, so does McDonald's, Trader Joe's, Arizona Tea and even Poore Brothers Inc. snack chips.

I know what your thinking, "I don't have millions of dollars to invest in marketing and advertising", that's okay, I can show you strategies that will work that fit your budget. What's important is that you recognize that relying on hope and others isn't where you want to be. Are you as successful as you'd like to be in business, do you worry sometimes that referrals might not cut it anymore? If so read the, "What you should do next" section below. If not, consider yourself lucky that your referrals and hope is holding out - for now.

What you should do next:

· Decide if you enjoy having your business' success based on the hope that others will market and promote for you

· Shift your thinking. If you invest in one marketing and design project a year, do you think you'll get better results than if you build a strategy that spreads your marketing campaign throughout the year?

· Get a plan. Work with an expert that can analyze where you are now, and come up with recommendations on how you can get from operating your business like a grasshopper to ant as quickly as possible. Work with business savvy designers who are experts in marketing, and ask them to provide you with some initial ideas on what to do. My door is always open and I'd be glad to give you some suggestions.

· Get excited! Making the decision to invest in the health and success of your business through marketing, advertising and design will provide you with peace of mind knowing that that business' success isn't based on the hope that the weather will remain good.

About Jeremy:

I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives; I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business. If your business needs the reliability and talent of an in-house marketing and design department but doesn't want additional employees, salaries and benefits, give me a call at 480.391.0704 - I have a new approach for you.

If you are looking for more free insight and inspiration, you'll want to get in on the "Can-Do Confidence Builder". Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your investment and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition. Email me at comments@candographics.com and asked to be added to our list.

Advertising Your Small Business

So often small business owners will attempt to tell the public and reader of a publication, yellow pages or Internet portal site, how great their company is, when they should be telling the company what they can do for them.

For many years I had run a franchise company and we had specifications of what advertising we would and would not allow to insure that our brand name was not jeopardized and to insure the advertising pulled for the franchisees. In fact often we paid half the cost of the ads or reduced royalty fees to help pay for them.
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One thing I learned in franchising is that our franchisees, much like most of our competitors were small businesses and extremely proud of their businesses. This would come to life and become quite evident by the types of advertising I would see and by the types of advertising my franchises would submit to me via Facsimile for a 24-hour approval turn around.
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I cannot tell you how many times our franchisees would attempt to embellish their ads and say things like 5-trucks to serve you, when I knew they only had three and one being built. Meaning even stretching it the true number was four not five and probably not 5 until the start of the next peak season.
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You see I realized that it was human nature to embellish, but there is a point to this story and that is that it does not matter anyway? The customer could care less how many units on the road you have they care more about how good of service you will provide and would be quite happy if our competition or our own franchise was a single unit owner/operator and they could deal straight with the boss and not an employee sent out on one of their many units you see?
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Please if you own a small business it is better to say "We Love Our Customers" or "We Guarantee Super Service" rather than bragging in your advertising that you have some huge company. Because if you are that big, often the customer thinks you do not need or want their business and you have wasted your advertising on the wrong message. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow