Page 54 - YourSource November 2016

BEST PRACTICES
WHEN TO ADVERTISE
by Liz Nelsen - AVB/BrandSource Marketing Coordinator
WHEN NOT TO ADVERTISE? You should always advertise. Statistics show your brand needs to be seen 5 times before it is actually read or no- ticed. The more you are seen in the marketplace the more validity your brand will have.
WHAT ITEMS ARE MANDATORY IN AN AD? Ads should have an offer, the stronger the better, a “call to action”, how to contact your company and there should be a dedicated web page or a phone number attached to
the offer to track response. You should always be able to track your response rate, this way you are able to test offers and see what is working and what’s not, therefore making better use of your marketing dollars.
HOW DO I DESIGN AN AD? As far as design less is more, your audience should never have to work to find what you are selling; service, product or otherwise. Beautiful, thoughtful and simple design will invite people in. Too much clutter, too much information and too many ideas are never a good look. Stick with a single focus, a great photo which reinforces your brand or offer. Never use too much text, never more than two short paragraphs. And of course your logo. Remember people will judge your company on your branding. Let it always represent you in the best way possible. And that is that!
MEMBERS AD LESSONS LEARNED
“Years ago, when with a smaller business and Private Sales were a real big deal, on the eve of taking 7,600 pieces of mail to the post office, it was observed that the date of the month did not match the day of the week the sale was to be held.
We decided it was too big of a gamble to let go, therefore took one letter, used white out and fixed it and proceeded to burn up our copy machine and make all new copies and remove and replace everyone of them. The in- credible work evolved into the night and was a great lesson etched in our heads forever!”
Claude Ward General Manager Famous Tate
“Our best Black Friday was our Pre-Black Fri- day Sale in 2014. For many years we always had a “PBF Sale”, but we never advertised, so in effect, it really was not much of a sale. In 2014 we took the chance on a direct mail advertis- ing, plus a full page color ad in the newspaper (our first ever) and a major radio ad campaign. That November, we sold more than THREE TIMES what we normally sold in a typical No- vember. That was the month we learned that well planned and strategic advertising works much better than advertising hit and miss. We advertise regularly ever since and have never regretted the expense.”
Kevin Wiskus
Your Square Deal Furniture and Appliances
54 YOURSOURCE NOVEMBER 2016
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