The DOs And DON'Ts Of A Successful, Integrated Campaign
Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you’re doing but nobody else does. – Stuart H. Britt
All too often, businesses adopt the belief that “If you build it, they will come.” The honest truth is, all products and services, no matter how good, will go unused if no one knows about them. Don’t be the best-kept secret!
An good advertising plan, no matter the scale, will increase awareness of your brand and products, and ultimately, your bottom line. The key to the success of your advertising campaign is inherently tied to your commitment in supporting it both philosophically and economically, and your vigilance in seeing it through, all the while maintaining consistency of voice and imagery.
Easier said than done, right? Not to fear, DIRECT POWER ADS has compiled the following advertising DOs and DON'Ts to help you plan a successful, Integrated Advertising Campaign.
1. DON’T fall victim to ‘me too’ messaging or imagery. DO differentiate.
“Your One Stop Shop” - Sure, maybe you do it all, but proclaiming to be all things to all people, in addition to sounding cliché, is a missed opportunity to stand out. SO MANY of your competitors are relying on generic marketing to convey their message. Why not capitalize on their lack of creativity and instead put forth a meaningful message to promote your brand or service?
Differentiating yourself visually is just as important as creating brand-specific messaging; be careful with stock photography. If the image you are using in your advertising campaign is not rights managed (You are paying a royalty to own it and block others in your target market from using it), you run the risk of driving down a main thoroughfare and seeing what you believe is your billboard, only to find out a competitor has selected “your image” for their own advertisement.
You wouldn't use the same logo as an existing company, and you should refrain from sharing imagery with another business.
2. DON’T (try to) shove 10 pounds of anything in a 5-pound bag. DO clearly articulate your message (and make it concise!).
Think of a slogan of a well-known brand such as NIKE’s “Just Do It!” or maybe you recalled this line made famous by MilkPEP (Milk Processor Education Program) in their national campaign: “Got Milk??”
What do these messages have in common? They’re short, catchy and above all else, concise. So let me ask you?, "Why then, do so many fall prey to mixed messaging, industry jargon and NEVER-ENDING copy?"
Trying to communicate too many messages doesn’t do anything but confuse your audience. Consumers have a small attention span so it’s often better to deliver one, focused message rather than a handful they will gloss over.
If you’re feel strongly about delivering a number of messages, consider advertising campaigns that focus on one message or benefit at a time. Targeted campaigns make better use of advertising resources and ultimately will increase your return on investment.
3. DON’T throw in the towel prematurely. DO remain consistent.
How fortunate would it be if the advertisement for your product or service is played at the PRECISE MOMENT a consumer is contemplating it at your location, waiting for services at one of our many strategic advertising locations such as a events, bars, restaurants and waiting rooms? In the real world, this rarely happens! In the real world it is more likely that they'll only hear part of your advertisement and don’t retain your phone number, website or social media links.
That is why DIRECT POWER ADS has created a unique program that delivers consistency and frequency. Messaging is critical to the success of your advertising campaign. Your phones will only begin to ring after your message has been delivered to your target audience a number of times. Welcome to the END of ADVERTISEMENT as you know it!
The “Rule of Seven” is an old marketing adage that says a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you. In the media saturated market that exists today, that number is likely much higher now. Wouldn't it be worth the investment to have access to many strategic ad locations and designs that we can interchange anytime you like?
4. DON’T look a gift horse in the mouth. DO take advantage of earned media opportunities!
Earned media such as: a blogger decides to review your product, social media followers share an influencer, a hashtag or brand’s post, press mentions or organic search result ranking are ALL opportunities and part of a well-rounded advertising plan. While some are free of cost in terms of placement, the amount of work that goes into securing them can far surpass the effort to purchase. WHY WAIT? With our programs you receive all of this as part of your Integrated Marketing package.
Lets go OLD SCHOOL and use print advertisement as an example. If you manage to secure time with a writer, editor or other news persona, it is imperative to work around their availability, even if the scheduled interview doesn’t perfectly align with your own busy schedule.
While it is difficult to measure effectiveness of many public relations activities, the credibility earned media provides proves invaluable in overall strategy and long-term planning. Essentially, earned media is achieved when someone distributes content on your business’ behalf. Further more, the additional “mentions” allow your brand to remain on top of the minds of your target audience.
5. DON’T assume you are a part of it. DO know your audience!!!
I CAN'T STRESS THIS POINT ENOUGH!!!! You’ve just invested significant amounts of money into producing, editing and placing a television commercial promoting your business. First... HONESTLY, why are you still investing so much into such an old way of advertising?!! Well, to late now, so you might as well pop some popcorn, settle in for the night in front of your television, waiting expectantly to view your masterpiece. As the night wears on and your eyes begin to droop, you’ve yet to see it flash across the screen -- how could this be?
Before you get upset, ask yourself -- are you the demographic you are trying to reach? Or do you just enjoy seeing your commercial on television? I mean... after the initial question as to why you are still spending on such a dinosaur way of getting your message across. Great it works if you have millions to pump into it, but DO YOU?
An important aspect of advertising is target reach. Reach refers to the total number of different people or households exposed, at least once, to a medium during a given period. Reach should not be confused with the number of people who will actually be exposed to and consume the advertising, though. It is just as important to refine your target audience as it is to refine your message! It’s important to know your audience and understand that may not be a part of it.
If that’s the case, you want to place your messages where they will hear them! So why not right in FRONT OF THEIR FACE, along with ENTERTAINING and INTERACTIVE CONTENT?
Final Thought...
If developing a successful, Integrated advertising campaign still seems daunting, LET US HELP YOU! Our expert team will work with you to create and place your messaging where it needs to be to drive results.
DIRECT POWER ADS
www.getmyadhere.com
844-GETMYAD (438-6923)