How To Grow A Client's Business: #11 of 25 – Advertising

Jay Abraham was my primary "mentor" when it comes to adversiting. He taught me that there are two primary questions regarding advertising: 1) Are you advertising? 2) Are you doing it correctly? A business that doesn’t advertise can be compared to a man that winks at a pretty girl in a dark room; the man understands what he has to offer the girl, but the girl is not aware of him. How can customers find you if you are not advertising?

While many businesses fail to advertise, another mistake is made on the opposite end of the spectrum in that many businesses spend most of their marketing budget on advertising but have ignored the foundational elements of business growth that we have already discussed in previous articles. Furthermore, those businesses that do run advertising often run institutional advertising that produces a delayed response at best and is a complete waste of money at worst.

Institutional advertising can be recognized by flashy ads that:

• Provide no compelling reason for a customer to buy,
• Provide no contact information,
• Include no direct invitation to purchase,
• Provide no process by which the effectiveness of the advertisement can be measured.

There is a difference between running a beautiful advertisement and running an advertisement that pulls large amounts of customers. They are not necessarily one and the same and are often counter-productive.

Most institutional advertising wastes its money by telling people how great their company is, or how long they’ve been around, or some other cute and non-compelling foolishness. It doesn’t direct the reader or listener or viewer to any intelligent action or buying decision. At best, this produces deferred results. At worst, it’s wasted folly. It’s equivalent to saying, “Buy from me instead of my competitor for no apparent reason except my selfishness.”

In contrast, here are 6 Benefits of Direct Response Advertising:

• It evokes an immediate

* response,

* action,

* visit,

* call, or

* purchasing decision.

• It overcomes sales objections.
• It answers all major questions.
• It promises performance or results.
• It backs up the promise with a risk-free warranty or money-back guarantee.
• You can analyze the value, profitability, and performance of any direct response ad you run because it produces something you can track, analyze and compute.

This may be a surprise to some of you but it’s the blunt truth. Most consumers don’t care about you or your business. Typical consumers only care about themselves and what your product or service can do for them! Direct response advertising focuses on how your product will improve the prospect’s situation and save him time, effort, and money. Answers those questions and you will own the market.

Places to Advertise

1.   Online

a)   Google AdWords

b)  Bing Ads

c)   Facebook

d)  LinkedIn

e)  Twitter

f)    Pinterest

g)   Instagram

h)  Banner ads

i)     And many more

2.   Offline

a)   Newspapers

b)  Radio

c)   TV

d)  Magazines

e)  Billboards/Outdoor

f)    And many more

Each channel requires different knowledge, strategy, skills, and experience. Each one has volumes written about it. The best way to help a client find success is to either be an expert in one or more of these channels or team up with an expert or an agency that has a track record of success.

Questions to Ask

In the area of advertising, you can find out very quickly if there is an opportunity for growth. Ask these types of questions:

Do you run advertising?

If they don't, ask:

What would be the impact if we created and tested some ads and incorporated your Market Dominating Position & USP, some testimonials, and a highly compelling offer?

You can dive in for the impact at this point—it doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process. If they do state an impact, it’s good to follow up with this question:

What are you willing to spend on advertising, going forward?

If they're not willing to spend, then maybe they wouldn't be a good client to have. However, this could also lead to a discussion about testing—all marketing is a test. You could also point out that advertising could be considered a revenue-generating device, not an expense if it produced positive results. Consider the difference in a client who isn’t willing to even try a test on advertising versus one who is. They are very different clients to work for.

If they do run advertising, there are several questions you can ask:

Tell me about the ads and the results that they are producing.

Do you see any areas for immediate improvement?

If you have any of the ads in front of you, you might be able to point out the areas of improvement, given the 6 Benefits of Direct Response Advertising listed above.

You can monetize this question if there is opportunity.

Remember that the more you educate, the more you sell.

Finally

I trust that you’ve found the information in this article helpful. Please feel free to like it, share it, or comment on it. In the next article, I’ll show you how you can find any client a breakthrough in the area of a Compelling Offer.