1. Plant negative ideas into people’s minds.
The ad headline Don’t waste another dollar plants the idea of wasting money into people’s minds. The call to action Don’t hesitate is about hesitating. To cultivate more supportive thinking, focus on the positive. Try Save money today and Call now.
2. Send a diffuse message to an overly-broad group.
The risk of an ad that addresses everybody: it appeals to nobody. Even if you offer something for everybody, address the audience so that each individual can easily discern whether you’re speaking to them.
3. Publish errors that hurt your credibility.
Inconsistent punctuation, run-on sentences, poor grammar, odd syntax, and spelling errors in the print media get noticed. Make sure that your ads are exempt from their ridicule. Proofing by a sharp-eyed outside party can be invaluable reputation protection.
4. Act like a small-timer.
Many individuals and small organizations invest too little in their ads, run unprofessional ads, or place too little faith in good ads. Some actually pay to damage their reputation through ads that do more to repel business than to attract it. So, project a tested, supportive image consistently.
5. Do it all yourself.
Often, businesspeople get exactly what they want in their ads by doing it themselves or by getting others to do it under their direction. This is the DIY approach. Often the ads fail miserably. Your customer’s perspective and an expert’s perspective can save you from this. Listen to your customers attentively and pay for advertising expertise. Otherwise, the illusion of thrift with the DIY approach might yield to the reality of high cost.
- Glenn Harrington, Articulate Consultants Inc.
Glenn Harrington is the Principal Consultant with Articulate Consultants Inc.
www.articulate.ca
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