If you're looking for a way to make your ads more effective, attract more attention, and get more customers... this article is for you.
I still remember the exact day I wrote my first ad. I hated every second of it.
You know what was the worst? My boss assigned me to write that ad because I had just completed three years of economics at business school, majoring in commercial economics. So marketing.
We analyzed the largest and most successful companies in the world. But when I tried to use that knowledge to write an ad for our local business... I had no idea how to do it!
Looking at that blank page I realized that I really had no idea what I was doing. And the longer I sat, the dumber I felt.
Why most ads don't work
So I did some research to find the formula.
Some sources told me to use a cute baby animal in my ad. Others said that was not professional.
Some sources told me to keep repeating my message. Others said that repetition irritates people and makes them NOT buy from you.
With the deadline in sight, I took a shortcut. I looked at our competitors' ads and did much the same thing. It's like copying your classmate's homework and changing it a bit so it's not an exact copy.
I showed it to my boss, he said it was good and we launched the ad.
A few days passed and I heard nothing about the results. So I asked my boss what the results of the ad were.
He seemed somewhat confused by the question:
“Uhhh… what do you mean by 'results'?”
"The results of the ad we placed. Did we sell anything? Did a lot of people call?" I asked him.
My boss smiled, leaned back and said:
"Nooooo, Arno. That's not how ads work! This ad was for brand awareness. Top of mind awareness. It's all about branding, you know?"
I pretended to understand and said, " Sure, I understand."
That was a lie. Because I didn't understand at all how those things benefited us.
And now, almost 20 years later, I'll let you in on a little secret: I lied to my boss. But he also lied to me.
Because he had no idea what he was talking about either.
Improve your marketing
When we spend money on something, we measure the result.
It doesn't matter if we spend money on equipment, lunch or suppliers - we make sure we get what we pay for, right?
When I started my own business, I tried to do the same with marketing. Instead of results, I got word salad.
“Well, this ad is for brand awareness.”
We focus on top of mind awareness in our market.
This campaign has been created to strengthen our branding and brand positioning'.
This is usually said in a slightly condescending tone so that you feel stupid for asking the question.
Here's the painful truth:
"Most companies throw away at least half of their marketing budget. Probably a lot more."
And that just didn't sit well with me.
How I Stopped Throwing Money Away...And How You Can Do the Same
I decided to get to the bottom of this and figure out the formula for effective marketing.
The good news? There was a formula and I figured it out.
The bad news? It took years and years of study, puzzling, testing and trial and error to figure out what really worked.
If I had to write down all the elements of the formula we'd be here for weeks, so let me give you one of the best mnemonics I've found.
Some may recognize it as Pearson's Law.
“What is measured improves.”
Do you want to immediately and drastically increase your advertising results?
Make them measurable by adding a reaction mechanism. A call to action in every ad that asks the prospect to do something.
And then you follow that action like a hawk.
Now you can measure. To test. Finding out what works and what doesn't.
One of the first things I do when I start working with a client is implement this simple rule:
“Every ad we place must be measurable, no exceptions.”
No more jargon. No more vague marketing jargon. Measurable, tangible, solid results.
There are plenty of ways to do this and it's feasible for any business, including yours. If you would like to know how we would do this in your company, please contact us.
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