| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Guerilla Marketing Lesson 2: Why Do People Call Me?
Before we begin, I want you to think about how many times you actually sought out an advertisement. How did you know where to look for it? Why did you choose that one? Whether you know it or not, the number of times you were exposed to the message has a huge impact on you. Also, the message and how it made you feel had a large influence on your response. On the other side of the table, how do you know how well people are responding to your advertisement? If you are spending your hard earned cash advertising, you should be able to tell exactly what type of response you are getting and be able to track the performance of your ads. The above are two separate but related topics that need to be evaluated when developing an advertising campaign. And as with all marketing programs, it begins with demographics and your expected return on investment. Step One: Know your audience. Once again, what is your target audience? For a real estate investor, what type of property and owner situation are you looking for? What are your customer's hot buttons? Back to the initial question in this article, if you responded to a print ad, you responded to the one that stuck you emotionally and fills a need. Step Two: Speak to your customer's needs. Think about this, if you are facing a foreclosure and need to sell your home yesterday, to which ad would you personally respond: "I buy ugly houses. Fast Closing, Call our 24 hour recording (800) 668-6688" Or "Need To Sell Your Home For Cash? Let me help you. If I can't buy your house I will find someone who will. Foreclosure? Not a problem. Call me right now (949) 858-1877" If I were in dire straights, I would choose a real person over a 24 hour recording and a local number over an 800 number. Also, I would be more likely to respond to the advertisement that is offering an action (to help) instead of just stating what they do. Finally, I would probably be more likely to respond to the ad that has a call to action "Call me right now" simply because it told me to do so. What is the moral of this story? Make sure your ads speak to your prospect's emotions. Always have a call to action in the ad, and always be available to receive the call. If a prospect takes the steps to call you, they are in the mood to deal right then. If you don't answer the phone, they may or may not leave a message before moving on to the next advertisement. Step Three: Periodicity: One of the first questions that I asked in this article was how would you know where to look for an ad? The answer is periodicity. If an ad has been run continuously, prospects will know where to look for it when they need it. Rarely will a prospect take action when they are first exposed to your message. However, if it is in front of them on a weekly basis and they need your services, they will immediately know where to look for your info. Run your ads continually. If your placement is correct, you should be making a return on investment from your advertising so keep your message out there. As a personal example of the necessity of continual advertising, I found a local pizza place through our local Pennysaver. They run the same ad every week. After a couple of months of scanning the periodical for investment opportunities, I ended up ordering pizza from this place. Their food turned out to be great however, I did not write down the number. Their advertising worked, they recruited a customer. However, the next week I was in the same scenario and was craving their pizza. I flipped opened the Pennysaver looking for their ad so that I could get the number and order dinner. That week they had discontinued placement and their as was not running. Instead of going to the hassle of calling information or opening a the phone book, that night I ended up grabbing a bag of chips and proceeding with my routine of looking for deals in the Pennysaver. They lost a sale simply because they discontinued ad placement and I, like most people, didn't have the motivation to go searching for their information. To summarize the message, repeat your advertising enough to make your customers know where to find you. They will call when they are ready. Step 4: Tracking Response: If you are spending money advertising your services, you should be able to know the exact response per ad you are getting. With that in mind, find a way to track the calls to your specific advertisements. For me I use different telephone numbers for different ads. Also, know the circulation of your advertisement so that you can gauge how well the masses respond to your message. Finally, know what return on investment you are getting for each month's worth of advertising. More to the point, know how much money in the form of deals or purchases is coming in as a result of your advertising. In summary, make sure your print advertisements and classified ads speak to your prospects' emotions. Include a call to action in your ad, and always include a way to track your response. Finally, remember that you must run your advertisements often to grow the response that you need. About The Author Barrett Niehus is a principal in IP Ware Real Estate Investment Software http://www.realtysoftware.org and a part time real estate investor. Mr. Niehus has served as a marketing consultant for a number of product launches and has written extensively on the topics of marketing, sales and business development. Copyright: Please use and reprint this article freely
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Provacative Research Works If you want to double your business, then you need to get inside your client's head through proprietary research and provocative results.By conducting proprietary research, you obtain special information that prospective clients can't find elsewhere. Nine Advance Networking Skills for Seasoned Networkers A seasoned networker knows the real meaning of networking --being organized, efficient, effective, and, of course, workthe event to its fullest. Attending networking groups afterso many years can tire and drain anyone's excitement. Small Business Marketing; Abstract Philosophical Discussion Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best by word of mouth, networks, referrals, etc. Write Better Web Content If you're reading this article, chances are that you, like most professionals these days, understand the value of the Internet. It may be where you go to buy movie or concert tickets, browse restaurant menus, or plan your vacations. A Forgotten Marketing Tool - The Postcard The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many of our customers and/or students use them in their business. Key Marketing Strategy - You Need To Stay Visible! If you want to get consistent results from your marketing, you need to stay visible to clients and prospects. But, how do you do that?It's not going to do you a whole lot of good if you produce a bunch of great marketing stuff and nobody ever reads it. Turbocharge New Sales with a Marketing Database What is the most valuable asset your company owns? Inventory? Equipment? Employees? If you've got customers, your number one asset is your customer list.You've heard the old adage, "It's 5 times easier to sell an existing customer than to find a new one. Get FREE Web Tips From Your Competition I knew this one would get your attention. How can you, the savvy business entrepreneur, get FREE ANYTHING from your competition? The answer is simple: Google!Yes, there are many things that Google can solve. People Do Business with People They Like People do business with people they know and like! In my networking classes I have been saying this for six years. Can't say I was the originator of it, yet it appears people are catching on. Notable News - Its Not About You! You enjoy what you do. In fact, you love your product and want to tell everyone about it. Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success? What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well, you'd be surprised how many small business owners think they are effectively marketing their business, when in fact they are cutting their own throat.Yes, they may be running ads that are pulling in leads or customers. Does Your Marketing Plan Need Changing? Change is good, right? Not always. But when is it bad? Is it a question of good or bad? Sounds philosophical. Do I Need an RSS Feed? RSS has been around for more than 10 years but has only recently become popular. RSS provides headlines and summaries of information in a concise and standardized way. Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Tips And Ideas Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a large number of people with your sales message. Although they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting new customers. Growing Your Brand Assets Okay. Raise your hand if you think brand management is just for BIG companies (like Target, McDonalds or Ford. Budget Marketing: Managing Your Marketing Money Wisely! There's a saying that half of all marketing efforts are wasted, but it's impossible to tell which half!I know from hard won experience how easy it is to waste money on marketing.When I first set up my own business in 1998, I spent tens of thousands of dollars employing the best graphic designer and printing a great glossy brochure. Seven Common Marketing Problems Solved by Marketing Operations Corporate marketing groups - especially bandwidth-challenged small-to-mid-sized departments - can be so focused on tactics and fire fighting that they jeopardize their marketing investment. There is a tendency to overreact to events, to tackle symptoms rather than underlying fundamental problems and to jump at the opportunity to please the boss. Trade Show Marketing - Getting Prepared for the Big Event With the increase in number of tradeshows being held across the world, it has become imperative to check the trade shows' credentials before you commit participation. Here are some quick tips on checks to ensure that you are not heading for a dud trade show:1. FREE Means MORE Business Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people that go there to learn about new products or services. A Look at Color Brochure Printing Brochures have become vital in today's workplace, serving a wide variety of purposes. Some are quite complex and others are simpler; color brochure printing is one of the simpler options.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
