Will you still be using flyers when your competitors are using video? July 8, 2008

In the June issue of SPIRIT MAGAZINE, the in-plane publication for Southwest Airlines (whom I absolutely adore), is an interesting article about the steady growth of video advertising. Here’s an excerpt:

REDLASSO EMERGED thanks to the convergence of several Web 2.0 trends, the foremost being the pursuit of multimedia search. Increasing bandwidth caused a proliferation of Web multimedia, with more people listening to podcasts and watching online video than ever before. And while Google has quite profitably sewn up text-based search, multimedia search remains a largely uncharted territory because it requires different technology. A traditional search engine can only “see” text. YouTube searches, for example, rely on accurate keywords and descriptions: a search for “winning Super Bowl touchdown” returns useful results only if the nearby text contains those words.

Advertisers have followed video to the Web.

Would you come up with this for your advertising? Maybe you should. July 8, 2008

Creative Advertising! Many of these ads do not get produced or run in the US, which by itself is food for thought. How can these ads spark some creativity in you?

 

 

Notice the UPS trucks “inside”?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can’t read the fine print, this is for a funeral home:

The Advertising Medium Is Not the Message June 30, 2008

Five ways to make your advertising message more powerful–and more relevant–no matter what medium it’s in.

“I’m in the furniture business. Which media should I use?”

“I’d like to target people who are afraid of the dentist. Can you recommend a good mailing list company?”

“My uncle uses TV ads to attract new customers, and they work really well for him. What’s your opinion of TV?”

“No one in my town listens to the radio anymore. Everyone has satellite or an iPod.”

“I tried advertising. It doesn’t work for my kind of business.”

People say things like this and expect me to have an intelligent response. What usually happens is I stand there, dull eyed, with my mouth hanging open. These aren’t my favorite moments.

When my brain finally recovers, and I tell them the truth they need to hear, they act as though I’ve sidestepped their question. The following is the truth they needed to hear. If you’re asking similar questions, maybe you need to hear it, too.

Today’s Resources for Family-Oriented Businesses. June 5, 2008

http://www.todaysmama.com/

http://www.trianglemom2mom.com

http://www.trianglemommies.com

http://www.carolinaparent.com

perhaps they would be a good vehicle (along with WellthyLifeStyle.com, of course! ;^D) to advertise your services or write articles.

How to Determine the True Circulation of a Magazine April 28, 2008

One of the questions you’ll invariably ask when deciding whether to purchase magazine/newspaper advertising is how many people the publication reaches. Read this great report from the trenches after the jump.

Want to know where to spend your advertising dollar? The question you’re not asking is costing you money and opportunities. April 26, 2008

It’s easy to overlook the most important question you can ask of each and every person who patronizes, or even calls to inquire about, your business. What do you think that question is?

A) Were you satisfied with our service today?
B) Did you find everything ok?
C) Would you like to sign up for our email list?
D) How did you hear of us?

Marketing in a Downward Economy April 26, 2008

Something you’ll always hear me say is that marketing can never stop–ever. Not when you are losing money, not when you are making money. Not when there are no buyers, not when there are too many buyers.

Forget Advertising Trends – 80% of Your Advertising Will Be Wasted If You Make This Common Mistake April 15, 2008

It is a scientifically proven fact that 5 times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, you’ve spent about 80% of your advertising dollar. So from there it’s pretty easy to make a case that the headline is the most important part of any ad.

Yet, a very large percentage of advertising that you see out there doesn’t even carry a headline. Those that do tend towards cute, catchy slogans. By headline I mean a benefit rich offer that grabs you by the throat.

It doesn’t matter what format your advertising takes – postcards, letters, print ads, radio or TV ads and even web sales copy. When you understand this then you begin to realize that should use 80% of your marketing time and energy getting your headlines perfect.

Now I must admit I have found a way to cheat. Oh it’s not really cheating. Creating great headlines takes practice, patience, and a fair amount of creativity. I have found a software program that does the hard work and allows you to create power packed headlines in seconds. You can do the work yourself but this makes it much more fun. The program is called Headline Creator Pro. I use it daily!

The headline is the first thing that your reader or prospect sees when they open your letter or flip your postcard. In that moment (about 5 seconds) your reader decides whether or not to read any farther.

Marketing to Women April 15, 2008

GET REAL
If you want to market to women, ground your message in reality.

When women look at your advertising, do they see themselves? For decades, advertisers have depicted an idealized version of a woman. But now, women are looking for their true selves mirrored in the message. So abandon outmoded and unattainable ideals and positively portray real women. Also, understand that female shoppers approach the buying process differently than men. It’s not about dumbing down the message or coloring the campaign in shades of pink, it’s about creating a campaign that reflects women the way they see themselves, plus following these important guidelines:

1. SHOW REAL BENEFITS TO REAL WOMEN. Women consumers are not monolithic, and an effective marketing campaign must be based on a clear understanding of your female prospects’ unique characteristics. Look beyond basic demographics and discover their hobbies, their habits, and how, where and what they buy. Women make purchases based on the relationships they develop with your company or brand, so listening carefully and fostering an exchange with women customers is vital. Uncover what they really want from companies or products and services like yours, and then communicate with them based on the issues or selling points they care about most.

2. DEVELOP WOMENCENTRIC MARKETING. There are important characteristics that define a more feminized shopping experience. Value and price are critical, but they’re often merely opening salvos in the decision-making process. Women tend to require more detailed information than men when considering a purchase, and that information is best received if presented on a peer-to-peer level, so address women from a ‘we’ point of view. Expect women customers to look for deep content on your website, thoroughly examine the benefits of your products or services vs. those of your competitors, read product reviews and seek input from family, friends and co-workers.

3. GO FOR A COMPLETE MAKEOVER. Integrate these women centric marketing methods into all your campaigns and materials. It’s not enough to just add deeper content to your site or produce a few ads that target women. The best campaigns integrate their marketing messages across multiple channels and feature an equally fine-tuned sales effort. Work with your salespeople to incorporate this attitudinal and contextual change into day-to-day sales activities for a completely integrated approach.

source: Entrepreneur Magazine, April 2008. by Kim T. Gordon