A return on investment is the goal for all advertising campaigns. The higher the return, the more effective the advertising is; but let’s not forget about the investment part. Advertising costs you money, so you don’t want to take a hit or miss approach and wait for the results to come in. Like all investments, you need to do your homework; you need to be thoughtful; and, you need to be strategic.
Our last series talked about buyer behavior, and our last article talked about buyer personas. In this series we’ll
reference both of those discussions, as we unpack five of the key factors in effective advertising.
As always, the buyer is at the center of your decision making. Most markets need to be segmented to make the groupings as homogeneous as possible. Each segment is the basis for the buyer persona your ads will target, and will figure prominently as well look at:
Visibility: Where will your buyer see your ad?
Attention/Appeal: These are two different things, but they quickly act in concert. Your ads need to get attention, and then appeal to your targeted customers.
Problem/Solution: Features and benefits are a bit old school. Ads need to address problems or pain points, with a solution.
Call to Action: Except in specific and strategically sound circumstances, every ad needs a call to action that can be remembered and easily followed.
Follow Up: The best ads in the world don’t actually sell anything, your company does. How you follow up will, or won’t, get the sale.
Whether you do your own advertising or rely on us, it’s helpful to understand the thinking process. So, stay tuned as we look at each of these factors in more depth.
- Effective Advertising – Part 1: Introduction
- Effective Advertising – Part 2: Visibility
- Effective Advertising – Part 3: Attention and Appeal
- Effective Advertising – Part 4: Problem > Solution
- Effective Advertising – Part 5: Call to action
- Effective Advertising – Part 6: Follow-up
