10 Steps To Advertising Success
These 10 steps to advertising success will help you attract the best prospects and clients.It represents the selling process that takes place where and when the sales person cannot be present to guide prospective clients to the ultimate buying decision.
Salesmanship is about helping clients ultimately make the buying decision that you would like them to make.
This means that your advertising...whether in print or electronic format...should help clients make the the decision you would like.
These considerations lead to the first two of your 10 steps to advertising success.
What is your best advertising success tip?
Click here to share it with others....
or you can share it after reading these steps.
Click here to share it with others....
or you can share it after reading these steps.
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Step 1: Identify your target audience
The first of the 10 steps to advertising success is to identify your target audience. Who do you want to send your advertising message to?Even if it were economically possible, you simply cannot send your message to every prospective client in the world.
If you have not already done so, narrow your market to a manageable niche market.
By defining your target market with as much precision as possible, you will increase the likelihood of successfully communication with your target audience.
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Step 2: Identify what you want your audience to do
In most cases, your advertising by itself will not automatically lead prospective clients to the decision to hire you.Ideally you will want prospective clients to contact you for more information.
You might however want your target audience to take some other action.
Maybe you want them to make referrals to you, or subscribe to your newsletter, or contact a referral partner.
Regardless of what action you would like your target market to take, keep this action firmly planted in your mind as your prepare your advertising message.
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Step 3: Identify benefits for your target market
Don't expect your prospects to take the actions you want just because you want them to.Give them some reason for doing what you want them to do.
Tell them how they benefit from taking the desired action.
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Step 4: Identify the best media for your message
The widespread availability of Internet access has resulted in a huge shift away from traditional print media.There are however niche markets in which traditional print media might be the best vehicle for communicating with your target market.
Effective niche market research and market segment research will help ensure that you are using the best media for communicating your message to your target market.
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Step 5: Satisfy yourself that your goal is achievable
Before preceding with the rest of the 10 steps to advertising success, pause to assess steps 1-4.This means satisfying yourself that by using the appropriate media, you can successfully encourage some individual members of your target audience to take the actions that you want them to take.
Once satisfied that your desired outcome is indeed possible, proceed with the remaining 10 steps to advertising success.
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Step 6: Determine what your audience now knows about the service that you provide
If you, or your industry, has an established presence in your market, your target market may know about the benefits that your service delivers.On the other hand, your target market not know about these benefits.
Or even worse, some members of your target audience may have a negative impression about your service.
Clearly, what your target audience now knows...or thinks it knows...is a critical factor in encouraging individual members of the audience to take the actions that you want taken.
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Step 7: Determine what your audience needs to know
Among the purposes of advertising is to provide prospects with the information they need in order to agree to take the action that you would like them to take.That specifically is what this step is all about.
It establishes the level to which you need to increase your prospects' information.
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Step 8: Offers your audience a compelling reason for taking your desired action
If the specific action that you want your target market to take is to contact you, offer them a compelling reason for contacting you.Maybe it's to learn more about your personal brand or brand promise.
Or perhaps it is to learn more about how you might be able to help them.
Whatever action you want your target market to take, offer them a compelling reason for taking the action.
And remember that the most compelling reasons invariably offer something of value to the person taking the action.
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Without a doubt, this is the single most important...and challenging...step in the 10 steps to advertising success.
The first seven steps all build to this step.
Here in Step 8 you prepare to connect with your target audience.
It is also here that you help prospective clients understand how you can help them and persuade them to take the action that you want them to take.
Unless you are a very experienced writer of advertising copy, you are going to need as much help as you can possibly get with this step.
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If you are a committed do-it-yourselfer who likes to do everything yourself, I recommend Make Your Words Sell.
This is the best resource for writing advertising copy that I have ever seen.
Although intended primarily for web content, the principles outlined can be applied to any form of advertising copy.
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A second option would be to do it yourself with the help of a coach.
Finally, if you lack the time and training to prepare your advertising copy yourself, you have two options.
One focuses on web content...the other is general enough to include the preparation of advertising copy.
The remaining two of the 10 steps to advertising success outline managing the response to your advertising.
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Step 9: Follow up every lead
One of the biggest obstacles to advertising success is the failure to follow-up on each and every lead.If you don't already have one, develop and implement an effective follow-up system before you start advertising.
There is nothing to be gained if your advertising encourages individuals from your target market to contact you but then having them disappear because you have a weak...or non-existent...follow-up system.
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Step 10: Track results
By tracking the results of these 10 steps to advertising success, you can lean which ones work well...and which ones need to be improved.Advertising is a continuous and ongoing process.
It is only by tracking the results of your 10 steps to advertising success that you can ensure continuous and ongoing success.
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What Is Your Best Success Tip?
With your help...and the help of other people like you...I plan to create the best online source of success tips.
I recognize that you are already very business with your regular activities and do not have much time available for new projects. So, I have made it as easy as I possibly can for you to contribute.
Simply complete the form at the bottom of this page and I will do the rest. This will allow you to share your experience with others...and also help them succeed...but with the absolute minimum amount of time required.
Once I receive your tip, I will do a light edit to ensure that it reads well. This edit will also eliminate any typos or other gremlins that may have found their way into what you wrote.
Then I will add your tip...with its own URL...to the site. If you wish, I will send you the link so that you can tell colleagues and clients where to find the web page that you created. Imagine your pride in being featured on the best online source of success tips.
Once a month I will select from the previous month's tips two individuals as Exemplary Service Providers.
One of these Exemplary Service Providers will be from the USA and the other from outside the USA.
I will use the following two criteria in selecting Exemplary Service Providers:
- how well the tip exemplifies one or more themes of this website.
- how well the tip exemplifies the principles of client service as discussed throughout the site.
When I select you as an Exemplary Service Provider, I will advise you by email. At that time I will also request any additional information I need for your Exemplary Service Provider profile.
Like your best success tip, your Exemplary Service Provider profile will have its own URL.
However, unlike your best success tip, your profile will be promotional in nature. Not only will it feature you as an Exemplary Service Provider, it will also promote the benefits that clients can expect to receive from your ability to deliver exemplary service.
Think of what a powerful promotional tool this will be...and how effectively it will help you attract even more clients.
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