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Today, most advertising strategies focus on achieving three general goals, as the Small Business Administration indicated in Advertising Your Business:

1) promote awareness of a business and its product or services;

2) stimulate sales directly and “attract competitors’ customers”; and

3) establish or modify a business’ image. In other words, advertising seeks to inform, persuade, and remind the consumer. With these aims in mind, most businesses follow a general process which ties advertising into the other promotional efforts and overall marketing objectives of the business.

An advertising strategy is a campaign developed to communicate ideas about products and services to potential consumers in the hopes of convincing them to buy those products and services. This strategy, when built in a rational and intelligent manner, will reflect other business considerations (overall budget, brand recognition efforts) and objectives (public image enhancement, market share growth) as well. Even though a small business has limited capital and is unable to devote as much money to advertising as a large corporation, it can still develop a highly effective advertising campaign. The key is creative and flexible planning, based on an in-depth knowledge of the target consumer and the avenues that can be utilized to reach that consumer.

STAGES OF ADVERTISING STRATEGY

As a business begins, one of the major goals of advertising must be to generate awareness of the business and its products. Once the business’ reputation is established and its products are positioned within the market, the amount of resources used for advertising will decrease as the consumer develops a kind of loyalty to the product. Ideally, this established and ever-growing consumer base will eventually aid the company in its efforts to carry their advertising message out into the market, both through its purchasing actions and its testimonials on behalf of the product or service.

Essential to this rather abstract process is the development of a “positioning statement, a positioning statement explains how a company’s product (or service) is differentiated from those of key competitors. With this statement, the business owner turns intellectual objectives into concrete plans. In addition, this statement acts as the foundation for the development of a selling proposal, which is composed of the elements that will make up the advertising message’s “copy platform.” This platform delineates the images, copy, and art work that the business owner believes will sell the product.

With these concrete objectives, the following elements of the advertising strategy need to be considered: target audience, product concept, communication media, and advertising message. These elements are at the core of an advertising strategy, and are often referred to as the “creative mix.” Again, what most advertisers stress from the beginning is clear planning and flexibility. And key to these aims is creativity, and the ability to adapt to new market trends. A rigid advertising strategy often leads to a loss of market share. Therefore, the core elements of the advertising strategy need to mix in a way that allows the message to envelope the target consumer, providing ample opportunity for this consumer to become acquainted with the advertising message.

1. TARGET CONSUMER The target consumer is a complex combination of persons. It includes the person who ultimately buys the product, as well as those who decide what product will be bought (but don’t physically buy it), and those who influence product purchases, such as children, spouse, and friends. In order to identify the target consumer, and the forces acting upon any purchasing decision, it is important to define three general criteria in relation to that consumer, as discussed by the Small Business Administration:

1. Demographics-Age, gender, job, income, ethnicity, and hobbies.

2. Behaviors-When considering the consumers’ behavior an advertiser needs to examine the consumers’ awareness of the business and its competition, the type of vendors and services the consumer currently uses, and the types of appeals that are likely to convince the consumer to give the advertiser’s product or service a chance.

3. Needs and Desires-here an advertiser must determine the consumer needs-both in practical terms and in terms of self-image, etc.-and the kind of pitch/message that will convince the consumer that the advertiser’s services or products can fulfill those needs.

2. PRODUCT CONCEPT The product concept grows out of the guidelines established in the “positioning statement.” How the product is positioned within the market will dictate the kind of values the product represents, and thus how the target consumer will receive that product. Therefore, it is important to remember that no product is just itself, but, a “bundle of values” that the consumer needs to be able to identify with. Whether couched in presentations that emphasize sex, humor, romance, science, masculinity, or femininity, the consumer must be able to believe in the product’s representation.

3. COMMUNICATION MEDIA The communication media is the means by which the advertising message is transmitted to the consumer. In addition to marketing objectives and budgetary restraints, the characteristics of the target consumer need to be considered as an advertiser decides what media to use. The types of media categories from which advertisers can choose include the following:

o Print-primarily newspapers (both weekly and daily) and magazines.

o Audio-FM and AM radio.

o Video-Promotional videos, infomercials.

o World Wide Web.

o Direct mail.

o Outdoor advertising-Billboards, advertisements on public transportation (cabs, buses).

After deciding on the medium that is 1) financially in reach, and 2) most likely to reach the target audience, an advertiser needs to schedule the broadcasting of that advertising. The media schedule, as defined by Hills, is “the combination of specific times (for example, by day, week, and month) when advertisements are inserted into media vehicles and delivered to target audiences.”

4. ADVERTISING MESSAGE An advertising message is guided by the “advertising or copy platform,” which is a combination of the marketing objectives, copy, art, and production values. This combination is best realized after the target consumer has been analyzed, the product concept has been established, and the media and vehicles have been chosen. At this point, the advertising message can be directed at a very concrete audience to achieve very specific goals. There are three major areas that an advertiser should consider when endeavoring to develop an effective “advertising platform”:

o What are the product’s unique features?

o How do consumers evaluate the product? What is likely to persuade them to purchase the product?

o How do competitors rank in the eyes of the consumer? Are there any weaknesses in their positions? What are their strengths?

Most business consultants recommend employing an advertising agency to create the art work and write the copy. However, many small businesses don’t have the up-front capital to hire such an agency, and therefore need to create their own advertising pieces. When doing this a business owner needs to follow a few important guidelines.

5. COPY When composing advertising copy it is crucial to remember that the primary aim is to communicate information about the business and its products and services. The “selling proposal” can act as a blueprint here, ensuring that the advertising fits the overall marketing objectives. Many companies utilize a theme or a slogan as the centerpiece of such efforts, emphasizing major attributes of the business’s products or services in the process. While something must be used to animate the theme …care must be taken not to lose the underlying message in the pursuit of memorable advertising.”

When writing the copy, direct language (saying exactly what you mean in a positive, rather than negative manner) has been shown to be the most effective. The theory here is that the less the audience has to interpret, or unravel the message, the easier the message will be to read, understand, and act upon. As Jerry Fisher observed in Entrepreneur, “Two-syllable phrases like ‘free book,’ ‘fast help,’ and ‘lose weight’ are the kind of advertising messages that don’t need to be read to be effective. By that I mean they are so easy for the brain to interpret as a whole thought that they’re ‘read’ in an eye blink rather than as linear verbiage. So for an advertiser trying to get attention in a world awash in advertising images, it makes sense to try this message-in-an-eye-blink route to the public consciousness-be it for a sales slogan or even a product name.”

The copy content needs to be clearly written, following conventional grammatical guidelines. Of course, effective headings allow the reader to get a sense of the advertisement’s central theme without having to read much of the copy. An advertisement that has “50% off” in bold black letters is not just easy to read, but it is also easy to understand.

To receive our monthly magazine full of useful tips on other articles to help you build your business, go to this web page now: [http://www.womenbusinessmagazine.com] For more advertising information go to http://www.womenbusinessmag.com

About the author

Janet Shinn is an editor at Women Business Magazine.

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A funnel is a good way to think of the marketing process. The top is very broad and consists of using mass marketing techniques. Mass marketing includes items like mass mailings, national advertising, billboards, and airing commercials during the Super Bowl. The marketing message is sent to a broad audience with little or no discretion. Mass marketing is very expensive, difficult to evaluate, and has a low return on investment. Mass marketing is a stab in the dark, like trying to find needles in a haystack. The next section of the funnel narrows the target audience into market segments. The communications still appeal to a large audience, but they are at least targeted to a specific market segment by means of the chosen media.

Cat Fancy magazine, ESPN, and the Oxygen website each target a specific segment of the market: cat lovers, sports enthusiasts, and women, respectively. Next, we narrow the target audience further into niche or specialty markets. Harley Davidson, Barbie, and Macintosh computers each appeal to a specialty area of the market. The bottom of the funnel is the customized or one-to-one area of the funnel. The consumer being on a first-name basis with the product or service provider often characterizes these markets. Mike the mechanic, Bill the barber, Doc Baker are all one-to-one relationships in which the customer and service provider know each other personally. Through the use of technology and mass customization, these relationships can be available on a wide scale such as in the case of the “My Yahoo!” page.

ROI

ROI stands for return on investment. Every one of the techniques in the funnel will gain customers. The question is which technique will provide the greatest return on investment. A Super Bowl ad is sure to create interest and generate new customers, but at what price? The same amount of money spent at the bottom and targeted directly at ideal customers will produce a much greater return on investment. Two benefits of targeting the bottom of the funnel are the likelihood of a positive response and the kinds of relationships that are established. Relationships on the bottom of the funnel are more committed and not easily broken. One-to-one customers form the bedrock, the foundation, for any successful product line. These people are not likely to change to a competitor due to the mutual commitment they feel between themselves and the brand.

Customers at the bottom of the funnel can and should become your best marketing tool. They are positive multipliers that spread the word to friends and family. There are three levels of the one-to-one section: the customer, the referent, and the advocate. The customer will continue to buy the product and not switch to the competition. The referent will continue to buy the product and will tell others about the product when asked (give referrals). The advocate will continue to purchase the product, will actively promote the product, and will convince others to buy it. The goal of every marketer is to gain advocates for the product.

To summarize, the top of the funnel is the most expensive with the least return on investment and the least amount of consumer loyalty, while the bottom of the funnel is the least expensive with the greatest return on investment and the greatest amount of consumer loyalty. Getting consumers to the bottom is the goal. Marketers should always be guiding their consumers to the bottom of the funnel where the costs are less and the relationships are stronger.

Take it from the Top

Why would anyone market to a mass audience at the top of the funnel? There are three reasons marketers come in from the top of the funnel: lack of education, sloth, and lack of opportunity. The majority of people marketing products do not know anything about the marketing funnel. If you know anyone that needs to be a more effective marketer, I urge you to advocate this book to him or her. Millions of dollars are spent because that is just the way things have been done in the past, or that is what companies see from their competitors. If you want to lead the market, then innovate instead of imitating.

On the other hand, some people are too lazy to work on building these types of relationships with customers. Often it is easier to pay for a television commercial or a billboard than to figure out how to establish one-to-one relationships with thousands of target customers.

The final reason is lack of opportunity. Sometimes when marketing a new product, it is necessary to enter the market from higher up in the funnel. If this is the case, steer your customer relationships down the funnel as quickly as possible. For example, if you must enter the market by means of a national newspaper advertisement, link the ad to a customizable website or some other tool that allows the relationship to develop further and reduces the need for future mass marketing efforts.

Michael Daehn is the founder of marketingenious consulting and author of the book The Seven Keys to Marketing Genius: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Marketing IQ available at http://www.sevenkeysmarketing.com and http://www.borders.com. Visit his website at http://www.marketingenious.com

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Are you a business owner representing a product or service? What’s your point of differentiation? What separates you from your competitors? Is it quality? Is it the price? Is it the packaging? Is it placement or promotion? The bottom line is are you selling? If not, why not? The answer may lie in advertising.

They say nothing happens unless you advertise. No advertising = no sales. But many business people are leery of paid advertising because it just doesn’t seem to return the investment. There are many reasons for this–throwing out spotty advertisements, whether online or offline doesn’t work well most often and who can afford to advertise en masse regularly? People are desensitized by hyper advertising on TV, radio, Internet, junk mail, magazines, etc. People are getting smarter and tuning advertising out–people are getting tired of the Wall Street advertising mentality that has spurred so many books and college courses. As a result, big business advertising focuses on higher and higher volumes of repetitive mass advertising to beat their message into the fewer and fewer minds still receptive to this kind of junk noise. Don’t believe me? How do you REALLY feel about advertising you see or hear? Are you sick of it? So are 300 million other people. But what are the alternatives for communicating your offer?

Advertisers are very creative little sneaks who try all kinds of angles to fool you into not realizing you are being advertised at–they cloak advertisements into “infomercials” and now they cloak infomercials into looking like some PBS interview. Buzz words like “info-ads” which are designed to highlight the problems you didn’t know you had (like EzineArticles) and set forth-easy solutions to complicated problems if you only “buy now”. And you can read article after article, book after book and the bottom line remains the same–the only people making money advertising are the ones selling advertising.

And do you realize the product or service you offer really doesn’t matter when you advertise? You can take all products and services in the world and put them into two big piles: The GOOD products and the BAD products. Keep in mind that a good marketing team can sell bad products but a bad marketing team cannot sell good products. And what is the definition of a “bad product” anyway? The definition for a bad product is when people send it back because it sucks and they want their money back. If your product sells and you don’t get a return or a compliant then, for all practical purposes you have a good product. Why isn’t it selling then?

People have a tendency to blame the product if the advertising doesn’t sell it. But if you have a good product and run an ad and nothing happens how can you blame the product? The product is inert. It’s just sitting there waiting to be sold. It’s not the product fault. It’s the ADS fault. So you can simplify your life by eliminating the “product problem” mentality and wrap your mind around the fact you have an advertising problem instead. Which takes us back to the beginning of this article.

Point of differentiation–what’s the point of differentiation of a paper clip? Keep in mind that paperclips are a competitive billion-dollar industry.

Okay, here’s the bottom line to this article–if you are not having any luck advertising your product online and can’t afford mass advertising then a really SIMPLE solution is to use Off-line classified ads in newspapers. These ads are cheap ranging from $10.00 to $50.00 depending on the location of the newspaper and readerships/subscriptions. But there is no better place to spend advertising dollars if you are on a small budget. You are going to make mistakes when you advertise as you hone up your headline and hook to get people to take action and you can do very specific tests in various markets to gauge classified advertising response. Do you have a website? Take a cue from Travelocity.com, PriceLine.com and other big players on the Internet–they all advertise conventionally–on TV! Why? Internet advertising sucks. We have a business kit called “Advertising Works” which is a very carefully constructed manual on writing effective classified ads to drive people to your website. It shows you how to write ads but more importantly it shows the entire U.S. market and how classifieds can be used to drive the market to your website cheaply by reducing the amount of type in the classified advertisement so they only cost a few dollars. For example a classified ad could read as follows: ADVERTISING WORKS! http://www.smart67.com and that’s it! CHEAP AD! No phone, no hype, just a headline and a website address. The goal is to test headlines. Test, test, test! Check it out…

Copyright © 2006

James W. Hart, IV

All Rights reserved

SBS is an online information resource for people. Our focus is real estate and business and we have a number of important books, kits and Ebooks including free downloads and high quality link categories to help you get information fast. SBS has an aggressive link exchange program for anyone with a website—visit us now by clicking this link http://www.smart67.com.

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I’ve been reading some great books lately, and the most recent one by Genpo Roshi, “Big Mind, Big Heart” is groundbreaking. 

I’d like to share the essence of this book and demonstrate how you can use the Big Mind process to take your business and marketing to the next level of success and fulfillment. 

Yes, marketing and enlightenment. You knew I’d get to this sooner or later!

First of all, Genpo Roshi is a real live American born Zen Master and had been for many years before he discovered this process. He says that it’s the biggest breakthrough in Zen thinking in 2,500 years. Quite a claim.

But like all brilliant things, it’s stunningly simple.

Roshi asserts that we all are essentially a collection of personalities or voices, if you will. We tend to become identified or attached to many of these voices without really being aware of them. They speak us more than we speak them. 

For instance, some marketing voices you may be familiar with: Controlling, Procrastinating, Fearful, Confused, Struggling, Don’t Know How, Don’t Have Time, Must Do it Right, I’m Not Worthy, I Can’t be Rich, I’m Not Marketing Type, This Won’t Work, I Can’t Succeed.

Roshi doesn’t recommend you try to get rid of these voices, but to accept them and get to know them by dialoging with them. 

But perhaps more importantly, you can get to know and dialogue with your more expansive voices as well: Allowing, Proactive, Fearless, Clear, Ease, Know How, Have Time, OK to Do it Wrong, I Am Worthy, I Can be Rich, I Am the Marketing Type, This Will Work, I Can Succeed.

This is not about affirmations. Far from it. 

It’s an exploration where you discover new worlds that were already there but inaccessible to you. The key is for a facilitator to simply ask to speak to that voice and for the voice to answer. 

Let me give you an example. Let us take a voice that may not be in your everyday experience, but that is right there for everyone, ready to express its truth. We’ll call it Big Mind Marketing. 

Facilitator: May I please speak to Big Mind Marketing?

BigMind Marketing: Speaking, I’m here. How can I help you? 

Facilitator: What is your purpose, your job as Big Mind Marketing?

BigMind Marketing: My job is to communicate true value to the world in a clear and authentic voice. My job is to get the attention of those who could benefit from my services and demonstrate the difference my service will make to them.

Facilitator: Aren’t you concerned that most marketing is seen as hype, as dishonest, or at least as stretching the truth?

BigMind Marketing: Some people see marketing that way. But that’s not the way I see it. And if I worry about that I’ll just get distracted from my true purpose. And that’s to make a lasting contribution. 

Facilitator: Isn’t marketing self-serving, though? Isn’t it to enrich yourself, more that others?

BigMind Marketing: It’s an honest exchange. Yes, you trade your expertise and time for money but ultimately it’s about forming mutually rewarding relationships. A service that is high quality and provides something that is needed by people is worthy of communicating about. Hype isn’t needed, but clear and honest communication about the value is.  

Facilitator: What about word-of-mouth marketing? Isn’t that the best? 

BigMind Marketing: It’s very important. But to get word-of- mouth business you also need to communicate about your services with clarity, and demonstrate to your clients why it’s a benefit if they direct their friends and associates your way. 

It becomes what someone dubbed a “virtuous circle” where value is given and received and those who receive naturally share. Then you facilitate the sharing to make it easy for your clients. 

Facilitator: Doesn’t marketing one’s professional services take a lot of time, effort and money? How can someone really make it work for them?

BigMind Marketing: If you’re committed to the value of your service, you’ll find the time to communicate about it. Ever notice how someone who is authentically excited about what they are doing is naturally magnetic? Marketing isn’t about pushing something down someone’s throat. When you are speaking from Big Mind Marketing, it’s less effort and takes less time. 

Facilitator: How can your subscribers use the Big Mind Process to help them with their marketing?

BigMind Marketing: Just like I’ve done here. Interview Big Mind Marketing. Ask him/her how to make it work. Don’t think it out, just answer naturally. This interview only took a few minutes. It didn’t come from the small manipulative mind or the scare mind or the fearful mind. 

Facilitator: And everyone has access to Big Mind Marketing? 

Big Mind Marketing: Absolutely everyone. It’s natural. It’s an internal knowingness that everyone has. 

Facilitator: And how will this really help one’s marketing?

BigMind Marketing: When you are in touch with your more authentic voice, your attitude shifts, your tone shifts. You see possibilities. You see opportunities where there once were obstacles.  You are open to learning and risking. You step out of fear and into fearlessness. 

You will actually experience marketing yourself differently. Your marketing will be transformed. 

Facilitator: Thank you Big Mind Marketing. 

BigMind Marketing: You’re most welcome!

The More Clients Bottom Line:  Big Mind Marketing is a place you can come from about your marketing. It’s your choice. All you need to do is give it voice. From a big, expansive place, tell the truth about marketing and it will become real for you. Your fears, hesitation and doubts will tend to dissolve.

Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing has been helping Independent Professionals attract more clients since 1984. Robert is the author of the online bestsellers, the InfoGuru Marketing Manual and the Web Site ToolKit. Since 1997 he’s published the weekly More Clients eZine with hands-on ideas and strategies for growing a professional service business. For more articles on attracting clients, plus several free audios and reports, please go to: http://www.actionplan.com/freestuff.html

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Outdoor advertising is becoming a necessity for most businesses these days as it is considered as an effectual way to grab the attention of the customers while they are on a move. One can also experience an effectual amplification in ones brand presence. One main feature of this mode of advertising is that the viewers will at least spare a second to have a glance at the big billboards.

This mode of advertisement can come out as a nice way to promote ones real world business in a lucrative and interesting way. Some of the prominent reasons why the entrepreneurs are opting for this online mode of advertising are instant leads, and it is easy to remember the website for the customers or visitors. Customers can always have these in front of them as an interactive way of advertisement and the cost is comparatively less.

Another important type of advertising is airport advertising in which the airlines advertise about their services in a high tech and glamorous way. It includes wall wraps, lit signs, scrolling medias and digital signs. This type of advertising makes a lot of sense if the subject has a fair amount to spend and a good time to reach to the targeted audience.

Two other types of advertisement approaches are Media Outdoor Advertising and OOH advertising. Media outdoor advertising is considered as a strategic approach when it comes to brand promotion and the various ways in which this is carried out include billboards, vehicular advertisements and movie theater screens. OOH advertising is Out Of Home advertising that makes use of digital signage at airports, railways stations, cinema halls, shopping malls and even filling stations.

With the cost of all these advertisement modes becoming more and more affordable, the entrepreneurs have to make sure that they invest on the mode that relates to their services or products in a fine way. It can be said that these advertising modes are suitable for both small and large sized businesses, if utilized effectually and at appropriate time.

TDI International India Limited is a leading advertising company providing airport advertising, internet advertising, ooh advertising, Delhi metro Advertising Corporation (DMRC) advertising, mobile advertising and digital display advertising.

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