More Responsive Advertising

“One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by business professionals is how they can make their advertising more effective – and measurable,” says David Coyne, marketing consultant and copywriter and owner of David Coyne Communications. Here are six of his quick tips:

• Write down your objective before creating any marketing or advertising campaigns – this will help you focus your material. Identify the target audience. How do you want prospects to respond to the advertising? Have you made it easy for them to take the next step?
• Ask customers automatically how they heard about your company. Track responses using a spreadsheet or database, and review it frequently.
• Set up a regular schedule to send out marketing materials and stick with it. It takes between five and 12 contacts to close 80 percent of sales, and the more you remind customers of the benefits of your product or service, the more responsive they’ll be.
• Direct your copy to the prospect – not to your company. Tell how you can solve their problems.
• Start selling on the cover or your sales brochure with a benefit specific headline to give potential customers a reason to read more. Don’t stop at printing your company name and logo on the front.
• Include information in ads, brochures, e-mails, and websites that customers would find valuable. For example, and accountant might include a list of 10 tax tips for small businesses.