Big Bang Theory
by Paul J. Welsh
“I want a bigger bang for my buck.”
I wish I had a buck for every company that’s told me that. But then I’d live on my own island in the Pacific and wouldn’t be writing this article.
Clichés aside, we’ve only got a page to work with so let’s concentrate on the business of advertising and its relationship to ROI. Think of this as a
“Do-It-Yourself Advertising Kit” for businesses who can’t afford an ad agency or a freelancer (or think they can’t and may be sorry later).
They say every ad starts with a blank page. Not true. It begins with an active mind—yours. It begins with identifying your business or product’s position in the marketplace and deciding whether your current position is what you want it to be.
Here’s an example of what I mean. In 1981, Lockton Insurance had just
22 people in Kansas City and four in Denver. That was minuscule by comparison to the two national insurance brokers in town who wrote a hefty amount of the property and casualty insurance sold here. But Lockton didn’t want to be viewed as a David against two Goliaths. They had bold goals and believed they were an industry leader in quality if not size.
So instead of running several quarter pages in Corporate Report magazine (Ingram’s now), they ran full page ads. The large ad unit positioned them as a leader. This is the same Lockton whose logo and name are now atop a Plaza high-rise office building. Today Lockton Companies is not only Kansas City’s top-ranked broker, but the nation’s largest independent insurance broker as well.
So how do you know what your position is in the marketplace? You could spend money on market research. However, since the underlying theme of this article is making a big splash with little bucks, let me offer a poor man’s positioning research idea.
Take a sheet of paper, write down your company name and list your three or four most significant competitors below it. Next to each name, write down one or two words that you most assoc-iate with those brands. Then ask your employees who have contact with your customers to do the same thing. Next, ask a few of your customers to do it. If possible, see if some prospects will fill it out, too. If you or your competitors have a strong position it will be evident by the consistency of the responses. If the responses are negative, or all over the place, then it’s time to pay extra attention to your marketing.
With positioning identified, you’re ready to attack that blank sheet of paper. Here are a few simple suggestions that will make your ad better.
1. Choose a visual that will stop
the page-turners. It might be a striking graphic or, if you’re in a business where your people are your key interface with the client, it might be pictures of your people.
2. Once you’ve got a reader stopped, you need a compelling headline that re-flects your position, stated from a customer’s point-of-view. Focus on a spec-ific benefit rather than generalities. To say you’re “The best thing since sliced bread” is not nearly as strong as pointing out that “Our bread will make you live 2.3 years longer.”
3. If your headline is strong enough, the readers will want to learn more. Reward them by paying off the promise you made in the headline.
4. Then, add additional selling points but try to be succinct. If you want the reader to learn everything that resides on your web site, put a line in the ad that directs them to your site. Never put an ad to bed without telling the reader how you want them to respond unless you’re counting on mind readers to help you reach your marketing goals.
And in case you’re curious, the second most-uttered line I hear is, “We’re the best-kept secret in the ___________ industry.” You’ll be the best-kept secret too if you don’t spend anything on promotion. But that’s another article.
Paul J. Welsh is creative director at Zillner Marketing Communications. He can be reached by phone at 913.599.3230 or by email at paulw@zillner.com.