I really want to express myself on one of the top mistakes I see business
owners making in the manufactured housing industry. This is a mistake based on
a big misunderstanding, an attitude of expecting “something for nothing,” and a position
of the ego saying “we’re the best – we don’t need to advertise.” There’s no such thing
as “the best” – we are all in the process of becoming, perfection in the making.
The most successful, most well-respected businesses are the ones that not only
advertise, but also target their advertising to their particular marketplace; for example,
The Journal is a highly targeted publication in your industry, versus general business,
real estate, or regional publications. The most successful businesses run ads that are
beautiful, funny, playful, memorable, or dramatic, and well-written and designed.
They run their ads regularly – and by the way, they get a deal for doing that – the
more ads you run on a regular basis, the better your ad contract and cost per ad.
Many businessowners spout the over-used phrase “I don’t believe in advertising”
or “advertising doesn’t work” or “we don’t need to advertise” – without understanding
what they are talking about, and without looking down the road.
Down the road is your business future. Down the road are next year’s profits(or
losses). Down the road is the competition.
So let’s clarify what an ad is, and what it does. An ad is a “box” of a certain size,
1/3 page, ¼ page, ½ page or a full page of space set aside for you and your marketing
message in a publication. There are also smaller business card size ads and classified
ads(the latter are usually found in the back pages of a publication). For this “box,” space
or “window” in a publication you pay a certain fee, called your media space rate.
That rate is based on the number of people your publication reaches – and the important
segments of the industry that publication reaches, as well as the slickness of the
publication’s format(obviously a full color format like the Journal is more high quality
presentation than your local “Penny Saver.”).
You get to use that box or block of space by providing the publication with your
marketing message – usually they require this in a fully finished ad in camera-ready
form. “Camera-ready” means the publication does not have to do anything extra except
to shoot a picture of your ad. Some publications, like the Journal, will actually help
you put together your ad. An ad usually has a border around it(a frame), but doesn’t
always have to – you’ve seen ads in a certain shape, like a dollar sign shape, “floating”
without a border in the white space. Your ad cannot be bigger than the size you
paid for, or it will have to be reduced (and this usually causes problems with the look of
your ad).
You have control over your ad and what it says – you paid for that space. Your ad
can contain your logo and can be as “hard sell” or “soft sell” as you want. This may be
elementary to some people, but if you do not have a marketing background – you may
not easily recognize the difference between a paid advertisement and a news story. An ad is not the same as a public relations story(news release), or an editorial column. These are pieces written by the Editor and his staff of writers, or a professional public relations specialist, who writes them in the hopes the Editor will run their story. The Editor has control over whether or not to run a p.r. story, and when(he can also cut the p.r. story if he feels it’s too long.). P.R. specialists understand this.
Advertising and public relations are very important parts of a marketing program.
They work hand in hand, but they work differently. An ad can be as creative and zany
and unusual as you want it to be. It can contain lots of copy, or just one line of copy.
It can contain prices and sale dates, etc. and phone numbers.
Beyond the mechanics of what an ad is, did you know that advertising
automatically positions you as a successful business? Of course it does. Would a failing business be advertising? People make certain assumptions unconsciously. If your ad has balance, grace, design, and a well-thought out message, readers(potential customers and clients) assume you used professionals to create your ad, which means you’re rolling in money which means you must be selling a lot of whatever it is you sell, and you must be one of the top players!!!!!!
When a new business advertises, readers have a certain confidence level in
calling them because the hidden assumption is “hey, they must be legit,” “they must be
pretty respectable,” I saw their ad. In other words, they assume you didn’t put up
your storefront yesterday(even if indeed YOU DID).
Unless you have a staff of excellent salespeople knocking on every door in
your region or the country if you’re national, you need a DOOR OPENER like a
great ad.
When people say advertising doesn’t work, they may be experiencing a host of
other problems, including the possibility of a bad product, wrong target market,
or lack of lead follow-up.
“I don’t believe in advertising” is an excuse to save short-term marketing dollars
and lose long-term profits and new clients, people who may never learn you exist.
If you have a quality offer, that’s a shame.
Be practical. Plan ahead. Start small if you have to, but think it out and do it well.
Get rid of “I don’t believe.” It gets in the way of everything, especially increased sales!
Patricia Greco is a professional writer and marketing
communications consultant to the manufactured housing industry.
Patti is published in the Journal and in the Allen Letter, and is
collaborating with George Allen on the nation wide "resource Packet"
direct mail promotion. Greco Writing creates custom-designed literature
and logos that reflect the upgrade image of the industry.
Greco Writing, 8 Wintergreen Court, Lunenburg, MA 01462 Phone 978-582-0961
