How Do You Know If Your Advertising Is Working?

How do you know if your advertising is working?

Every business owner has a right to know if their advertising isworking.  After all, if we believe that advertising is an investment and not just an expense, then there should be a measurable rate of return that equals or exceeds the investment.  That's just good business.

Have you been measuring the rate of return from your advertising?

Understand that for the most part, advertising that simply supports a brand or market position is difficult or impossible to measure.

McDonalds and Coca Cola has the budgets for "brand advertising", but most small business owners do not.  Again, it's hard to measure the effectiveness of ads that use the company or product name without a very clear and specific call to action. 

Your advertising MUST give the reader, viewer or listener something to do.  For the most part this is an actionable item that can be measured.  Simple instructions such as: "Clip this ad and bring it in", or "send for this FREE report", or even "call this number for a recorded message" are designed to create action. 

This action does two things.  First it provides proof that your message has reached your target audience and that they are taking the requested action.  Second, it offers a method of gathering information about your target.  The requested action should include a means to gather their name, phone number and email address so the marketing conversation can continue on in another manner.

Effective marketing continues as a conversation in the mind of your customer or prospect.  It persuades, lures even entices your audience to seek you out. 

How? 

By being perceived as the solution to a problem they need to deal with.

Why do people buy what you sell?

For example, when does someone buy a drill?

When they need to make holes!

Making a hole is the problem.  Buying a drill to make the hole is the solution.

Nobody buys a drill simply to own a drill.

What if you provided a weekend workshop to demonstrate the correct way to make holes?  You could elaborate on the problem (making holes) and show your drill as the perfect solution to the problem. 

Think about the problems your customers and prospects face.  Now tailor your message to address that specific problem.  Suggest your product or service as the solution to their immediate, pressing problem.  Speak to the problem in the headline, emphasise the issue, press where it hurts and offer your solution.

The greatest customer in the world is one that actively seeks you as the solution to a problem you have helped them identify.