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Key to success is avoiding hype
For the small business owner, advertising is a critical expense that helps
to drive customers through the doors or to a website on the Internet in the
hopes that they will spend their money. With tight ad budgets, small businesses
need their advertising to payoff every time. Ads that result in no sales are
simply wasted money.
There are countless online articles that tell you to use the words “free”,
“guaranteed”, and “limited time offer” in your advertising
to boost sales. They work, however the ongoing overuse of these words has reduced
their effectiveness somewhat. When you’re writing your next ad, keep the
following advice in mind when if you plan to use these key advertising terms.
“Free” – Getting something for nothing has universal appeal
and is a strong attention getter. Where most businesses fail is that they give
away something that is essentially useless, leading customers to believe that
your business falls into the same category (i.e. “useless”). For example,
many websites give away free “e-books”, in order to entice potential
customers to visit their site. The e-book itself is usually loaded with advertising
and links to the website, and contains very little real, valuable information.
If you’re going to advertise a free giveaway, make it a legitimate, valuable
item. If it’s an e-book, try not to make it a shameless self promotion
piece that doesn’t add any value to your customers. In fact do the opposite…make
it somewhat valuable. Use the quality and value found in your e-book to inspire
your potential customer with confidence that you offer a quality product or
service. A credible free giveaway of any kind that has value and contains no
shameless self promotion will be a huge credibility boost for your business.
“Guaranteed” – Customers appreciate the safety and security
that comes with a satisfaction guarantee. All reputable retailers and businesses
have some type of return policy, because they know that it will encourage customers
to buy, and only a small fraction of people ever bother to return anything.
They key to guarantees is to be reasonable. A 100% money back guarantee is
reasonable. So is an exchange policy or warranty against defects. Some of the
more recent guarantees that have emerged in advertising, especially on the Internet,
are actually a turn off to a potential customer. A “double your money back
guarantee” usually makes customers wary of the seller. Why 200%? Is that
what it takes to generate a sale, and if so, how good can this product or service
really be? When it comes to guarantees, mirror those offered by the industry
leaders in your business, and don’t go too far.
“Limited Time Offer” – If you’re going to offer your customers
something for a “limited time” then follow through on your promise.
Customers don’t appreciate being lied to. If you state that your special
offer expires tomorrow, then follow through on your promise and rescind your
offer tomorrow, even if its only temporarily. When a business consistently offers
“limited time” deals week after week, customers lose faith in the
credibility of the business. Anyone who jumped on your offer believing that
they only had a “limited time” to take advantage of it will now feel
that you were not honest in your advertising and will not likely give you additional
business in the future.
“Free”, “Guaranteed”, and “Limited Time Offer”
are great tools to use in your advertising to get attention and stimulate purchases.
However, overuse and abuse of these terms can be very harmful to your reputation
and to your future revenue stream.
About the Author:
Will Dylan is the Author of “Small Business Big Marketing” a powerful
e-book for small businesses available through his website www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
. Will also offers article and news release writing services. You can contact
Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com |
