Marketing and Advertising Secrets - 7 Steps to Creating Successful Adverts

 With Micro Business Ownership on the rise, business owners need to make their advertising as effective as possible to ensure they stand out from the crowd.

Step 1. Why are you advertising? Ascertain why you want to advertise. What you want to achieve from your advertising. Is it to raise awareness of a product or your brand or to increase your database? Do you want a certain amount of sales?

Step 2. Know your target market. If you sell products or services that suit a range of markets, make sure you create your advertisement to suit only one market. Trying to cover all bases with one advertisement will lead to less profit. By highlighting your most profitable market and targeting them you will increase your bottom line profit rather than just increase sales.

Step 3. Write your advert correctly. Be sure to capture the readers attention with a headline that stands out followed by a "hook" to keep them reading. Make the advertisement clear, bold and be sure to outline the benefits - not the features.

Step 4. Include incredible offers. If you want to attract new clients then make it worth their while. Give them something they can't resist! You need to make them want to come and visit you right then and there. Team up with some other businesses as part of a strategic alliance and give away one of their products. That way, you both win.

Step 5. Choose where to submit your advert. Put yourself in the shoes of your target market. Read what they read, visit websites they visit. Spread your advertising around so you are not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Step 6. Test your advertising and measure your responses. Before you commit to a large advertising budget, test a few different methods to see if they work. I.e. - before sending 5000 inserts into a magazine, ask them if you can send around 300 to test. If this doesn't get any kind of response, then you've saved yourself a bit of money! Always ask your clients where they heard about you.

Step 7. Final word Remember that marketing and advertising is ongoing. People need to see your business a number of times before they will make the decision to buy from you. Your marketing and advertising plan should be comprehensive. Be prepared for the long haul and always budget for advertising.