The Truth About Advertising

For years decades there has been a debate as to whether ads must be kept brief with lots of white space and few words.  The reasoning being that 'people won't read all those words'.   The other side of the debate, advocates insist that ads with a LOT of words, almost no white space and maybe even no photo will work many times more effectively.  So which is right? ...

Well, to answer that, we need to go back to the very basics and ask: What IS advertising?

First, here's what advertising is NOT.  Advertising is NOT 'getting your name in front of the public'.  If anyone tries to tell you that, they're wrong.

Advertising is 'salesmanship'.   It is the act of selling a prospect on what you have to offer.  That 'sale' may be to call your office and make an enquiry.  Or to walk into your business and browse.  Or send off for information.  Or agree to make an appointment.  Whatever the 'sale' is for your business, it IS a sale.  And to achieve that sale, your advertising has to SELL.

Often in my seminars, someone will insist vehemently that the brief copy or 'bullet point' form of advertising is the ONLY way to go.  My response to that is to invite them to the front of the room, and allow them to convince the audience to buy from them.  BUT with one important caveat they must only use 100 words or less.  They simply can't do it.

You see, when we SELL in person, we tell our 'magic story'.  We unfold our benefits, use persuasion, and show passion and enthusiasm for our service or product.  To try to put that passion into 100 words, or clinical bullet points completely stifles the power to communicate.

So why we give ourselves that handicap when we advertise whether in print, in a sales letter, or on a website, or in a brochure?  Especially as these are far less effective and engaging forms of communication than in person.

You know, I've been direct marketing for well over 25 years.  Direct marketing is a discipline where the ONLY 'truths' are the RESULTS.  And I've proven time after time that, when a product or service has to be 'sold' when presented in person, it needs to be sold in an advertisement or other promotional communication.

Not so long ago, I delivered a workshop on advertising, where I invited participants to submit their ads prior to the event, with an offer to re-work them as part of the seminar.  Here one of those 'before' and 'after' examples.



This ad (or flyer in this case) above on the left was submitted by one of the attendees.   It had lots of white space and no 'selling copy' and a giant logo as the 'headline'.  And it wasn't working.

My re-write on the right is copy intensive.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, it has a compelling headline.

Let's get this straight.  Your logo is NOT a headline.  It does absolutely nothing to give a prospect reason to read on.

FACT: The headline you write for your ad can impact the response you get up to 19 TIMES. Look at that another way.  Write a powerful compelling headline and it's like having as many as 18 more placements of your ad.  For FREE.  That is how important your headline is!

And what about the copy intensive copy?  When you read the copy in the re-write, you get absolutely drawn in to the 'story'.  And you feel more and more compelled to do something about avoiding those toxins in your body.  Never ASSUME the reader will KNOW all these things.  They DON'T!  And when they don't have reasons to act, they'll simply flip the page and get on with their lives, oblivious to your 'magic story'.

Now, if you're thinking, "Sure it all sounds good, but I can't write like that. I'm not a copywriter", I've got some good news for you.  I didn't have to write most of this copy either.  I simply went to the A&B Water people's own website, and it was all there!  Hidden away.  When they were gathering and presenting facts on their website, the 'pressure' to write an ad was off them.  And they've written some very compelling copy.

You see, if you know your business, and you have a passion for your product or service, you CAN write compellingly.  It's just that most people TRY TO WRITE AN AD, and freeze.

Here's some of the compelling copy that I 'borrowed' for my re-write ad:

Ironically, in order to kill some of the live micro-organisms in our water before we drink it, even more dangerous chemicals are added.  What may shock you though, is that perhaps the most troublesome is chlorine this potent chemical reacts with organic material in water, such as leaves and other decaying vegetation, to produce hundreds of chemical by-products known as "trihalomethanes," or THMs.

These are suspected of causing birth defects and certain kinds of cancer if consumed regularly in drinking water.  Then there is fluoride.  Fluoride is a very potent poison that is suspect as a factor in bone diseases, including cancer.  New studies are also beginning to surface that seem to indicate that long-term, low-level consumption of fluoride in drinking water may be linked to increased susceptibility to hip fractures in older adults.

Well, you get the picture!   You'll see there is a vast difference between this thought provoking and compelling 'reason why' copy, and the previous brief copy that is passive and does nothing.

When the owners of this company saw how I'd re-done their previously unsuccessful ad flyer, it was an absolute revelation to them.  They couldn't wait to get a copy of my mock-up version.  It had hit them that they had been missing out on communicating their true reasons a prospect should buy.  And that meant they were missing out on a LOT of sales.  Maybe 18 out of every 19.  Who knows?

Click here to discover how Chris Newton can help you with your advertising and marketing.

Could this get you a truckload of quality leads?

Would you like to know about just one idea for your business that has delivered a truckload of qualified leads for our clients, and for our own business? 

Well, over the coming blog articles, I'm going to let you in on just such a powerful strategy.  Especially as it can deliver those leads for less than two dollars a lead.

If executed correctly, this strategy will almost certainly deliver you a stream of high-quality pre-educated prospects - no matter what industry you apply it to.  In fact, it could be the most powerful lead-generating strategy you ever implement.

Best of all, it dovetails nicely into the promotional channels you are already using, online and offline.

What is this strategy?  Well, you may have heard me refer to this before.  It is called 'packaged information'.  More specifically, a 'special report' or 'white paper' that you promote out in the marketplace. 

By the way, don’t be put off by the term ‘white paper’.  It sounds a bit pretentious but it is a pretty good description of the function for this document, so let’s go with that.

What a white paper is, and what is it NOT...

Essentially, your white paper will be a document that presents valuable information that you’ve created and collated.  It ‘educates’ your prospective client or customer on how to address and solve a problem or series of problems they are facing.  Often though, it must start with educating the prospect that they even HAVE a problem.

(That’s why there’s such a huge untapped potential here!  Most businesses fail to tap into the market of individuals who could and would use their product or service.  But don’t because they don’t yet KNOW they need it.)

The next logical step for the white paper is then to demonstrate the solutions you can bring to the table, with subtle proof statements and case studies woven throughout. 

Bear in mind the caveat here.  The white paper must not try to directly 'sell'.   A white paper is not an ‘ad’ for you.  It is not a thinly veiled ‘spiel’ about your services. It is NOT a company brochure or a trumpet-blowing exercise.  Again, this is where most business fail in their marketing.  They try to SELL more than educate.


Specifically, the white paper’s objective is to:

• get qualified prospects to put up their hand, flagging their interest in finding out more about the ‘problem’ they may have.  
• educate your prospect through examples, case studies and logical argument to the solutions.
• through those case studies and examples, to subtly position you as an 'authority' in your field with the track record to deliver the solutions.
• and MOST importantly for your marketing success, it opens up a dialogue with the prospect.  And in doing so, gives you permission to talk with them in a collaborative way.  That permission, as opposed to trying to SELL to them, is priceless as you’ll discover. 

If this sounds a bit ‘theoretical’ so far, then hang in there for the next blog entry.   Next time we'll look at some real life examples of white papers, including our own that has generated 371 qualified lead enquiries for Results Corporation.  In short, we’ll start unpacking the secrets to how you can harness the huge lead pulling power of a white paper in your business.

Make sure you sign up to Chris Newton's Strategy Brief Marketing Course (in the top right), to receive the complete series on white papers.

For two great examples of white papers click here.

Are you looking for sales in all the wrong places?

We're all interested in ways to increase profits. But, all too often, business owners look in the wrong places for the answers while an abundance of extra profit is being lost right under their nose. They just don't see it leaking away, day after day. Let me give you a real life example.

Some time back, a client came to see me with a marketing problem. He was the owner of multiple tile showrooms. He said the market was hardening, his competitors were undercutting his prices, and he was starting to lose market share. "Chris, I want you to come up with a new advertising campaign. Something catchy and gimmicky that will get our sales up, and fast".

My response wasn't what he expected. Instead of talking gimmicky ideas, I quietly asked him: "Alan, what's your sales process? How does business come to you now? How much of your business is 'walk-in' traffic, and how much starts as an enquiry over the phone?"

Perplexed as to why I was going down this line of questioning, he told me that the market is extremely price focused, and people typically shop around for prices over the phone before they go into a tile showroom.

I asked another question "What percentage of those enquiry calls actually convert to a visit to your showrooms?"

Well, that question really set him off! "Twenty percent would be being generous!" Their average conversion rate was a real bone of contention he had with his staff.

"Alan, what's YOUR success rate in converting callers to sales?".

He fired back, "Look, I run a twelve million dollar business with multiple stores. I hope you're not suggesting I answer the phones!" I assured him that this was not my intention. But I still pressed him for what happens when he DOES answer the phone. "Well, I reckon I get about 80% coming in to buy. But I've been in the industry for a long time. I know my products backwards. And no one has my knowledge in that area."

Perhaps you can see where I'm going with this. Here was an experienced and intelligent businessperson who'd come to me convinced he needed a 'catchy' new ad campaign. But he was looking in completely the wrong place for a solution! What he really needed was something different altogether. Look at the numbers.

Alan was getting 80% conversion to a sale over the phone. His people were averaging 20%. His team's conversion to sales was haemorrhaging badly. My next question really blew the lid off his problem for BOTH of us "Alan, how many people across all your stores take these sales enquiry calls?"

"FORTY!", he answered. He had forty people taking his phone enquiries at a devastatingly low 20%. It meant every time someone in his team picked up the phone, he was losing 60% of his potential sales.
And HE thought he needed an ad campaign!

By training his people to convert, not at 80%, but just 40% I showed him that he'd immediately add some FIVE to SIX MILLION DOLLARS to his turnover. Without a cent more on advertising.
No matter what your business, there's an indelible lesson to be had here. Review your advertising by all means for increased profit opportunities. In fact, during this course, we'll be showing you exactly how to do that. But always look at your current sales PROCESS first. As yourself these searching questions:

Do you actually know what your average 'conversion rate' is? I don't mean 'guess it'. Do you accurately measure it? Do you measure it for each individual? There's great wisdom in the saying, "What you don't measure, you can't manage". As well, do you have scripts to maximise the success of your individual team members on the phone, and in face-to-face sales situations?

And do you have a follow up system to follow up sales that didn't happen right away? And a system to develop ongoing communications with your prospects? Do you programmed approach to ethically re-selling existing clients?

In each of these seemingly innocuous questions is hidden the potential for an avalanche of new sales and profits. But it IS hidden. You won't see the opportunities unless you dissect your sales process and identify them!

Get more tips like this one by joining 'Chris Newton's Strategy Brief Marketing Course'.




To contact Chris Newton, the author of this blog, go to www.ResultsCorporation.com.au