How to advertise my business without turning people away.
5 guaranteed ways to drive local customers away.
"Drive customers away!" you say. "Why would I want to drive people away?"
Well, you probably don't. But could you be doing it without knowing it?
Here are 5 ways you may be sending prospects to your competition:
1. Not listing your local address in your local advertisements. No I don't mean you have to disclose your private home address - just your street and suburb.
Why?
Because local people prefer to do business with local people. There is a sense that they feel they can trust somebody who lives nearby. They know they can contact you easily and quickly if you are 'just around the corner', if something goes wrong. They want to give the 'Local Family Business' a fair go and support them, rather than a big impersonal 'multi-national'.
2. Not using a local phone number in local ads. I know you opperate your business using your mobile (cell phone), but people know, if they do not recognise a local phone number, they question if you are 'a local'.
Yes, it does cost more to have your calls diverted from a land line, but the increased business a local number brings in, far outweighs the cost.
3. Using mostly capital letters in your ad.
I know, you do it to stand out, but these days writing in capitals is the same as SHOUTING at somebody.
Also, it's harder to read. Check this out:
WHEN YOU AND I WERE TAUGHT TO WRITE, WE WERE TAUGHT TO USE CAPITALS AT THE BEGINNING OF SENTENCES, FOR PEOPLE'S NAMES AND PLACE NAMES. OUR BRAIN HAS TO WORK A LOT HARDER TO READ SOMETHING JUST WRITTEN IN CAPITALS.
Compare this:
The smart business person wants to make it really easy for somebody to read their ad. They want to grab their attention gently - not SHOUT at them. Can you see how much easier it is to read this paragraph compared to the previous one?
Get rid of capitals - you are driving prospects to your competitor.
4. Jamming too much text into the ad space.
Yes, I know you pay by the line in classified ads and you want to get as much value for your $ as you can. . . But really, are people going to read all that stuff?
White space in an ad, is like a pause when speaking; it adds emphasis to what is being said and makes it stand out!
5. Making your business name, phone number and logo the biggest part of your ad - the thing that hits people first.
Yes, I know I'm about to tread on some toes here. I know you've been told 'Ya gotta build your brand'. Well, guess what. You aren't McDonalds yet.
The people reading your ad only want to know if you can fix their problem and make them feel better - they'll find your phone number if they are convinced you can help them with their problem - nothing more, nothing less.
This is covered in a kinda fun way in my report 'What do you do with the rough end of the pineapple' - it's a fun way to get your attention - click on the link above to take you there.
How to advertise my business without driving customers away.
There are 22 mistakes people make when they advertise. I know I've seen them all. It costs too much to waste your advertising dollars. It's all covered in 'The Secrets of Getting In' course - Sessions 4 and 5 (out of 10).
Just email me if you want to hear more,
Never stop learning,
Paul Johnson
paul@missingpiecemarketing.com.au
