The right time to advertise is not when you are closing the doors to the store you have loved and owned for 25+ years, but this can also be a key time for running an advertising campaign.  No, if you want to stay in business and come out of this slow period as a strong leader in your industry you need to call an advertising agency TODAY!  There isn’t a miracle with any form of marketing or advertising even though many reps would like to tell you that their product will get you instant results, but if you continue to stick your head in the sand and take no action at all you can be sure that it won’t be long before your business becomes part of the growing statistics of fall-out from today’s economy.  You need to be visible and maintain a marketing presence and get in front of your prospects.  Don’t discard traditional forms of advertising like TV, radio, billboards, etc and think that you can substitute these for social media marketing.  The truth is you need to do both traditional and non-traditional and do them aggressively.

If you need help with your advertising and marketing please call!  Though I love writing this marketing blog and giving marketing tips and ideas, your business deserves immediate attention and a plan to take action. If you are on the fence about what really works and if TV or radio in your area is affordable and effective or if buying Google Ad Words or ads on Facebook equals sales for your business, call! Don’t get caught as one of those businesses that the first call they make for advertising help is  to promote a “going out of business sale”.

All my best to your success! ~ Charlene

“Success wears The Purple Diamond!”

“Repetition is key!”, this is a well-known phrase that anyone in advertising will share.  Whether you are doing TV commercials or radio spots or any traditional form of advertising, the schedule’s effectiveness depends upon the message standing out and the frequency of it being heard or seen. It used to be standard that it took 3-5 times for a person to see a TV commercial before they recognized that they saw the spot…..that was when life was simpler and a person wasn’t multi-tasking while watching TV.  Today we are on Facebook, tweeting on our cell phones and reading emails all while watching our favorite TV shows so if you are using any of these ways to reach your potential market you need to understand that one message just won’t be heard.  Don’t think because you posted one announcement on your Linkedin page, created an event page on Facebook  or spread the word on Twitter that everyone knows about a business event you are hosting on a certain day.  You need to post the message many times in the weeks to come on many different social networking sites, hand out numerous flyers, email more than once about it, and if your budget allows it needs to be promoted on radio, TV and print!  Send that message “again and again and again” because repetition and a creative message is the only way to cut through the noise and flood of information that each person has in their life today.  Being nice and not wanting to bombard people with your message leads to poor sales or an event that is not well attended.  Leave the politeness to your competitor because the businesses that are succeeding get their message out by sending it over and over again.  Think of the TV commercials that you say you are sick of seeing….these are the businesses that are getting top sales.  You cannot afford to be shy in business.  If you have an important message you need to be ready to do all that it takes to be heard.  Use everything you can to reach potential clients on-line and in person and be sure to reach them more than once.  And, if you still have not jumped in to using the internet effectively to help promote your business be sure to contact a marketing coach who can teach you how to be successful on-line.

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

This doesn’t mean that if you are a business about to launch an advertising campaign that you can leave out the internet and just use one of the traditional forms of media like radio spots or a TV commercial, but it does mean that to expand your reach using a combination is the best solution. For instance, if you have created a TV commercial and have placed it strategically on the networks and areas that your target market will most likely view it, be sure to have your web designer add that same commercial to your website!  Make sure that you load the TV commercial to Facebook and share links to your site from other on-line social networking sites and encourage people to check your TV spot out on your website.  Also, use Twitter to drive traffic to your site if you are running sale specials or an event.

The radio commercials, especially on stations that have strong loyal listeners such as talk radio and sports radio stations are key to driving traffic to both your website and your store location. However, this requires an easy domain name to remember since often people are listening to the radio while driving.  With technology being mobile these days, and the streaming radio via the internet, you can see instant traffic to your website after your radio spot airs.  Of course, the message must be appealing and the reason to engage with your site must be part of the commercial spot, but the data is there…..TV and Radio commercials are still working and they are enhanced with the use of the internet.

If you are unsure of what is the best way to promote your product or services or advertise a big sale, consult with an advertising agency or marketing coach to help you define a strategy that will work for you and your budget!

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Television advertising, much like the newspapers, has had to recognize that their market is changing with TiVO, Google, Podcasts, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Email Marketing etc. Where does a smart business get the results it needs today? What really works? Since advertising is about creating a desire for a brand or product, it follows that we will see a combination of several sources for smart campaigns. The consumer today is tech savvy and easily bored so the message has to be clear and clever and reaching them on many levels. The days of “just” buying radio and TV are over. But, “just” doing a website, Google Ad Words, and on-line social networking will not be enough for all businesses, either. Be ready for catchy Guerrilla Marketing combined with the best of the old and new to reach tomorrow’s potential consumers.

All my best to your success!

~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Tell someone that you are going to be launching a TV advertising campaign and instantly you will have lots of volunteers to be in your spot. Even applicants for voice over talent for the commercial will come flooding in. But I caution my clients that this is not a time to make a home movie, their commercial reflects their business and so you want to have a quality commercial that catches the eye of the audience and will be memorable and lead to more sales. TV offers a message with sight, sound and motion which can give your company the credibility and visibility it needs to gain market share and allow you to show your own business personality. Since most people are relaxed while watching TV, your message has a better chance of reaching the consumer at a time they are the most receptive. And, with the majority of people watching an average of 4 ½ hours of television a day, this media is a perfect place to reach the volume of consumers you need for a successful campaign.

But isn’t TV expensive? With the right media buyer and producer, television can be more affordable than radio, billboards and newspaper and will achieve better results. However, the best advertising campaigns are when you combine TV with other advertising venues like internet, radio, print and billboards. Recently, I had one cable TV client who paid $900 for their production of their 30 second TV commercial and only spent $500 per week to get a total of 50 commercials per week that aired in their target area on a combination of a couple of networks. This averaged $10 per 30 second spot. Unfortunately, most business owners have heard the crazy prices to advertise on TV during the Super Bowl or a major league sporting event so they never contact an advertising agency to ask what it would cost to be on television and learn how affordable it can be.

If you are interested in learning more about how TV advertising can help your business, please contact Purple Diamond!

All my best to your success!
~Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”