Why Your Advertising Sucks and What to Do About It!

Today, I want to talk about why your advertising sucks and share some tips with you covering how you can improve!

When it comes to advertising, most small business owners simply copy what their competitors do. Unfortunately, your competitors probably don’t know what they are doing and aren’t getting the results they want with their advertising efforts. 

Most advertising sucks for two reasons. First and foremost, most entrepreneurs don’t advertise exclusively to their target market. Heck, many entrepreneurs don’t even know who their target market really is.

Secondly, most entrepreneurs focus on the shotgun blast rather than the sniper approach. What I mean by this is that most entrepreneurs advertise in mediums that advertise to everyone and anyone; not their target market.

For instance, if you own a knitting supply store, would you advertise to people who don’t care about knitting? Would you put display ads in a “Hot Rod” magazine? I hope not.

Well, this is what most entrepreneurs do. They don’t take the time to figure out who their best customer (target market) really is. And they advertise in places where most of the readers/visitors/people aren’t part of that target market. As a result, they waste most of their advertising budget and don’t get the results they could.

Fortunately, there is a better way. Your first step to success is to analyze your current customers, preferably your best customers. Find out what they have in common. Analyze their gender, age, residences, car they drive, annual income, what they do for a living, religion, and any other important factors. You will be amazed at what you discover.

Once you do that, you need to talk to your customers to find out what magazines and newspapers they read. Where do they hang out? What websites do they visit? What clubs and organizations do they belong to?

After you know this critical information, you can start advertising in the “hot spots.” This will help you get much better results.

Another thing to consider is direct mail. Once you know your ideal customer you can contact a list company and purchase a mailing list of people who meet your criteria. You can send them postcards, fliers or coupons through the mail. This is probably the best thing you can do for your business.

Remember, it’s important to advertise. But, you should only advertise to your target market. Don’t worry about what your competitors think. Test everything you do and keep looking for ways to improve. 

About the Author

Chuck Holmes is an author, blogger, network marketer and business coach.  He lives in sunny Florida with his beautiful wife, Rachel.  Learn more about his opportunity here.