Why We Advertise

     This topic I am very familiar with even though it's a little on the left field in regards to what I usually post on this blog. Most people think of advertising as a way to promote a business offering a much needed product, service, or even just advice on just about anything. The truth of the matter is advertising is essential to reach a wider demographic audience and for the individual or business doing the advertising, a better exposure.

     In order to advertise effectively, there is a question of how we deliver our ads. What I mean by that is before we consider a platform or a medium to use in order to promote our business we need to go back to the basics. What's the "basics" in advertising you ask? Well, most advertisers don't know how the human mind works, or how human nature works. I know I'm beginning to sound a little weird now so let me describe it to you in just two words- Marketing Psychology.

     In the past word of mouth advertising was the norm and how a business gets exposure depends on how good that "word of mouth" was. Was the person convincing?  Did he or she lay on the butter really good? In the same regard, let's say you were driving down the freeway one day and saw this ad for some tow service. Of course everyone needs a tow truck when their car breaks down on the freeway right? Well, let's just say you couldn't remember what the name of the tow truck company was or even the 1-800 number printed so boldly at the bottom BUT you remembered the phrase-" Tow Me Away",written on a piece of cardboard held by a beautiful young lady, blonde hair in complete disarray, frowning and looking at her cars steaming radiator. Do you see what I am getting at? Textual and visual manipulation is important in a successful advertising campaign. But before we consider how to that, lets cover some basic groundwork first.

     Every ad campaign must answer the following 5 questions truthfully in order to be deemed feasible and potentially powerful. I say potentially because it is not enough to simply master the art of advertising catch-words or phrases. Of equal importance is the demographic you will be targeting. Are you aiming for a selected group of individuals or are you going for a larger audience or may be even the general public. This is crucial in how you select the catch-words or phrases for your ads because of the generation gap and social backgrounds will vary. Ok, on to the 5 questions I mentioned earlier:

1. Have I convinced my potential buyer that he or she has an inherent need of my product or service?

2. Have I included in my ad the reasons why my product or service is of a better quality AND value than that    offered by my competitors?

3. Have I explained to my potential buyers that my product addresses their NEED?

4. Can I assure my potential buyer that I have removed all risks involved should he or she not be completely satisfied with my product or service?

 5. Have I been fair?

Simple these questions maybe but you'd be surprised how many people out there were sold a bogus product or service. I know, at one time or another in my life, I was one of them. You see you can only go so far with false advertising. Besides losing your loyalty base of customers its illegal too. So when you start your ad campaign its wise to consider that.

     So, to start, let me give you a little advice on catch-words or phrases. Use words that COMPEL a person to ACT. Words like NOW, GET, IF, and TRY- are merely suggestive, the person reading your ad may or may not act on it, depending on his or her mood. Words, however,like HURRY, RECEIVE, FREE, UNLIMITED and phrases like ACT NOW, LIMITED TIME, NO RISK, GET YOURS NOW, and 50-70% get a potential buyer to be compelled to act if the advertised product or service fulfills a need. Also, it's wise to remember that most, if not all of us, don't really like to part with our money. In order to convince someone to part with his or her hard earned cash you need to instill upon them, through proper, directed advertising, that what you offer is worth more than what they are willing to pay- that is VALUE. You can never go wrong with value.