Does it work?

Well, did you know that a single advert, properly targeted, with the right headline and offer, costing say ?200, can bring returns of perhaps 1000% or more within days?

Advertising can be one of the most cost effective ways to generate new enquiries. Or it can be a complete waste of money.

What makes a successful advert? Quite simply - one that gets results.

I advocate that EACH advert has to be accountable - i.e. if you place an advert it must do one of two things:

1. Make a sale

2. Get someone to contact you to find out more

And, if your advert doesn't do either of those you are wasting money.

Take a look at most adverts. They are all very similar. They have a big headline (usually the company name), a great logo, they list the products or services on offer, there might be a photo or two, maybe a strap line - something like "you can always be assured of a great service", "a superb range", "free quote", etc

Have a look at your local newspaper now - am I right?

I know that most of these adverts do not work. I know that, because when my clients start to monitor where their enquiries come from, they realise that most of their new enquiries are through referrals or from the sign writing on their vans. The sales they do get from the newspaper or magazine advertising do not even cover the cost of the adverts - let alone make a profit. Now, I'm not advocating that you go out and cancel all your adverts. However there are some simple steps you can take to make your advert more effective:

1. Before placing your advert, decide what you want your prospect to do. Do you want them to: buy something from you, call for more information or visit your website? An advert which is trying to sell something will be very different to one simply asking a prospect to call for more information.

2. Your entire advert should be devoted to getting your prospect to take the next step. You need to give them all the information they need to do so. If you want the prospect to buy something you need to highlight all the benefits of your product or service, and overcome all the likely objections so that they can make an informed decision. Won't it be too wordy? Well, would you tell a sales person to go and visit a prospect and say you've got 20 seconds to persuade this person to buy your product? No, of course not, you wouldn't put him or her under that much pressure. So why put yourself under that pressure in trying to sell something in a tiny advert.

3. People do not buy newspapers or magazines to read the adverts - they buy them for the news and articles. The more your advert looks like an editorial feature - the more it will be read. So disguise your advert - make it look like a news article.

4. Try a 2 step approach. Advertising can be very expensive - so don't even attempt to sell in a tiny advert - offer your prospect some free information in exchange for contact details - e.g.:

Homeowners Decorating Guide. For your FREE guide to choosing colour combinations of paint, tiles and wall paper Visit www...

How to sell your house faster and for more money? Call 0800 ... for your free report and audio CD.

Then, when you send your free information - include your sales literature detailing all the benefits of your product or service. You now have a qualified lead and have plenty of time and opportunity to follow up and make a sale.

5. Have a compelling headline - your company name is not a headline - people don't care what you are called or how long you have been in business - they just want to know what you can do for them. Your headline should be the biggest benefit you offer prospective customers.

6. Test & Monitor each and every advert you run. Most businesses don't monitor their adverts or sales promotions - they continue to run the same advert over and over - regardless of whether it pulls for them. Did you know that a change in headline has been tested to increase the response of an ad by up to nineteen times?

7. Once you've found an advert which works continue to run it until it stops generating a profit. Don't stop it just because you're bored with it and want to change it. Remember that you may see your advert every day - but your prospects are seeing it for the first time.

There you have it - 7 steps to successful advertising. Good luck.