We are all bombarded with an overwhelming onslaught of messages on a daily basis, and our coping mechanism is to simply tune out anything and everything that doesn’t seem critical. As a result, your marketing message has less than four seconds to capture your prospects’ attention, and about 20 seconds to get the message across. Difficult? Yes. But you can turn the odds in your favor.
Point well-taken
Start with a consistent image. It is generally accepted that a prospect has to see your company name at least three times before it is remembered. But, if it has a whole new look each time someone encounters your name or message, it can take countless impressions before you make a memorable impact. The first rule of effective marketing is to have a consistent look.
Work from the big picture. It is easy to come up with a single marketing idea that is a winner. But then you have to ask, “What comes next? How does this play into our overall plan?” No matter how grand an idea is, it is of limited value if you don’t have a way to build on it with follow-up messages.
What is it the goal of your marketing message? Many business people make the mistake of trying to create multi-functional marketing messages. Stick with a single message and a single objective. It is hard enough to get one idea across well. Working with multiple ideas is a sure formula for disaster. If you want your prospect to respond, make it easy for them to do so. Don’t hesitate to give specific instructions. While you might perceive outlining such detailed information as insulting to someone’s intelligence, research shows that if you are very explicit in your directions, you increase the number of responses.
The medium is the message
Once you know what you want to say, you have to decide how you want to get your message across. Do you want it to be read, watched, or heard? What are your budget limitations? Agencies often find that using print advertising is the most economical. If you choose this route, what method of distribution will give you the visibility you are looking for? Direct mail? A print ad? If you choose a print ad, do you want it placed in a publication, on a newspaper page, or distributed as a freestanding insert? Decisions, decisions.
Don’t underestimate the importance of the delivery system. In one marketing test among consumers, a freestanding insert the size of a small post card pulled a consistent .8 percent, which was profitable for this particular promotion. By comparison, the same message and design was printed as a half page ad in a newspaper. It went out to ten times as many people as the insert, and the response was zero.
Whether they read, watch, or listen to your message, the longer you can keep someone engaged, the more likely they are to find a reason to say “yes.” Once a consumer decides to act, then additional information just reinforces that decision.
A written message has one major advantage: It gives you the opportunity to share your full message. But don’t confuse long copy with being long- winded. Say what needs to be said, then call it a day. Your copy has to be interesting and draw the reader in. Always gear your message to one person rather than an audience in order to give the message a more personal feel.
Get the look
Research varies, but an estimated 60 to 80 percent of people use vision as their primary information channel. When you write copy, use words that create pictures in the reader’s mind. Formatting should also take advantage of visual tendencies. “Drop caps” capture attention and increase readership by up to 15 percent. We all learned to read with serif type — the type that has little lines that connect letters. Those lines are familiar and help lead the eye along, increasing the likelihood that a prospect will continue to read the body of your copy.
Break up your copy with sub-headlines. At a bare minimum, sub-headlines should offer positive benefits and reinforcement. It would be even better if they went to the next level, being persuasive and inspiring.
When you lay out your body copy, be sure to leave lots of white space. The amount of room between lines of type can open up a page and make it more inviting to a reader’s eye. Even the font you choose can add to the appearance of white space on a page.
Graphics are critical. They can tell a story, such as “before” and “after” ads. Graphic elements also lead the eye. If you are looking for a specific response, use pictures to lead your prospect to the action you are trying to achieve. For example, a picture of a string that ends at the response device would lead a reader’s eye directly to the call to action. And don’t overlook the impact of color. Navy blue is the color of authority. A touch of red can help draw a person into your message, but too much red can repel potential prospects. Most people reject the color of plain orange. Interestingly, in a study at a medical office that keeps a variety of colored pens available to patients for filling out forms, they consistently find that the last pens to be used are the orange ones.
Ultimately, the only way to know whether you have achieved your marketing objective is to test your advertising message. It is always wise to test a limited market before initiating the full rollout of a campaign. And don’t blindly buy into the idea of repetition to increase response. If it worked the first time, it will continue to work and the response will increase. But if it didn’t work the first time, you won’t improve your response by doing it again and again. Zero times 10 is still zero.
Mitzi Crall, Ph.D. is a sales, marketing, and management speaker and trainer. She is the author of “100 Smartest Marketing Ideas Ever,” available through Glenbridge Publishing Ltd., amazon.com, and other book stores. For more information, email glenbr@eazy.net or call 800-986-4135.