“I Tried It And It Didn’t Work.”
It’s the phrase less-than-overwhelmed advertisers often say when approached with a marketing idea. Accepting that you truly believe an idea didn’t work, here are some general questions to ask yourself:
Why did you try it?
Often, a new kind of ad campaign begins from an ill-timed need for new customers. Like blood in the water, an advertising seller can smell that need from miles away – they sense your desperation. The parking lot is empty, tables are unfilled at peak times, inventory sits in the window for weeks. That is often the worst reason to begin something untried in the first place, yet many businesses think of their advertising as magic bullets and are very often disappointed. Good advertising takes time and is better used when it is inverse to your need. Unfortunately, that’s often the time when a business owner never thinks he/she needs to advertise. Times are good, there’s no need, right? Wrong. Consistent advertising placed for the long term can even out the natural hills and valleys of any business cycle.
What did you try?
The package of the month is best used rarely if ever. A special deal or offer is done mostly from a position of weakness…either yours or the advertising sellers themselves. It’s a cookie-cutter plan developed for mass appeal and for quick turnaround to generate revenue…their revenue. Often times, the same special advertising package is sold to many different businesses…even some of your competitors. Besides, if you really want a great deal on a well-planned campaign, sit down with your representative and work out some long term goals and you’ll be surprised at how much of a deal you can get. If you’re trying it from a position of strength, you’re likely to care less about the results.
How did you measure it?
The most fundamental determining factor of what constitutes success for an advertising campaign is sales. It’s not the number of people who saw/heard/clicked…it’s sales. Did you sell more of ‘Product A’ after advertising it? Deciding how you are going to measure the results in the beginning will also keep you honest. You can’t logically promote ‘Product A’ and experience a sales increase in ‘Product B’ and claim your advertising worked. It didn’t. As much as you differentiate yourself from your competitors, you should also differentiate your messages. The advertising with the most information crammed into it in order to cast the widest net is the advertising most easily ignored.
What constitutes a try?
A marketing campaign must be a commitment just like a marriage…or a crop planted in the spring. It’s rare, but sometimes a ‘try’ can be wildly successful. So why not keep doing it? You can’t rip up a crop after four weeks and start over and expect a bumper harvest. Great seeds take time. The goal of advertising is to be the business thought of first when a consumer has a need or desire for your product. As much fun as they might be in the short term, you don’t build a relationship on a one night stand.
Are you just saying that to get rid of them?
Spending money on advertising and marketing is the last thing a business owner wants to do, but it’s necessary. Sometimes saying it didn’t work is a reflexive dismissal and a resistance to a new idea. As a business owner, you get hundreds of pitches asking you to part with your money. It’s tough to have to turn to outside advice like a marketing and advertising agency…but don’t consider it a failure. Recognize that you are an expert in your business and not a marketer by trade. Control your ego on what you know best – your business/product.
Is it time to get outside advice?
The seller of advertising has mouths to feed, and they are working mostly on behalf of their medium. Radio, newspaper, television…an advertising sales person is naturally biased toward what they’re trying to sell you. Occasionally, you find a true consultant within a particular medium – the kind you would follow anywhere if they wound up working for a different vendor. The beauty of using an Iowa advertising agency is that they are mostly unbiased in their advice…the good ones anyway. Besides, they have likely seen the failures of others and know best to avoid the true disasters. You can learn from others mistakes.
-Greg
