TECH BLAZE Computer and Technology Blog

At Habre has repeatedly been articles about advertising, its correctness, incorrectness, efficiency and losses. With this issue some experience in small business, decided onym and share. For whom the subject is painful – so please, under cat.

Introduction

Just want to point source data of experience:
1. a small town about 300 thousand people.
2. own Comp. firm. At one time, have already written about the vicissitudes of fate (Computer firm: from absolute zero, the computer firm: for kulicami).
3. a lot of different (and not so successful) experiments in advertising.

All rendered me – purely individual experience, which largely applies only to sales of own small engineering firm. Perhaps it will help someone, and perhaps a few points for some miracle of chance played into the hands of me. Note that the emphasis in the advertisement was placed on the people that face the companies for the first time.
Everything described was tested by me personally – all successful, and especially the bad stuff. Many (even all) have long been described in books on advertising, which I will mention at the end of the topic. All this is likely to be interesting only to those who recently went into business and is engaged in by you.

Subconscious.

The first and most fundamental thing to understand is the fact that the ads – is an investment in future mandatory profit, but certainly not a waste of money, as many say.
Think for a moment, as the majority owners, entrepreneurs, directors think about advertising. Proceedings thoughts about this:

1. Yeah, at the end of the month we have approximately a zero balance, or even have a small “plus”, so you can afford to spend money on some-sheet or even a few newspapers.
2. Damn, we have “minus” we can not afford to advertise.

We see that advertising is considered as something irrevocable, what can be spent to make it, but that almost never turns a profit. And the feeling that many are advertised only in order that he allegedly knew them – spins the “brand”. Branding – a separate issue, about which later.

That is, people are creating such ads, which are trying to say “And here I am, what is,” but do not try to sell anything or communicate. And so any attempt to advertise, in the presence of competing firms, turn into losses.

But, advertising – this is just the same, what should be in the expenditure of $ 300 a month sure to bring at least $ 350. $ 50 – this is indeed a minimal profit, but still – the profit, plus its post-effect in the long run: each new customer acquired – these are your potential customers in a geometric progression in the future.

That is to think something like this:

If my case is not very good (or even not at all well), it is necessary and urgently required to provide advertising, but it did not save her.

Sometimes it is difficult and sometimes it seems bizarre. Again, just because of the fact that advertising is considered as expenditure. In fact, it should bring money and at least pay off.

Board number 1: Change your attitude to advertising!

But not for advertising managers, who mostly liars. This is about those who go to offices and tell us what they have impressive circulation and advertising amazing place.

Positivism.

Many managers in the advertising cake rasshibutsya to convince you that the advertising – is the engine of trade and without it you die. But soon you may find that with it you will die of starvation even faster.

It is advisable to understand that waking up in the morning and realizing that advertising – that’s good, does not guarantee you a profit. But recognizing that it must make money, not damages, nothing has changed, and the power of thought, visualizations (from the movie “The Secret”) or incompetent advertising model really does not force the customer to spend their hard-earned.

We are talking about the ideal and the ideal one: Ad = approx. It should be. But only the very understanding of the money will not bring, though, and will allow you to feel confident when you “invest” in advertising. Thereby retaining your nerves – and that is a lot.

After awareness – take for creating your advertising.

Kreativizm and cretinism

It so happened that I was doing advertising models always himself, never trusting “dazayneram” from the newspapers. Newspaper coder – it is certainly not a designer, but more the person who can make you a profit. I think that master Corel not be a problem. Although the course itself is evaluated objectively, and sometimes better to create the layout is better to trust someone.

In any case it is necessary to adhere to certain points:

What usually starts the creation of the layout? In 90% of cases with the fact that lepim in the upper left corner of their huge logo and a great business name. Let everyone know who we are and what we do!

Forget it! Our self-centeredness kill our nerves, money and raise competitors. Clients such as selfish, as we are – they do not care who you are and where! All they need – because it specifically say how much you “hang”, they need a “hook” they need to know where to call and what to ask, not as a name your excellent company, which he still hears the first time.

The minimum objective of advertising – to make a potential client to call you and not feel at this trusty. The client must necessarily give you a call, he must want it myself. But to sell – this is the problem of who will raise up. Advertising – this is only a link, the conductor, Moses, who leads all the suffering to you.

And what is needed for the voluntary call to you? Buckle up and think …

People do not like and do not want to look like idiots. So nobody did anything to put himself at a disadvantage – just a complete idiot. But God save you from such clients.

So if your a huge layout is the same great logo, a huge sign “Kompotreyd” and the beloved title “Computers and office equipment” + minimum slogan “quickly and accurately, it is unlikely that you will be someone to call if you do not the only seller in town.

And only for a moment imagine that quite beside is 5 times smaller model, in which almost the entire area is written, “Cheap Computers” + phone, and somewhere in small print the name of “emergency Bogdan. Private entrepreneur? о_О – pff, who is well advertised!?

With confidence is ready to declare that the vast majority of people will call Bogdan. Think of what a person reason to call you!?

Consider some non-obvious points:

mostly commercial look of computer-illiterate people, teapots – in our language. This is because all the “fumbling” people have long been known point, place and “fixed” for your favorite companies. A man far from PC. technology will prefer call Bogdan, because there is a promise of cheap, and you have nothing but great logo and a strange name.

And so what you have is a serious company, but he – not a serious entrepreneur – this is for people willing to pay, does not mean anything. Buy cheap – this is the main desire of most clients. This should play.

Board number 2: Proposal. In your advertising should sound a specific proposal.

War of ideas

This means war! You need to jump on this PE Bogdan. Begins to change advertising and luring customers. What do we need? The promise of cheap shopping.

But the word “cheap” somehow smacks trick: cheap and of poor quality. More than overpay for our customers to be afraid of only one – that would be a shame to the neighbors that they lohanutsya. Therefore, putting the word “cheap” – you simply start playing the lottery, “50/50″ with Bogdan – who to pick up the first buyer, and he actually sold the goods. Conditionally imagine that each of you works perfect seller, who never misses a chance, if the client already called him.

And we want to dominate, rather than rely on the case. How can I replace the word “cheap”, so as not to cause paranoia client? Numerals.

Our course will be:

In advertising, write: “Computers from $ 250″ and exclude the word “cheap”. Further, because it allows the area, put a good photo with any companies that do not look like a caricature. Also reduce the logo and the text of company name to a minimum and increase the phone.

What we have?

Now you have become more attractive. You promise cheap happiness with a specific price. From now on call will be convenient to you and ask, what have you there for the PC from $ 250. What is the price of a system unit with integrated video, the client realized later. And then there is no deception. Nobody did not prevent the client to pay $ 500 and get a normal game sistemnik. But “rolled” the caller – the task manager. But the call – it is a merit of advertising. The customer feels more comfortable calling for you: it has a specific topic of conversation – “$ 250″, but with Bogdan, except for low-cost, nothing.

Plagiarism

It will be everywhere. Go Bogdan advertising copy and write “Computers from $ 200. Analyzing the companies, you realize that somewhere there is a trick. But customers that absolutely do not know and will call there. But do not forget to join the price war.

We have no problem winning local advertising war – we simply must draw more customers. Set your priorities right. Although not a lot of money along the way are not offended competitors – it is natural selection.

There is one thing. Based on the above for fear lohanutsya, our people rarely buy the cheapest PC. But for some reason very often call it the cheapest on the proposals. So we wrote $ 150 you will pass your favorite Bohdan on calls, and still you would not buy a PC for $ 150 because of the nature and no you in all possible ways to get out of saying that the stock is no such. But … this is a bad tone and dead-end road leading to negative publicity, as later. Do not get involved in the dumping of the war.

Specifics

Instead, we cease to engage in verbiage and concretize our proposal. Getting rid of the dull “computers from $ 250″ and specifies that the person we want to sell. To do this we select the cheapest conference and write:

Celeron 430/1Gb / 160Gb/DVDRRW/Case/k/m/s – $ 240.

This is already looks worse + is a whole lot of “clues” for communication. Most of the client you will have to call in any case: the first, second or third call. Do you have a promise of happiness and the name of happiness. They can call and ask, but what it is you offer and whether it is suitable for work, toys, etc.

Expand product range.

Come on. Because the advertising space allows, then you decide not limited to one sentence. Moreover, not everyone is looking for cheapness. Therefore squeezes more and this offer:

Dual-core Intel Pentium / Core i3/4DDR3/500Gb / DVDRW / Case – $ 500.

Pentium / Core – no errors. In an advertising sense. The fact is that on the Core know very few people, and even fewer can pronounce it. There is due to people not oriented in computers in general. But the words and Pentium dual core – have all had to memorize on a clove, and they became sacred symbols of power in the mouths of many uninformed people. To him we are even given in bold.
A Core is indicated for well-informed.

Such manipulation dramatically increase your flow of phone calls. You do not just from $ 200, you have specifically stated that on anything.

Moreover, in such a setting, you can already call, and savvy people who can compare the price of your new items with “his” seller – you never know, so what happens.

Next to “tight”, which may decide that you have a choice of only two models of computers, you can add: “Examples of configurations:” to make it clear that this is only the options, and under them “may be any configuration changes to your request” .

You’ll be surprised how much you will call people and say that here we are interested in such a model with advertising, but they would like to do more hard disk or subtract memory.
In the end it all we have to get what one wants to call us just because he knows why he’s calling, he knows what to ask about what price it, and what option he chooses. He does not need to ask: “Hello, but on what your computers and what are they?” – For many, even this is hard. He simply says: “I’m on the model for $ 250. And how is it different from that of more expensive, whether it be good? “.
Dare! Sell!

A little seasoning.

Let’s go further. Add a third configuration for $ 350 from AMD napriemr. You show that you have everything:) Also, add a laptop and the cheapest, not to think that you have only PC. I think the meaning of the term.

Accelerates.

Well, and again meet with the fact that we are beginning to “copy” competitors. Drive in on them. You are too busy with development, rather than imitation. Let them to follow you, not you for them.
During his work, I have over 5 years almost never analyzed the competitors. Know your place! After all the time. This’ offices as Dell, AMD needs to constantly monitor competitors, and we, with dedicated staff in 6 people – this is nothing more than posturing and a manifestation of an unhealthy self-esteem. Everybody is trying to imitate the work of Jobs, Google, Toyota, etc. – Not worth it. What should this company – you do not like at all! The only thing they should take – the quality of work you are doing.

Come on.

Advertising works. People are calling, but we want to sell more. We spend $ 400 on advertising – the budget, by the way, for a small firm is very large, despite his apparent minimal. And we get from this twice. Again, advertising works.

Post-effects

Suppose we have decided to slightly reduce the cost of advertising, but do not want to reduce the layout. Let us conventionally imagine that we advertise in local free newspaper on the last color page. People who give advertising, know that it is not cheap.

What? There is a nice moment, which many are beginning to understand many years later – post-effects. Advertising usually works for a while after, because free newspapers are always littered with piles of people at home. And gave advertisements in the early months, it can apply to us and in the end.

Therefore, contacts with our paper and say that reducing advertising exactly 2 times: we will “go out” through time – in the first and third week of the month. Within months, 2 we note that no changes in the results. But the economy is.

Board number 3: In the weekly newspapers to advertise through the exit.