Advertising Today - Strategies for the Short Attention Span


By Greg Alan

My years in radio taught me that the most effective means of ratings success is to speak to the audience you want instead of the audience you have. It can be a long process, and it takes patience to develop and grow your message before you see results. But repetition builds reputation, and it can work for any business model. Here are some things to keep in mind in building an effective campaign:

Keep it simple, stupid. You can say more with less. Don't clutter your message with too many details. The more compelling the message is, the more pre-qualified your customers will be. A customer more motivated to find out more information, will be more motivated to purchase what you have to offer.

Ask for what you want. Be downright honest with your potential customer. Don't promise something you can't deliver, or hide something you can't with cliches and meaningless tricks and gimmicks. If you want action from your customer, you have to be willing to tell them what you want them to do. I want you to read the rest of this article. When you are done, I want you to read some of the other articles I have written.

Go against the grain. Take a risk on doing the opposite of what you've always done or what others are doing. Too many times, successful tactics get tired and worn out, but businesses are afraid to make a change or try something different. I am not going to give you anything free if you read this article or go to my website. The information I have available is just simply too valuable to give away. There will be no coupons, no sales prices, nothing other than the quality with which I conduct my business.

Make advertising cuts a last resort in tough budget situations. Advertising is usually the first thing businesses look at in a difficult economy. It's just the opposite. I've never understood why the solution to a slow down in business is often a reduction in telling people about your business.

Coordinate among all forms of advertising. Just because you don't listen to the radio, doesn't mean your potential customers don't. Link your radio advertising to your TV, internet, direct mail, and newspaper. Radio can reinforce a message on TV which can be aware of your newspaper and lead to better direct mail and can send them to your website. It's absolutely necessary to building an effective brand.

And finally, rinse and repeat. Keep your message fresh with tweaks and constant monitoring. And don't let up...or business will.

Greg Alan is the successful marketer and former broadcaster who now spotlights his attention on all things "messag-y"

More Resources

Why People Fail in Mail Order
Mail order is a very complicated business. Every phase must beplanned, analyzed and tested.
Unlock The Power Of Online Groups
Yahoo Groups: I see countless marketers on shoestring budges turn to traffic exchanges for free traffic. If they would spend the time creating online groups rather than clicking for traffic they would see much more quality traffic.
Vinyl Banners for the Right Occasion
The sinage marketplace is competitive! Consequently, some companies are going to focus on price and neglect quality. To complicate the situation, companies that produce stock vinyl banner material offer a bevy of different materials based on weights/thickness, color, reflective properties, ink absorption properties, etc.
Just What Are Consumers Thinking?
Research would indicate that consumers don't know what they're thinking. According to an article written by Jack Shimell (2002) for Quirk's Marketing Research Review, Consumers make their decisions and react to advertising based more on unconscious emotional processes than on conscious rational processes.
CD Business Cards- Why Use Them?
CD Business cards are the electronic version of the now outdated paper business or social card. They are the smaller squared version of the CD-R family.
Advertising, Public Relations, Newsletters, and Newsletters for Your Small Business
If you own a small business you should consider ways to promote yourself through public relations to compliment you advertising regiment and keeping your name out in the public and in front of your best customers. There are many ways to keep yourself visible on top of your typical advertising choices.
What Makes Advertising Successful?
MANY INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS COME INTO PLAY MAKING A SUCCESSFUL AD: 1. PERSUASIVE SELLING COPY.
Offline Advertising Tips
Since most of us are always online and our business is online, we often forget the importance of advertising our business offline. Print advertising can be one of the best forms of advertising for your buck.
What are Text Adverts?
Not everyone is aware of what are text adverts? Text Adverts are a form of low cost advertising used by website owners to promote their website and services to a quality targeted audience.Online advertising offers an outstanding opportunity to efficiently and effectively target your desired audience.
Advertising Costs Getting Too High?
Everyone knows that advertising is essential to growing a business. One problem that small business owners have always faced is the high cost of marketing.
Business Plan Appeal - Five Rules For Writing Attention Grabbing Headlines
The success of a business plan stands or falls on its ability to get potential investors to take a moment to read it. Nothing works better for doing this than well-written headlines designed to interrupt and engage investors.
Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell
Many prospects skim through catalogs and brochures, glancing at the photos and reading the accompanying captions only when a particular image arouses their interest. That's when you have their attention.
3 Simple Steps to Getting Thousands in Free Advertising
Many entrepreneurs believe that they understand what public relations is, but very few do. Publicity and public relations can be used to boost your business by thousands of dollars a week or kill it; the trouble is using it to your advantage.
Harness the Power of Direct Marketing - More Small Business Power Tools
One of the most powerful tools available to small businesses is direct mail. By this I don't mean electronic, Internet-based mail, but the old-fashioned kind that requires a stamp and a trip to the post office.
I Dont Want to be Different
To succeed in today's crowded marketplace where most of the products and advertising look exactly the same, a small business owner must stand out, shouting above the din with a message so clear and compelling that prospects stop and take notice. It's a matter of business survival.
Classified Ads That Get Results
Classified ads do not have the big market appeal that a full color display ad has, but they are still one of the most economical ways to get your business into the public eye. And, because classifieds do not demand expensive eye-catching designs or ingenious wording that you often see in direct-mail campaigns, they are a perfect marketing avenue for even new entrepreneurs.
The Secrets To Successful Radio Advertising
Ask some businesses about radio advertising and they'll tell you it's the greatest investment they ever made while others will tell you it was a complete waste of time and money. So why does radio work for some and not for others? What's the secret to successful radio advertising?Know this: Radio can be a major player in your advertising mix if you know how to do it and I'm about to give you the secrets to successful radio advertising so read on.
Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal
Boring is one thing you can't afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you want to be heard above the racket.
Boost Headline Believability With Specifics
Don't use vague generalities in your headlines. Be as specific as possible.
The Man With The Grasshopper Mind
The title of this article also happens to be one of the "20 Greatest Headlines Ever Written."Did you know, just changing the headline has been known to dramatically improve the effectiveness of an ad or sales letter by up to 1700 percent? Yes, headlines are that powerful--and that important!However, over the last few years, I've noticed a proliferation of badly written--or just plain weak headlines--both online and off!Particularly disturbing is the copycat syndrome.

More Advertising Information:

Related Articles

Push vs Pull Advertising
Push vs. Pull Advertising - Understand the Consequences for your Product or ServiceYou will save yourself a considerable amount of time and money if you first determine your product's (or service's) suitability for "pull" and "push" advertising.
What Makes Advertising Successful?
MANY INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS COME INTO PLAY MAKING A SUCCESSFUL AD: 1. PERSUASIVE SELLING COPY.
Choosing a Print Mail Dealer
"Print & Mail is a type of service that is popular among small mail order operators. It is an inexpensive way to get your ad material printed and mailed to people.
16 Methods for Getting Free Advertising
1. Place copies of your circular on bulletin boards throughout your community, such as in coin-operated laundries, grocery stores, barber shops, etc.
Advertising Copy: What's Really Important?
You labor long and hard trying to create the perfect advertising piece but only about 20% of your copy is going to get read. The rest will simply be scanned.
Books, Bibles and Fast-Talkers
Every community has 'em. Fast talkers who rollinto town with a clever idea to sell to people inbusiness.
Advertising Primer for Fast Learners
Advertising, when done well is a very effective way to increase your customer base and ultimately grow your bottom line.Many businesses have no idea how to advertise; they do a little bit here and a little bit there and end up saying that advertising doesn't work.
Moving message Sign
Moving Message Signs are a unique, attention-grabbing way to communicate and motivate. They are used for eye-catching shop-front or under awning advertising, promotions of products or services, directing and/or welcoming customers, displaying safety and emergency information, directing customers to specific service areas or entrances etc.
Tips On Writing a Successful Ad
When knowledge is based on truth it is powerful!When it is critical knowledge, its presence can drive our success, while its absence may contribute to our failure. I will attempt to convey in this report some useful and practical knowledge about how to write awesome ads for the World Wide Web.
Print Advertising: Knowing What To Put In Your Ads
So you've decided to run a print ad in your local newspaper. The paper may have even told you they could produce the artwork for you if you just tell them what should be in the ad.
Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising
Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy.
Make the Right Advertising Decisions
Advertising is a powerful and somewhat frustrating marketing tool. It enables us to launch new products and services, increase sales, and increase awareness.
Diamonds Are For Evil
The task of executing successful advertising campaigns for products made exclusively for women is understatedly tempestuous. Any Average Joe consumer would relay the message that feminine product commercials put him under a great deal of stress and discomfort.
3 Elements To A Deal-Sealing Classified Ad
Have you ever wondered why your perfectly fine classified ad fails to attract the attention you desire? There should be dozens-no, hundreds-of perspective buyers swamping your e-mail inbox with offers. After all, you are offering a mint baseball card, a vintage coat, pristine used car, those wholesale-priced sporting goods, and whatever other attractive items are in your inventory.
Finding Your Target Market
Achieving sales is probably the biggest challenge a web business owner has. It requiresa balanced mix of the right products, competitive pricing, optimal web design, aggressive advertising and attracting the right online visitors.
Attention-Grabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page
Stand Out in Ways that Matter to Directory UsersA Yellow Page directory presents a difficult challenge foradvertisers. All the competitors are packed together, withinthe space of a few pages.
Promote yourself on radio for free
Unless you have become extremely popular in your personal or business name, you likely need all of the marketing and promotion you can get. Now, you may say, of course, I'm aware of this, but who has the money? This a good and fair question.
How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time
Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be Sure Your Message Will Sell!EVALUATION #1: "Well, I Would Hope So!" When you make a claim, don't think about it in terms of words coming out of your mouth. Think of it in terms of words entering your prospects ears.
Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms?
We already know this from our history books. If you want to make money today, you must first look back in time to the first time in history that a large portion of our country all tried to get rich at the same time in the same place.
What Does Your Business Card Say?
Business cards are the most underutilized andmisunderstood marketing tool in business. Manypeople spend the bucks for cards and don't make aneffort to get them into the hands of those who canhire them or buy from them.