Developing the right advertising message to market your products and services is a serious matter deserving serious attention.
So, how do you know when you nail it? An effective advertising message consists of several components: an attention-grabbing headline or "hook" that leads readers or hearers into further examination of your message, a memorable appeal, perhaps a memorable slogan and -- always -- the promise of value or benefit.
The headline-hook is the initial promise of benefit. A good, creative hook will grab attention and lead buyers into wanting to know more. It can be clever, it can be unique, but it needs to be memorable. It needs to grab the eye or ear of people who would be interested in your products and services.
Unfortunately, too many advertisers do little more than recite the features of their products. Buyers do not buy features; they buy benefits. To develop an effective message, consider the features→advantages→
benefits (FAB) chain. Your advertising should explain how your product features (powerful ingredients) offer advantages (less product required) and explain how those advantages result in buyer benefits (lower cost of manufacturing).
As far as slogans, we all remember the great ones and when you hear them, you immediate think of the company behind the memorable slogan:
"The quicker picker upper."
"Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
"Please don't squeeze the Charmin."
These slogans have been around for years, but many of us remember them. They're short, they're simple -- yet they're memorable. They communicate quickly the appeal of the product.
There are many different types of advertising appeals. An appeal can be emotional, rational, or practical. But no matter the approach you use, successful appeals always present compelling reasons why buyers should purchase your product.
And, of course, you need to show value. If you buy my product, you'll save big in the long run, double your efficiency and/or production, and put yourself ahead of your competitors. You can have the best slogan in the world, but if you can't convey the value of your products or services, you've got nothing. Let's not forget truth when it comes to value. If "The quicker picker upper" wasn't really a quicker picker upper, consumers simply would stop buying that brand of paper towels.
To create an effective message, remember these three fundamentals: 1. Start with something true; 2. Explain why the buyer should care; and 3. Make your brand matter to the buyer. Your tightly focused message should communicate the ultimate benefits of using your product, or tell how it can solve a problem, and always explain how it can lead to greater profitability.
Helen Roush is Vice President, Communication Sciences at Paperitalo Publications. She can be reached by email at helen.roush@taii.com.
For more information on Paperitalo Publications, feel free to contact:
Curt Gifford
cgifford@taii.com
770-367-4823
Helen Roush
helen.roush@taii.com
937-403-8602
Jim Thompson
jthompson@taii.com
678-206-6010
100% Renewal Rate
Something to think about when you consider where to spend your advertising dollars this year--what media company in the pulp and paper industry can say it has experienced a 100% renewal rate with its advertisers in 2014? Paperitalo Publications. Our service after the sale, our delivery of what we say we can deliver, our monthly correspondence all add up to a relationship people want to continue. Do you feel this way about your current advertising media? Perhaps it is time for you to take a look at Paperitalo Publications.
