Contents

advice

dead fish

cost of advertising

headlines

envelopes

A newsletter from the Tobol Group about marketing strategies, design trends, and tips.

Many companies expect to magically "know everything" about their marketplace. They usually do know a great deal about facts like sales trends, growth figures and market shares but not why their customers buy or choose who to buy from. This information is critical to a company's success.

The problem is that some companies resist finding out the truth. To really succeed, it is important to know both the good and bad perceptions your customers have — to know what is going right (and continue to do it) and to know what is going wrong (and change it).

Marketplace facts are valuable, but if you want to make a significant impact on your business, you need to gain an intimate knowledge of your customers and understanding what will motivate them to select your product or service more often than your competitor's.

An informal discussion with some of your customers (and prospective customers) will yield more and better information on how to increase sales than all the marketplace statistics you can find.

Even a spirited talk with your top salesperson or representative may yield some interesting feedback that will help you achieve your goals.

Your company's media strategies should reflect the uniqueness of the products and services you offer your markets. Media plans should not be based on where your competitors are running ads. They should be based on the benefits of your product or service and what your target market reads.

Many times a dominant position in a horizontal publication will gather more attention and qualified leads than a "lost in the crowd" ad

smothered by your competitors in the standard industry trades.

Good agency media departments know that succesful advertising campaigns come from intelligent analysis and a sound, creative promotional strategy.

Add some creativity to your company's media planning. Don't be a dead fish.

Many times we are asked to justify the cost of display advertising for business-to-business advertisers. Part of the justification is related to the cost of an individual salesperson making a face-to-face sales call.

Cahners Advertising Research Reports find that in 1992 the average cost per sales call was $292.00. That's a 12.7 percent increase over 1989, and a 128 percent increase over 1980.

The cost per publication contact, by comparison, is only pennies.

Trade advertising will never replace a salesperson, but rather "help open the door" for the salesperson through the interest and awareness generated by the publication contact (the ad). As a cost-efficient tool -- and efficiency is the whole point -- advertising complements the job of the salesperson, manufacturer's rep or distributor. Your sales force should be hearing: "Hey, I saw your ad in..."

You justify the cost of advertising just as you do the cost of your sales organization. They are both an important part of the sales process.

The most beneficial headlines are those that emphasize your entire message without forcing your reader to search further. In fact, research shows that approximately four out of every five readers get no further than the headline of the average ad.

As a rule, avoid headlines that convey no obvious benefit or that may actually distract from your main selling point.

Ads that effectively deliver the right message in the headline are much more efficient than those that rely on the body copy to relay primary benefits.

Few people realize the importance of the envelope to the success of a direct mail package. The fact is that 20 percent of any mailing depends on the envelope, 40 percent on the quality of the mailing list and only the remaining 40 percent on the message itself. (United States Institute of Marketing)

Therefore, by paying closer attention to the often neglected envelope, you'll have found an easy and cost-effective way to improve your next campaign.

For the best results when mailing to a business address, use an off-size envelope with artwork and a "teaser" message.

The use of bulk rate stamps, laser printing and heavier stocks are also important options to consider if you don't want your message to be confused with "junk" mail.