Back in late summer/early fall of 2005, when you were formulating your 2006 operating plan and budgets; you paused at the line item that read “Advertising & Marketing Expense.” Undoubtedly, “what am I going to do this year?” rushed through your head-–as you grappled with deciding if the dollars you allocated were enough to get the job done or were too excessive. By and large, business owners know they have to have some form of communications to generate and maintain business, but are they preparing a plan that will deliver better than expected results?
The best way to deal with this issue is to create a plan that you, the business owner, feel good about. That plan should have acceptable levels of spending with all the possible ancillary support that comes with it. It doesn’t matter whether you will be spending your money in newspapers, magazines, direct mail or on the radio or TV; maximizing those communication dollars is most important for long term success.
I instruct my clients to always follow simple planning guidelines to improve communication efficiencies:
Understand the cost of the medium(s). Print media (newspapers and magazines) charge a “rate” to advertisers to place an ad in their newspaper or magazine. The rate is formulated on several factors, most notably the circulation of the newspaper or magazine (the amount of people that receive the newspaper or magazine), the frequency of the publication (number of times it is published during a given year), and the size of the ad you wish to place (full page or a fragment of the page). In TV and radio, you should be most concerned with the number of people that watch/listen to a particular show (ratings), the time of day that your ad will appear and the length of the ad (no more than one minute). As a small business owner, ask each of the advertising sales reps to answer these questions prior to making any decision. Remember, when making your final decision, make sure that the medium you choose does a good job at reaching your target audience of smokers.
Have enough of a budget to make something happen. Napoleon once said “If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna!” Don’t underspend. It will make your efforts worthless. Come up with a budget that you can live with and choose the vehicles to execute. Don’t short change your efforts. For example, if you decide to advertise in the local newspaper, don’t place just one ad and then say, “It didn’t work.” Advertising takes time and needs to build. You have to be in the newspaper long enough and strong enough to be seen. Always stay the course and “Take Vienna!”
Don’t overlook the ancillary opportunities. Communication is not just print space and commercials, it can include ancillary programs like special editorials, special events, and direct mail. Build your budget around several different ideas like newspaper advertising, frequent buyer programs and direct mail services. A mix of communication vehicles provides flexibility and allows you to reach your target customers in different ways.
Be consistent. It is important that the same message be delivered in each of the different communication vehicles you choose. Don’t say one thing in a newspaper ad and something totally different in a direct mail piece. Both become ineffective.
ABOUT WHAT TO SAY…
With any communication plan, you have to know who you want to talk to and what you are going to say before you spend a dime. Make sure your message is relevant. I know I have written before about communication messaging. Be short. Lead with something that will capture attention: “Buy one, get one free!” And don’t overcreate the ad; meaning, don’t put a lot of copy with a lot of pictures. It becomes very distracting to the reader.
With any planning, it is important to distinguish objectives and tactics. Once you set your objectives, you can research a variety of tactics to get the job done with positive results. But remember, it is imperative that you plan before you execute. I have seen many companies shoot from the hip when developing and executing their communications plan and more often than not, large sums of money have been spent with no results. •