You have heard it said and it’s true, word of mouth is the best form of advertising. What someone else says about you and your company’s product and services holds much more weight with prospective buyers than what you say about yourself.
You can relate to that, right? When you move to a new town and need a good auto mechanic, hair stylist, doctor, dentist, etc., do you trust advertisements to direct you to the best one? Chances are, you rely much more on recommendations from people you know.
A new online word of mouth forum has launched here in Yakima. There are lots of recommendations and a few warnings posted. It remains to be seen whether reading recommendations from anonymous community members will have as much effect as a personal recommendation from someone you know. Take a look and let me know what you think! http://yakima.womf.com/
It’s that time of year again! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to everyone that has put their trust in Attention Marketing this past year. We appreciate your confidence in our company. We will continue to work hard to help you be successful in 2009 and beyond!
I want to thank everyone that has worked as part of my team this past year as well! Without your skills, talents, and dedication I couldn’t do what I do. So, thank you Danielle, Donna, Les, Diane, Greg, Frank, Naomi, Martin, and especially Mark! You’re the best!
In response to the economic downturn, many of us are cutting back. Maybe instead of that daily latte you’re opting for automatic drip. Maybe you’re walking to work or eating out less. I changed my driving habits last spring as fuel prices were hovering around $4. Most people I know are finding ways to cut expenses.
If you own a business, you’re likely looking to rein in spending as well. So, what wisdom can I share about advertising in this time of uncertainty? The best thing you can do at this time — or anytime — is to focus on effectiveness! The only advertising you want to be doing in this economy is effective advertising!
To make your advertising effective, you have to ask yourself: who are my best customers? Where do they live, what age group and income range do they fall into? The more you know about these customers, the better you will be able to reach them.
Effective advertising is that which reaches your target market. Your message has to be relevant to them, and the placement of your message is just as important. If your target group works Monday-Friday 8-5, by all means don’t buy daytime television. That may seem obvious, but I am often surprised how many companies buy advertising messages and schedules which don’t seem to be aimed at anyone in particular. Remember that to be effective, your advertising must be aimed as precisely as possible at your target!
Your advertising agency should help you clearly define your target market, and develop relevant messages and media schedules to reach that market.
