Marketing: Get the right information from advertisers
By John Foust
Raleigh, NC
There’s an old saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Pretend for a moment that you go to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to bake a cake. But there’s a problem: You don’t know what’s required. So you run up and down the aisles, throwing everything you see into the cart. By the time you get to the checkout line, the cart is overflowing with detergent, paper towels, cereal, toothpaste, lettuce, soft drinks, vegetables, flowers, ice cream, and dozens of boxes.
There is no rhyme or reason to the cart’s contents. Granted, there is a slim chance that the necessary ingredients are somewhere in the shopping cart, but that’s not likely.
This is a ridiculous example, even to a non-cook like me. But it shows how foolish it is to start something, without first figuring out what it takes to finish successfully.
Many advertising sales people have settled into familiar routines, unaware of the vital importance of client meetings. They drop by an account’s office, visit for a few minutes – and then ask what he or she wants to run in the next ad. These meetings are comfortable and predictable. In other words, they are unlikely to produce the ingredients of exciting new ad campaigns.
Every contact with an advertiser presents an opportunity to sell. This means a sales person should go into each meeting with a plan – whether it is to introduce himself or herself, learn about the client’s marketing goals, present a new ad idea, review the schedule, discuss a special issue, or to gather information for future advertising.
Perhaps the least understood kind of meeting is one in which the sales person gathers information for a new ad campaign. Without a plan, it can resemble that mad dash through the grocery store. Without a shopping list, you’ll ask a lot of general questions – and end up with a cart which is full of useless information.
Although creative strategy discussions vary according to specific situations, here are some basic topics to consider:
1. The target audience. Don’t try to target “everybody.” In this world of niche audiences, the advertiser who tries to appeal to everyone will appeal to no one.
It helps to define the audience in terms of demographics (measurable characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, income, education, geographical region) and psychographics (values, lifestyles, attitudes, etc.).
Some publications – and some advertisers – have access to this kind of audience information. If research isn’t available, use your common sense – and your client’s first hand experience – to identify the niches which have your advertiser’s best prospects.
2. The advertiser’s products and services. Look for ways to connect what the audience wants or needs to what the advertiser offers. Identify the problems that are being faced by the target audience. Then ask: How can the advertiser solve those problems? Focus on features and benefits.
With an organized shopping list, you’ll find it easier to get the information you need. Then you’ll be ready to cook up some good advertising.
(c)Copyright 2007 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: jfoust@mindspring.com