Are You Winking in the Dark?

Do you have a great concept, product or service? You want to take it to the world and build your empire on it? You could, however, no one’s going to know about it unless you advertise. Advertising, if done correctly, can do wonders for your product sales, and you know what that means: more revenue and more success for your business. But be warned: it is not a panacea for all ills.

WHAT ADVERTISING CAN DO

• Create new markets for the product/services
• Remind current customers and inform prospective customers about the benefits of your product or service
• Establish and maintain your distinct identity and reputation
• Encourage existing customers to buy more of your product/service and attract new ones

WHAT ADVERTISING CANNOT DO

• Create the product/service
• Create an instant customer base and sales
• Provide on the ground sales push
• Provide excellent after sales or customer service to maintain the reputation

PUTTING THE SPOTLIGHT ON YOUR BUSINESS

Dr. Steuart Henderson Britt said, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.” So are you winking in the dark? Do you have a great product or service but which no one knows about?

Putting the spotlight on your business

Successful advertising rarely succeeds through argument or calls to action. Instead, it creates positive memories and feelings that influence our behavior over time to encourage us to buy something at a later date. Nobody sees a mobile phone ad and goes out and buys it instantly. The next step will be finding out more about the product, asking friends for feedback (or reading reviews online). Seeing the physical product and demonstration from the salesperson is the big push that is needed towards purchase. As marketing guru Philip Kotler says, “Ads primarily create product awareness, sometimes product knowledge, less often product preference, and more rarely, product purchase.”

So go ahead and put the spotlight on your business with some effective advertising.