Atlanta's Marketing Center

How Much Time Do You Have To Get Your Marketing Message Across?

Are you a TV flipper? That is, how long does it take for you to watch something before you decide to turn the channel? When I’ve watched TV, I found that I changed the channels so quickly (probably about half a second) that others have commented that there’s no way I could possibly know enough about the show to make the decision of moving on.

But most of us are like that, true? When you’re going through your mail or you see a billboard on the road or you’re reading a newspaper. We’ve been trained to sort through information very quickly.

Your prospects and customers are similar. I’d say that it’s pretty universal that you as a marketer have a moment, just a moment, to make a strong impression and get enough attention for them to read further. And I’d say a moment can be anywhere from a half a second to about 3 seconds. That’s not very long. 

Whatever kind of communication you’re extending should be passed through a set of questions—

Is my headline clear, succinct and to the point?
Is it obviously compelling?
Will the message be remembered?

If no to any of these then you might want to rethink the message.

An Honest Rep

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When speaking to various area ad reps I'm amazed when they speak of small business owners who don't follow their advice.  Now I can understand to be cautious when dealing with someone who's trying to sell you something.  But once you've made the decision to advertise, it's smart to follow the path of those who are already advertising successfully.

An honest ad rep can help you there.  Once you find one and you discover that they're interested not just in their wallet, then find out about their clients who seem to have good luck in advertising.  Those successful advertisers typically follow a general format in getting response.  You need to know what they're doing.  A good rep will take the time to share that with you.  After all, if you're successful, then you're probably going to spend more money for ads in the future.

Print advertising can be costly.  This is an area where you need to be "on".   Find an honest rep, then do some investigating.

Advertising Style

Have you yet found your advertising style?  Don't assume that the materials you use have to be the most elegant things possible in order to be successful.

I have seen the cheapest looking direct mail materials that, when delivered consistently, have produced great returns.  There's a chiropractor I know that has sent out cheap looking (courier font) yet highly creative materials and has received a flood of business over the years.

I think the best way to go is to have materials reflect your business and approach. If you're a high-end business, then you need to have elegant materials.  If you have products that are typically one-shot sales, then I would suggest jargon-rich, less expensive materials.   When considering an Atlanta advertising agency, I recommend that you collaborate with them all through the process so that your advertising reflects your business.  Effective Atlanta marketing depends upon it.

How would you rate the materials you send out?

The Printed Endangered Species List

Don't know if this has occurred to you lately or not, but this digital thing is really making its mark on our lives more and more every day.  From websites than can convey just about any information you're looking for (wiki) to fancy phones to new (daily) jaw-dropping technology designed to make our lives easier...we are truly in a new age now.

Along with these advances though comes the public's re-evaluation of older ways...particularly those things in print that have quickly migrated to the digital world. 

The first is the telephone book. I don't know about you, but the internet (as well as my GPS system) can not only show me vendors nearby but share with me consumer opinions...plus a LOT more information than can be conveyed in a display ad.  The telephone book has been shrinking at our business for years and now I just refuse it to send a message back to the telephone company not to waste the paper.

The second are newspapers.  The migration of people to the internet for news has been staggering...so much so that major newspapers across the country are scrambling to go online and keep a percentage of their readership.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently cut their print publication down significantly...it looks like about half the size it used to be.

Next is snail-mail (aka regular mail).  The USPS lost $2 billion dollars last year and is being forced to re-tool its operations.  There's strong talk of holding delivery on Saturday as well as a weekday.  Email can send most messages...and bills are being paid more and more over payment systems such as e-banking.  Look for the USPS to shrink pretty significantly in the future.

Finally, the digital revolution is even taking on the oldest most effective communication technology known to man up to this point...the book.  Tools like Kindle, which can download and deliver the printed word to a device, may soon replace magazines and books...at least to some degree.  (My hunch is that people will still want to hold books for some time...out of habit alone).

Let's be happy for all the nervous trees out there...and instead of being defensive of the Digital Revolution, I encourage you to welcome the new ways that lie ahead.  As dark as things seem recently, I see great things in front of us.

Grab Attention with a Strong Headline

Small businesses and practices just don’t have the budgets that the bigger companies do. The big companies have marketing departments with graphic designers and media planners & buyers and can frankly afford it if some of their advertising “misses”. Small companies don’t have that kind of luxury. 

To balance the playing field, small businesses must be smart about advertising. The best advice that I can give is no matter what the advertising medium…print advertising, website, direct mail pieces, etc., use a strong headline to grab the readers’ attention.

There is definitely an art to headline writing, and when done correctly, can produce results that the big guys experience. Without a strong headline, you blend in with everyone else and will be missed. 

I just finished browsing through a local newspaper. 95% of the small business ads in there use the old technique of stating or listing what the business does in hopes that the  reader will make the connection themselves. While there might be some response depending upon competitors and a couple other factors, I’m quite sure that they won’t get the demand they’re looking for. A good headline would do that for them.  

Remember to grab the reader’s attention with a strong headline and you’ll be more than halfway home.

Stocklayouts, an excellent resource

Stocklayouts is a service that offers templates for stationery, brochures, ads, newsletter and products sheets.  I must say that I'm impressed with their quality line...these are agency quality products that allow you to easily add your identity and immediately use in campaigns.

Now don't get me wrong.  Atlanta is filled with talented graphic designers who produce very reasonably priced work.  But if you need something rather quickly without too much of a loss in quality, I encourage you to take a look at their offerings.  There are lots of template designs available but these are by far the best you can find.  In fact, you won't find yourself thinking these designs look like templates - remember to browse around and find designs for your specific industry.

North Fulton Consumer Advertising

If you sell any consumer products or services in the North Fulton area, I can't think of any better option to get your word out than the Town Planner.  The Town Planner is a calendar that is designed to be the 'calendar of choice' for families in scheduling their activities.

Instead of the high-turnover advertising approach through newspapers and magazines, the calendar is sent to thousands of area homes and is typically pinned up in a prominent place for months at a time.  Family members can't help but see and be influenced by the helpful information (as well as sponsor messages) of the calendar.

Another benefit of working with the Town Planner is Scott Dunn. Scott's an experienced marketer who knows how to help you increase exposure in the community.  He's made a lot of great impact for his clients and was recently named the Ambassador of the Year by the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

To learn more about him, go to his website at www.townplannerga.com.  He also has a pretty cool video blog called "Dunn's Den" where he critiques popular commercials.  The blog is here.

Prosperity through Print Advertising

Most businesses out there have lost their way in advertising.  The problem is that advertising is expensive and unless you have a proven methodology that works, it can sting you pretty bad.

In our marketing system, we encourage the use of two-step advertising.  This follows what's known as "permission marketing" where you get the readers attention with a strong offer and headline.  What you're doing is offering the reader something of value such as a report or perhaps a service in exchange for their information (ie. email address, mailing information, etc.)

The offer is low-risk to the reader and in exchange you can get their information.  Once you have this, you can market to them relentlessly until they're ready to buy.

This technique is expecially valuable to smaller businesses who can't go head to head with the big boys that have deep advertising budget pockets.  There is no money to waste for the smaller guys...they must choose the correct print media source, have a message that has worked in other media to get attention, and offer an attention-grabbing headline to generate interest.  Further, they have to stay on top of the media world as things shift (rates, sections, interest) from time to time.

Atlanta-area Print Media

Fortunately, there are a lot of print media options in the Atlanta area.  You really have to stay on top of your research in this area if you want to get the most bang for your buck (as well as find honest ad reps).  The key is determining what your target market reads.

And the best way to determine this is by asking them directly.  You need to have a couple of existing clients or prospects that you can query on the subject.  What you find may surprise you.  Everyone likes to assume and gravitate toward the biggest print source...in our area it's the Atlanta Journal/Constitution.  But your target market may read a local paper more than you'd think.  Or perhaps they gravitate toward an industry specific magazine or paper.

The following is a list some of the Atlanta area's most recognizable (by distribution and circulation) print media to consider.  Also important within these is to identify sections and geographic areas that may better serve you.

Atlanta Journal/Constitution
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Creative Loafing
Georgia Magazine
Sunday Paper
Points North Magazine
Neighbor Newspapers (local)
Appen Newspapers (local)
Jezebel Magazine
Atlanta Magazine
Georgia Trend Magazine
Atlanta Life Magazine
Sports & Fitness
Season Magazine

KNOW Atlanta
Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles