Tag Archives: criteria

The Powerful Point

7 Criteria to Effective Advertising

Hopefully, over these past 4 weeks, you now have a better understanding of how to use and explain the 7 criteria to clients and help them better understand how important each is to advertising.

In the first issue of this series, it mentioned we use this piece to make two specific points; One is to explain to clients how to get a better return on their advertising investment, and two is how to use it to build trust with your prospects and clients.

I also stated that I would share a powerful point that is intended to position the media rep and/or your stations in a very positive light. That is what we are covering today and how we will conclude this series.

At some point during the CNA or one of the first meetings with a client, the conversation will lead to a point where you can bring up the 7 criteria. When it does, we suggest you either pull out a prepared “7 Criteria to Effective Advertising” form on your station letterhead or simply write the 7 criteria on a sheet of paper or a restaurant napkin.

After writing this out and going over each of the criteria is when you make your powerful point, by saying…

“Mr./Mrs. Client, actually, the most important criteria is #6”. (Draw an arrow from #6 Media Rep up above the #1 position and write “#1 Media Rep!”)

Continue by saying…

“If you find a media rep or media group that understands criteria #1 through #6; how to create Strategy, how to create and write effective messages/ads, how to use your advertising budget to dominate, and the importance of Consistency and Frequency… If you have someone that ‘gets this’, then the medium or the station that you choose really doesn’t matter. If you follow these criteria, your advertising will be way more effective. Mr./Mrs. Client, I understand how to do this, and I can help you get a better return on your advertising dollars”.

You have just established yourself as something different than the average media rep who talks about their stations, their media, and their ratings, and you’ve also taken rates and ratings out of the equation.

I hope that you have found the 7 Criteria for Effective Advertising useful. If you have any comments or questions, simply send me an email or give me a call.

If you would like to receive the one-page form of the “7 Criteria for Effective Advertising”, click here and we will be happy to send it to you. You can use it on ENS Media’s letterhead or feel free to transfer it to your station’s letterhead to use in your sales calls and presentations.

“Strategy”

#1 in the 7 Criteria for Successful Advertising

As a reminder, in case you didn’t read last week’s ENS on Sales titled “7 Criteria for Effective Advertising”, these next few weeks we will be discussing each of the seven criteria. To read last week’s issue and catch up, click here.

Strategy is listed as the #1 criteria because, quite simply, it’s the most important element that determines the success of a business or a product.

So, what is strategy? Strategy is what you want your business or product to be “known for”.

I’ll use the insurance category as an example. What is GEICO “known for”? Their slogan is, “In 15 minutes or less you could save 15% or more on car insurance”. Their strategy is simply that you will save time and money! It has nothing to do with better insurance, creative packaging options, or better or faster claims. Those strategies are left to other companies.

If GEICO owns the “saving time and money category”, what does Farmers Insurance want you to know them for? Regardless of how crazy your claim may be, they will pay the claim! They substantiate that strategy with their slogan, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two”.

That’s strategy! It’s what the business is “known for”.

Most small to medium-sized businesses that you deal with on a local level don’t have a strategy. In fact, if you ask them what their business strategy is, you’ll get answers like, “I don’t know what you mean”, “I don’t really know”, or “I don’t think we really have one”!

Once you understand what a company’s strategy is, it’s much easier to craft messages and campaigns. If they don’t have a strategy, help them create one. How to uncover or create a business strategy is a whole other topic and discussion for another day.

If you have questions or would like to discuss more on strategy, email me or give me a call.

Next week, we will discuss Criteria #2, The Message/Ad.