WARNING: Small Business Owners. Before You Advertise, Read This Simple Checklist

There are some golden rules that you should follow to ensure your small business advertising pieces give you the maximum return for your dollar.

Here are 21 ‘golden rules’ you should consider on every one of your advertisements before you commit your money to publishing them.

1. Have you clearly defined your ideal target market?

2. Have you written your marketing piece with your target market in mind?

3. Is the marketing piece being placed/sent/posted where your ideal target market will see it?

4. How many sales do you need to make to break even on this advertisement?

5. Is there a more economical way of reaching this same group of people?

6. Have you made an offer that’s clear and easily understood by the reader?

7. Is your headline attention grabbing?

8. Does your headline outline a major benefit in reading this advertisement?

9. Is your headline 3 to 6 times bigger than the body copy, or does it take up 25% to 30% of the space in the ad?

10. Does your headline qualify or attract the right reader for your advertisement?

11. Does your body copy follow on from what’s in your headline?

12. Does your body copy expand on the benefits in your headline?

13. Is the word YOU mentioned at least 4 times to every we, I or XYZ Company?

14. Can you use sub-headings to break up the copy and allow someone to get the full story, just by reading the sub-headings?

15. Have you included a picture of a person? Is the person facing into the body of the piece?

16. Have you included a picture that shows the reader what the benefit(s) of buying and using your product/service will be?

17. Have you let people know they’re safe, by either including a guarantee or using testimonials?

18. Have you been specific in your copy, or too general for it to be believable?

19. Have you asked people to call, buy, or in some way act in your advertisement?

20. Is your phone number and address included? (Is it included on both the ad and the coupon, if you’re using a coupon?)

21. Have the people in your business been told of this promotion going out, and how they should handle the response from the promotion?

As you run through this checklist be sure to be objective and as critical as possible.

Key areas that should be in each and every piece:

1. Clearly Defined Target Market 2. Headline that sells the benefit 3. Copy/Story that sells the benefits 4. Offer that compels people to respond 5. Guarantee to take the risk away from the reader 6. And… Call to Action, so that they contact you.

All the points just covered are an excellent way for you to prepare your marketing/advertising pieces based on time tested and proven marketing/advertising principles.

By following them, you can ensure you’ll creating profitable advertisements for your small business growth.

Copyright © 2005 by Casey Gollan. All Rights Reserved

Casey Gollan, The Business Growth Specialist, the specialist who grows $1 Million p.a. small businesses into $2 to $5 Million p.a. businesses over a 2 to 3 year period. To learn more about Casey's Business Growth Program, visit his site and sign up for 'The 23 Secrets of Business Growth' 2 hour audio program for FREE.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com