The Four Questions That Can Help You Focus Your Advertising
Jack Mitchell was my first boss advertising boss. He was a funny adventurous sportsman. His idea of a vacation was getting lost in the high mountains of Peru. He could spend the rest of the year holding the interest of all of us in the palm of his hand as he told his latest adventure stories.
Jack was the Director of Advertising and Sales Promotion at Remington Arms Company and his four questions have helped me get my ideas focused in every advertising challenge I have ever faced.
After all, some say 85% of all advertising does not work. But when it does, it is pure magic. Let s see if his four questions are your
...that must be executed to ensure our lifetime goal. Lifetime health and fitness is a commitment to a lifestyle change to live a happier and healthier life. Since the turn of the century, the average life span in the United ...
The Mitchell Four Questions.
Question 1: Who is your best or prime prospect?
The surest way to put your new business in the bankruptcy court is to think everyone is going to beat a path to your door. They will not. You will have a small group of customers who will account for most of your bread and butter business. That is what is meant by the 80/20 principle. Eight percent of your business will most likely come from twenty percent of your customers. Start to think and plan with that key fact in mind. If you do not, you will not have a clue who is buying from you and the
...the 1970s that were involved in the class-action lawsuits against Dow-Corning and many other manufacturers in the early 1990s. There have been several types of breast implants developed other than the two most common, saline filled and silicone gel filled, ...
To paraphrase President Abraham Lincoln, you can reach all of the people some of the time; some of the people all of the time; but you cannot reach all of the people, all of the time.
Not even the giant Wal-Mart attracts everyone but you can bet they know who their prime prospects
...age, genetic tendencies, family history, personal medical history, and obesity. A woman in her thirties has only a 1 in 229 (0.4%) chance of being diagnosed, while a woman in her sixties has a 1 in 26 chance (3.8%). Survival ...
So where do you start? How do you find out who is going to be that best or prime prospect?
Start at the same place your business idea started. Why in the world did you want to start your business in the first place? Who encouraged you to take that giant step? What did you plan to do different that would attract customers in the first place?
If you have competition, go shop them. Get copies of their advertising. See who they are trying to persuade to come use their products and services. Go to your local community college and university and offer to let their
...gym and you are bound to see a number of Precor treadmills being battered continuously for hours a day. Just think...if they are good enough for these commercial gyms then you can guarantee that they will stack up in your ...
Here s another way to gather information. Create a drawing with a significant prize. Money. A trip. An I-pod. Something cool. If you have a store, do the contest in the store. Encourage everyone who comes through the door to fill out an entry. Do the survey twice a year.
We are looking for demographics in the survey. Demographics are numbers we can measure. How old is your prime prospect? Is the prime prospect female or male? Married or single? Does your prime prospect have a family? How much education? White collar or blue collar?
...on the treadmill scene in the 70's, and hasbecome sort of the Cadillac of treadmills. The TR4500HRtreadmill is another in their line of great exercisemachines. Star Trac treadmills offer many features, and this one is noexception. Weighing in at a ...
If you haven t opened your doors, head for the chamber of commerce office and in some cities, your local newspaper. Both can and often do have lots of demographic information on your prime prospect group.
The federal government can be a big help, too. Check out your local Small Business Administration office or check their internet site, http://www.sba.gov for documents that can be
...brands, Weslo treadmills are the least expensive, and in fact are typically the lowest priced of any treadmill regardless of manufacturer. They are entry-level machines intended for use by beginners and walkers that do not engage in a more demanding ...
When you apply the answers to how many times the person needs your services–every day, once a week, once a month, once-in-a-lifetime–we start to get a picture of the size of the market. Clearly a small convenience store has
...athletes like Kobe Bryant and Jennifer Capriati, and celebs like "The Rock". The place is an absolute circus, and I enjoy the entertainment factor. When I first joined Gold's two years ago, I didn't pay much attention to the "muscleheads" ...
As you can see, all soon can be some. We are looking for focused marketing. Rather than take a shotgun approach to the marketplace, our aim is to take a rifle shot. We want to take a rifle shot and hit the bulls-eye rather than take a shotgun blast and blow the target away. Each time you can refine some information, you make it possible to define the prime prospect group. Yes, you will discover sub groups
...further from the truth. In reality, there are many treadmill models today that are either poorly constructed, or simply don t have enough engine power and wear out early in their life. So how do you go about making the ...
When you have good demographics, you can ask the media folks how many of those specific prospects the media rep has in their audience. If they do not have any, you do not buy. It s that simple. So much for the donation part of your advertising budget.
Question 2: What is their problem?
People buy for a reason. It s important you discover the reason why they are willing to trade their hard earned money for what
...To begin, remember that any exercise routine should only be done after a warm-up period that includes stretching. Spinning One excellent exercise for strengthening and toning leg muscles is 'spinning', using a stationary bike. Of course you can also use ...
1. The nag factor.
If something needs to be fixed in a household it will go unfixed only as long as the fixer is willing to tolerate the nagging of the person demanding the fixing. If you offer the solution to the nagee or a suggestion to the nagger, chances are you will increase your business. An easy solution is more saleable than a pretty product. Sell the solution. Saturday mornings are filled with fix-it shows. Listen to them and see who is calling. You ll soon get the idea.
2. Acceptance and Entertainment.
If you are in the
...form to another. Whether it is a form that lives within us or one that occurs on the moment we die, none of us know till the day it happens. You know the really cool part about all of this. ...
3. Health.
No one wants to be sick, bald, fat, or
...to lower blood pressure. Now, it looks like reducing sodium also has a similar effect on cardiovascular disease. In the 2007 study, people from two trials completed in the 1990s were analyzed regarding the effect of reduced salt consumption on ...
If it is nothing more than a card that says We noticed how well you are doing… it will go a long way in reinforcing what your prime prospect is doing. And, if you include a coupon in the card, chances are very good it
...16 " ands long enough to accommodate your stride. Choose a longer treadmill belt of 54" or more if you or a family member has long legs. A pre-programmed workout registers your heart rate without being connected to the treadmill ...
4. Security.
A promise of how to make more money is a good way to get anyone s attention. That also includes such things as creating value by using your product or service.
You can sell a product such as art or jewelry and make people look and feel good but you can be their top choice if you also have a good eye for value. That means you not only appeal to their taste but also to their pocket book. Build a reputation for helping folks create value with their purchase from you. If you sell paintings or collectable, and if your data base is up to snuff, you
...consulting with your physician and eye doctor to ensure that you are both an appropriate candidate for Lasik and in good enough health to undergo a procedure of this kind. And, finally, you must choose the Lasik center that will ...
4. Adventure.
Life is an adventure, right? Are you in the business of selling one? People who offer tents should sell camping. People who offer campers should sell life on the road. People who offer back woods or outfitter trips should sell the outdoors. If you offer things to the adventurous, sell the adventure. Get good pictures and
...over it. Time to get started and start xercising. You are going to buy exercise equipment! However, what should you buy, where and what brand? There are so many variables; for example, exactly what equipment will best suit you, how ...
5. Security.
We all want to be safe and warm, even when dangling off the side of a mountain. We want to keep all of our money. We want safe transportation for our family. We want to make good investments that we can show off and enjoy. We all want to live healthy until one second before we die at 150. Anything that helps us do those things is likely to get attention. That is security. If you
...delays in giving the vaccines will leave children vulnerable to these infections)....The rise in measles is a combination of extreme skepticism towards established sources of authority in science and medicine and anxiety about environmental threats to our well being has ...
6. Learning.
If you sell books, adventure, new technology, sports equipment, art, you are in the teaching business. A very important part of your ability to succeed is your ability to convince others that you are indeed an expert in your field and worthy of attention. Create mini seminars for the new-bees in your field and teach them about the sizzle of your business and show them the variety of steaks.
When you teach people about what you offer,
...the impact on your joints and ligaments. AC motors that are found in some treadmill units run at one continuous speed and rely on a transmission to regulate speed whereas units powered by DC motors use variable voltage to regulate ...
7. Clothing.
Clothing is worthy of special mention. We spend tons of money on it not because we need it so much as how we think we will look in it. If you are in the clothing business always remember it is the look. Sell the look and reinforce the look. Develop your public eye and when you see a customer you know in public and notice how good they look, send them a note. They will look at you as a result.
Use local models. No, they do not have to be skinny New York
...in the paper or at one of the online career search sites. What is the ONE skill required of almost every job? GOOD INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS. What is the one skill that will make a marriage great? It's not being ...
8. Food & Water.
It must be fresher, healthier, or cheaper to get attention. Sometimes just being there is also a big factor. If you cannot compete with the price places,
...make sure that I have a higher metabolism by eating more smaller meals. Most people will eat Breakfast lunch and dinner or even less often as in the case of my parents where the only real meals are breakfast and ...
Do not be a bump on the log of complaint that the big guys are winning. Be the branch that bends in the wind but is always getting stronger. Look for opportunity!
9. Love, companionship, sex.
No one wants to be alone. Not one wants to live by themselves. We
...is: how can you find the dentist you are really looking for? You may contact the New York State Dental Association. It is a constituent of the American Dental Association representing more than 13,000 dentists in New York. The association ...
10. Social involvement.
Back to the sizzle. Marketers use to say anything red will sell in Nebraska. That is because the Nebraska football team is a state religion. It brings people together for parties
...you probably haven t been able to get them to eat carrots since they were toddlers, how are you supposed to convince them to go to the gym, or for a run. The key is finding an exercise that they ...
They sell sizzle. They sell being part of the big red. Can you be part of something big? Can you create something social? Can you create an event? Event marketing takes time but it can also involve some of your very best customers. Invite them to be part of your event. It will help your word of mouth advertising.
As you can see, when you approach advertising as an opportunity to solve a
...amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and 9 are essential, they cannot be created and must be eaten meaning the other 11 amino acids can be created by our body. Many times we here that you ...
3. What is your product or service?
Now that we have covered the 10 top needs list, what is your product or service. What are you really selling? Your product or service MUST solve a basic need o get your prospect to ACT!
Paint
...commitment to a lifestyle change to live a happier and healthier life. Since the turn of the century, the average life span in the United States has increased markedly from 47 years old in 1900 to 77.3 years old at ...
Solve a basic need and you will get attention. Make your solution an easy and fun one and you will get attention. Remember to be friendly in everything you do. Three of the most powerful words in marketing today are, after all Welcome to Wal-Mart.
4. How do you break the boredom barrier?
Before the Internet, the average American is exposed to 2,400 commercial messages a day. That total is growing because we are expanding our access to information and anytime that
...stories of success with various exercise equipments. Impressed by these stories, we start dreaming about the results and finally work toward getting a brand new fitness equipment promising a perfect shape. These promises fade shortly, due to lack of interest ...
The problem is mud. Too many messages turn into forgettable mud. In fact, 85 cents of every advertising dollar is wasted. That is a lot of money. You job is to improve those odds. If you do, the rewards are tremendous. So, you have to
Put the right message….
in front of the right audience…
at the right time.
Message. Timing. Audience. Always consider those three factors when you plan your advertising program. Never spend a dime until you have considered the opportunity when measured against message, timing, and audience. Demand information on the
...as a sales tool, and applying that to affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is where you sell somebody else s product in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. Most successful affiliate marketing is of electronically deliverable goods, where no stock ...
Now, thanks to Jack Mitchell, you have the basics of a good advertising program.
1. Who is your best or prime prospect?
2. What is your their problem?
3. What is your product or service?
4. How do you break the boredom barrier?
It will not be long before Mr. Mitchell s questions will turn you into an idea factory! Good luck!
Kenny Miller has been in the creative business for over 30
...them. So where do you start? How do you find out who is going to be that best or prime prospect? Start at the same place your business idea started. Why in the world did you want to start your ...