Friday 27 June 2014

Most Common Advertising Mistakes

“Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief”- Leo Burnett

This quote does hold a lot of truth. A well-made advertising campaign can attract the right prospects and get everyone talk about your product and service. While on the other hand, bad marketing can just as easily spoil your reputation and cost you thousands of dollars.

Here is a list of seven mistakes commonly made in the field of business marketing that you must avoid.

  • Not Knowing your Ideal Customer - There are several companies that have no concept of who their ideal customers are. They keep a very product-centric view and believe that knowing who to target is not important since their product is so "hi-end". This is one of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses make. If you do not target the right audience, you will have a hard time increasing sales, no matter how “state of the art” your product may be.
  • Lack of Testing and Research - Market testing and research should be done to determine how effective your marketing strategies really are. This helps you take the guesswork out of what your customer really wants. You should always make sure you have tested different prices, offers, and packages.
  • Marketing without a Unique Selling Point - Your USP is the statement that singles you out amongst your competition. This should be utilized in every piece of advertising material. Do not market without it! Positioning your business away from competitors and making it distinctive keeps your business strong.
  • Advertising at the Wrong Places - If you spend your advertising dollars at the wrong place then your advertising becomes expenditure and not an investment. It is important to get to know your potential customers. Give them a survey to fill out. Ask them what magazines or newspapers they like. You have to build a profile of your target market. After this, the advertising media will match you up with the right sections and stations.
  • Listening to Wrong Advice - When it comes to advertising, everybody is willing to offer you advice. And, since you feel that you know so little, you take everything at face value. There are a lot of media salespersons who are just out to sell you advertisement. Hence, be careful whose advice you take.
  • Concentrating on Product Features - There are so many businesses that talk about what their service or product has, not what it does. The truth is no one buys a service or product for its characteristics. Hence, evaluate every service and product you offer. What are the real benefits of each to your products? Are you displaying these benefits in your advertisements?
  • Lack of Advertising Signs - One of the areas where businesses fail to invest is advertising signs. Banners, A-frames, and billboards are some of the most popular ways to attract foot traffic into your establishment. Make sure you get these graphics designed by creative and witty sign makers.

If your current marketing plan is making one of these mistakes then it’s time for you to take a step back from your present strategy, research prospective customer bases, and spend good time listening to the needs of your clients. It is never too late to start afresh.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Five Signs Every Restaurant Needs

Opening a new restaurant is challenging and knowing how to market is more challenging. So, once your business plan is in place get ready to address your advertising needs.  Begin with:

Interesting A-frame Signs

A lot of restaurant proprietors use A-frames in front of their establishments to attract customers. These menu signs are an easy and economical way of advertising specials or writing witty messages. In fact, the more creative a business gets with these boards, the more likely it is to generate interest of the passersby.

Why? Well, because witty signs play with human psyche and interest them to try out the eatery.

Way Finding Signs

Most restaurateurs talk about menu specials, interior design, and staffing. However, what’s hardly touched upon is the importance of way finding and the difference it can make between a good and bad experience.

If a customer enters an establishment and is not quite sure what to do, then that immediately causes debilitating anxiety. Should I wait for a seat? Where do I order? Where’s the hostess? The anxiety these questions pump, immediately demotes a Grade A experience to Grade B, all because of bad way finding signage.

So, what does “good” way finding look like?

To ensure good way finding, the owner should identify the main points of interaction- seating, ordering, restrooms, pickup, etc. These areas should be marked by using identifiable words and arrows. If a restaurant nails this part of the design, it will be a step closer to enhancing its customer experience to help build business.

Menu Boards

Menu boards intend to offer patrons with the information they need, such as specials or menu listings. To make a menu board an instant hit, the owner must always include three elements - list of food items being served, ingredients inside every dish and individual rates.

Proprietors will surely see an increase in return customers if they use their menu boards properly.

ADA Compliant Signs

ADA signs help protect customers with disabilities from any discrimination and ensure that they are able to dine as well as any other customer. To comply with ADA requirements, a restaurant must offer a minimum of one travel route accessible for those who wish to access the eatery from the parking space. There should also be wheelchair accessible seats in the dining area to accommodate disabled customers. Apart from this, restaurateurs must also follow explicit guidelines covering restrooms in the establishment.

Mobile Billboards

Advertising through a fleet of delivery vehicles is a clever idea. Mobility enables exposure at any place or time resulting in ads being exposed to a larger set of audience.

They say that advertisement is an important factor through which a business can bring its product to public view, and consequentially get identification. With a serious increase in the number of restaurants in California, the need for implementing good marketing strategies has become the need of the hour. The good news is there is still room for every food-service to do well. The secret lies in using restaurant signs more creatively and efficiently.