GUEST BLOGGER … THE G.O.A.T GEAN ATKINSON!
We are so honored to have a guest blogger today that will tell you how to evaluate your marketing and advertising … Gean B. Atkinson of Atkinson Advertising Associates, Inc. He is in The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and quite frankly, the G.O.A.T when it comes to communication. Gean is president of Atkinson Advertising Associates, Inc. He founded Atkinson Advertising Associates in 1975 and won awards throughout the country including the New York City Advertising Club Andy Awards, Oklahoma City Advertising Club Addy Awards, Ashland-Louisville Advertising Club Tobacco Pouch Awards, IABC Black and Gold Awards, IABC Silver Quill Awards, PRSA. Gean has served in the legislative branch of government as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and as Director of Communications for the Governor of Oklahoma. He is a recent inductee into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Without further adieu, let’s listen and learn from Gean about …
Evaluating Our Marketing and Advertising
A client once told me, “I know that half of my advertising /marketing budget is wasted. I just don’t know which half”
Many people feel that way. Measurement of such efforts is imprecise at best and tends not to be a quick solution. There is no set answer but there are some ways one can closely examine your results.
Setting the Right Foundation for Your Program Can Help
For example:
-
- Choose the right medium. Direct mail, social media, email, television, radio, and signage, print both newspaper and magazines are all legitimate and powerful media but they have to match the audience with which you want to communicate. For example, is your produce visual? Is it complicated? How does your market break down in gender, age, buying habits? Make sure you appeal to the correct audience.
- Why would someone buy your product is simply and always, VESTED SELF -INTEREST. What’s in it for the buyer? Is it expensive, is it hard to find? Is it status? Make sure they know what your product offers them. If you can’t communicate this clearly, you’re out of luck. Is your message on target? Is it brief?
- How often do you communicate with your audience? Repetition is the essence of effective advertising and marketing. Most feel that the typical potential buyer needs to hear of the product at least 3 times before being able to penetrate their consciences’.
Once you’ve done all of that you should build a plan. Knowing your expectations, and that they are realistic, should be on paper. You should build an annual budget, month by month, divided by media expenditure. Keep track of the production of leads, walk-in traffic, and eventually sales by customers. Who they are and where they come from.
Your Best Source of Effectiveness
Ask your prospect: “How did you hear about us?” Remember, though, that not all prospects can remember. It’s not unusual, especially if it’s a sale, for them to credit to an incorrect source. We once had an appliance dealer whose customers told him they saw the sale advertising in the newspaper but this client only ran television for the sale, not newspaper. Be sensitive to the media you’re choosing.
In essence, make your plan and then check against the performance and tally the results by analyzing site traffic, reviewing lead quality, analyzing key metrics before AND after surveying your data (yes, you do have to survey them as to how many people saw your efforts, what they thought about it and determine how many leads saw/heard your message.) that will aid your decisions in future media and improve your results.
Always remember, “Individually man is an enigma; mathematically…a certainty”. Happy hunting.
###
Gean B. Atkinson
President
Atkinson Advertising Associates, Inc.
Remember you can always grab a DIY PR KIT for $99 and get LOADS of knowledge and step by step instructions on doing your own public relations.