10 MAJOR Mistakes People Make In Advertising

1. Not being committed to the campaign - If you pull your buy too early because you're not seeing a result, it's a mistake.  Stick with it for a minimum of 12 weeks because it's going to take about that long for the consumer to identify your company through the spot.

2. Not enough frequency - This is a tuff one.  Frequency costs money and if your limited this will be a challenge.  But even if you have a small buy in place you can affect frequency if you position your spot to own a slot.

3. Not enough reach - There are many ways to reach out to your audience other than going with the big boys in radio, TV and print.  Look at the little guys and take into consideration the long term buys with them and the type of audience they have too.

4. Talking to the wrong people - HUGE MISTAKE HERE - most people just scatter their buys over different stations without thinking about who it's going to reach.  If my client's demo is sport oriented males 35-50 I don't buy against a station/show against the Home & Garden Channel.  Find your target audience and buy heavy against that programming.

5. Wrong message - Okay, you've spent the money, have frequency but know ones knocking. What are you saying gin your copy?  Re-evaluate and change it up!  STAY AWAY from “great service, low prices, satisfaction guaranteed, friendly staff, personal attention, blah blah blah!” Tell your story, and give your customer an emotional benefit and solution.

6. No consistency in the message - Keep you message the same in your copy.  You have spent time and money in positioning your buys and the last thing that you want to do is flip messages too much.  If you're saying 20% off of "whatever" then always say that even when you flip your promotions tactic (holiday events, seasonal changes).
 
7. No media mix - If you have a substantial amount of advertising monies, then buy across the board with all the media groups.  Don't just by with one radio group, print rag or TV station.  The consumer never hangs out at just one entertainment venue; do you?

8. Spreading the dollars too thin - I would much rather cut bamboo with an axe that an oak tree with a butter knife.  That's how I feel about spreading your monies too thin.  If an AE from a media group tries to get you to commit to an annual and you’re real tight on your budget, go for more of an impact with a 3 month buy with higher frequency.

9. Putting down the competition - This is a short one.  Talking smack about your competitor in your spots shows the consumer that you have something to worry about. The consumer might not even know that your competitor is in the game until you mention it.  Plus, why give them a mention in your spot?  This tactic is always a failure.
 
10. Trying to do it all yourself - No one knows your business better than you. We help a lot of business owners who are just tired of trying to do everything on their own. You're ordering product, training personal, payroll, customer services, accountant and marketer for your company.  Know that you have to eventually delegate to others for help or you will bog down.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time. Slowly entrust others to assist you with your tasks and you will find that there's more time for you to reap the fruits of your labor! 

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