How to Use Print Ads to Capture More Prospects

By:  Renae E. Gregoire
The Write Idea
©2003

The Scenario

It's Monday morning. Your new display ad appears in the local paper. You wait for the phone to ring. And you wait. And you wait. And you wait. But you don't get the results you're hoping for.

The ad may have generated four or five calls, if you're lucky. And perhaps only one or two convert to paying customers. The response is not what you hoped for.

You may or may not realize that advertising is not about instant sales. It's about repetition. It's about keeping your business name out there so that when customers are ready to buy, they'll remember your ad.

For instance:

Suppose you own a growing pest control company. You place a display ad in the newspaper once or twice a week in keeping with the theory that eventually, bugs will find their way into readers' homes and they'll remember your ad. "Geez, I need to call a pest control company...who's that guy who advertises in The Times?"

Or, suppose you own an accounting firm. You’re looking to expand by taking on new monthly or quarterly write-up clients. Same thing. You place display ads in local publications hoping that when business owners tire of dickering with the books themselves, they'll remember your ads and give you a call. "I don't have time for all this #$&@!^. What's the name of that accounting firm that advertises in The Herald-Tribune?"

The Problem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Display advertising is a hit and miss proposition at best. Suppose 100 people view your ad. Two will be ready to buy right now. Those prospects may or may not respond. 80 individuals might be in the market for your product or service some day in the future—but not right now, while they’re looking at your ad. They may set your ad aside. They may not. If they don’t, you have to hope your ad appears again when they’re ready to make the call. And then there’s the 18 other people who will never buy your product or service--let's forget about them.

I made those numbers up, but they clarify an important point. (Note that those numbers would obviously change for the worse if your ad appeared in a publication that missed your target market.) The point being that the only time prospects can—and will—respond to your ad is when they’re ready to make a purchase. So you’ve got to advertise on a regular basis to build confidence in your business and to keep your name visible.

It’s the nature of advertising, especially for non-impulse products and services. Your ad has to be there at just the right time when your prospect is ready to buy. Purchasers of accounting, legal, web design and print services typically begin thinking about the purchase long before they make the call. As do purchasers of house painting, well-check MRI scans, pianos and landscaping.

If your prospects are still in the “thinking about it” stage when they see your ad, chances are they won’t call. They may set the ad aside for future reference. Then again, they may not.

So how can you use your display advertisements to grab prospects' interest while they’re still in the “mulling it over” or “waiting for finances” stage?

The Solution

If you want to maximize your display advertising dollars, try expanding your sales cycle a bit. Instead of using your display ads to capture those two people who are ready to buy, use it to capture the 80 others who are likely to buy sometime in the future.

How? By creating a “free” informational report and offering it in your ad instead. This report accomplishes a number of objectives at once. It lets you…

1. Capture names and addresses of people who have shown a self-qualified interest in your products or services
   
2. Save on additional hit-and-miss advertising by spending your resources on follow-ups with these self-qualified prospects
   
3. “Say more” about your business than a display ad does, and give you plenty of room to let your prospects see why you’re better than your competitors (who hopefully, do not use this strategy)
   
4. Educate prospects on the ins and outs of using your product or service

For example:

~~An accountant could issue a report called, “How to Select an Accountant,” or “10 Questions to Ask Your Prospective Accountant Before You Give Him Your Books.” If you serve a niche market, tailor your report around it.

~~A lawyer specializing in nursing home abuse could issue a report entitled, “Protect Your Loved Ones by Being Aware of These 7 Signs of Nursing Home Abuse.”

~~A web design firm can prepare a report called, “8 Fatal Mistakes Businesses Make When Getting on the Web…and How You Can Avoid Them.”

~~A printer could offer a free report entitled, “Business Brochure Checklist—Everything You Need to Know to Produce a Winning Company Brochure.”

~~A piano retailer can issue a report titled, “Everything You Need to Know Before You Invest in Your First Piano.”

A free report (or a series of free reports) for your business will let you stay one step ahead of your competition, whose display ads are most likely designed to capture those two single prospects who are ready to buy now. And with your free report, chances are good you’ll capture those two prospects as well.

(By the way, this same technique works well for direct mail letter or postcard campaigns, as well as with email campaigns--and even in phone book ads.)

If you'd like to talk about the feasibility of producing a free report for your business, email me or give me a call.

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