When Your Client Says "Our Ads Aren't Working"

    • 993 posts
    February 13, 2015 7:19 PM PST

    Our friend "Doctor" Phil Bernstein has been faithfully blogging away since the first of the year, with thoughtful and occasionally provocative insights designed to help anyone who sells (or buys) advertising.

    Recently we shared Phil's 3-step plan for ascertaining a prospect's advertising budget.

    In this post, entitled "Why Your Advertising Isn't Working (Don't Blame the Media)," Phil writes:

    In my advertising sales/consulting practice, I meet with about 200 local businesses each year.

    • They hear from television advertising salespeople, telling them to get out of radio because radio doesn’t work.
    • They hear from radio advertising salespeople, telling them to get out of newspaper because newspaper doesn’t work.
    • They hear from social media “experts” telling them to get out of radio, newspaper and television because traditional media doesn’t work.

    Here’s the dirty little secret I pass along to them:

    There are plenty of potential customers who watch television, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, and consume media online every single day. When I hear that the advertising isn’t working, it’s generally one (or more) of three problems:

    1. They didn’t get the message right. You’ve got to tell a story your audience cares about, and give them a good reason to do business with you.

    2. They aren’t delivering the message often enough, or consistently enough. Customers will buy when they’re ready and not a moment before. You need to keep reminding them.

    3. They don’t deliver on the promises their advertising makes, and the audience doesn’t believe them.

    If you tackle the issues above, you’ll get the advertising to work. If you don’t, switching media isn’t going to help.

    READ PHIL'S ENTIRE POST HERE