Helpful Articles About Advertising

How Did You Hear About Us?

That's a question many advertisers may want to ask in order to track results of their advertising dollars.

Michael Corbett, author of The 33 Ruthless Rules of Local Advertising advises this: "Don't ask customers what brought them in." Corbett cites the example of a new super lumber-type store. Customers were polled as they entered the store on grand opening weekend and asked, "What brought you in?" Roughly 50% said radio, 30% said TV, and 20% said newspaper.

Guess what? The grand opening was advertised only on radio and in the newspaper. Yet 30% were very sure that they saw the ad on TV! Why is that? Corbett states several contributing factors that affect polling or tracking results:

• People don't know what brought them in.
• People don't know that they don't know what brought them in.
• People don't like not knowing what brought them in and they want to be helpful, so they'll make things up.

Further, he advises "Never change your multiple media advertising plans based on what people say brought them in."

When you consider that we’re barraged with over 3,000 advertising messages every day, it’s no wonder that people don’t know or don’t remember!

It's Corbett's belief that "The only foolproof way to evaluate advertising effectiveness is by setting measurable growth objectives for your business, and by monitoring the results in the cash register. Period."

Or you might consider how our computer repair advertiser "figured out how this works," as Wayne recently explained. "Our ad in Coffee News put us on the map. People see the ad all the time, but not necessarily when they need our services. Then when they do have a need, they pick up the phone book to look for a company. They see our name there and remember it - rather than our competitors - because they've been seeing our ad. We don't have a big splashy ad, just a listing. When I ask a caller how they found us, they might say the phone book. But I know it probably started with the name awareness generated by our ad in Coffee News."

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If Your Doors Are Open, You Should Be Advertising

The title is actually Rule #10 from a book that I highly recommend, The 33 Ruthless Rules of Local Advertising, by Michael Corbett with Dave Stilli. Here’s a brief summary of his reasons why you need to continuously advertise:

1. People Shop All The Time. You're not advertising to a standing army. You're advertising to a passing parade.

2. People Move. As much as twenty-five percent of the market is mobile each year. There are always new consumers to educate and motivate.

3. People Forget. How many advertising impressions do you remember from yesterday? How many advertising impressions do you think you were exposed to since yesterday? (Actually, the number I just heard is 3,000 ads EVERY DAY!)

4. People Often Take Their Time Before Buying. Advertisers need to keep their message out in front of the consumer throughout the buying cycle, especially for larger purchases: from deciding to shop, to making determinations on product and price, to making the purchase.

5. To Establish An Equity Position In The Consumer Community. Simply put, "When someone needs your product or service, they think of you."