People do not buy tours, they buy memorable vacation experiences. For example, people don’t buy a tram ride because it has a 60 passenger capacity or can reach top speeds of 26 miles per hour, they buy breathtaking vistas and shared experiences.
To make your advertising work, stay away from your product and service features and pay attention to the benefits. What benefits are of interest to your target market(s)? Start by listing as many benefits as you can about your product or service. Next, identify the chief benefit, the main reason why you think people buy from you? Then, use your chief benefit to get people’s attention.
By focusing on the benefits, you won’t get carried away by the advertising. Many agencies and marketing firms want you to believe that creative, edgy, even risky advertising works, that advertising is about getting people interested in the ad first. This isn’t true. People don’t buy ads, they buy products and services. Your ad may get noticed - but so what? How many times have you said “great ad!”, only to quickly forget about the product or service? Your benefits will interest people, not your ads.
[Your product or service may have many benefits but don't overwhelm your audience. Stick to your top one or two benefits, no more than three. Clearly communicate them in meaningful ways - igniting interest from your target audience(s).]
Lastly, your ads need to have a clear call to action. Far too many advertising dollars are wasted without any call to action. Just flip through a magazine or channel surf on TV. You’ll find that even some of the top brands miss the mark on effective advertising. When developing your call to action, think about what you want people to do next? Do you want your audience to call you, fill in a Web survey, purchase tickets, clip coupons, or enter a contest?
To make marketing work, you need to follow-up on your benefits by telling people what to do next. Set targets and measure results.
