Don't Argue, Less Really is More.

When I introduce the subject of Less is More in advertising seminars, I immediately get some push-back. How could less advertising be better than more advertising?

I answer that I am not really talking about advertising frequency or budgets. Rather, the point applies to advertising messages. Especially for small business.

The purpose of an advertising event is to make an impression on the audience. Obviously, a positive impression is preferred. And, as mentioned in an earlier posting, the key to doing that is to answer The Big Question.(see The Big Question post.)  You can't do that effectively if you try to be all things to all people.

Which brings me back to Less is More. If you have a huge advertising budget, like McDonald’s, you can afford to run multiple campaigns with different messages. They run campaigns for breakfast, new salads, new coffee options, and kids meals, all at the same time. And it works for them.
It won't work for you (assuming you run a small business).

Why? Because everyone seeing/hearing a McDonald’s ad already knows exactly what they are and what they offer. They use their commercials to mention something new, or to re-enforce an already-known image.

If you operate the typical small business, most people don't really know your company, or what you can do for them. Very few know how you are different from the competition. Even if you have been around for decades, most of your prospects haven't used your services and have only a vague idea about your operations. And you don't have millions of advertising dollars to spend telling them.

 FOCUS

Pick one area of your industry to specialize in, make sure you do that one thing far better than the competition, make that one thing a key element of every part of your company, and use your advertising to
pound away at that one message.
Somewhere between the 3rd and 5th time your audience hears / sees you advertising on that one message, they will finally assimilate the general idea. (Remember, they aren't paying close attention, so you need to hit them hard and often to get the message across.)

The objection I most often hear to this philosophy runs like this. “We do many things, and don't have money to run lots of commercials, so we must make each one tell our whole story.” While this argument seems logical on the surface, it ignores the most important element: the audience. They aren't really paying close attention, and the MOST you can reasonably hope for is that they will take away one thought from your ad. So make it a big point, and make it count. All of the extras you throw in will just get lost in the noise.

How will you know if the Less is More strategy is gaining traction? First, new customers will start calling and asking about the One Thing. Second, you will get your competition's attention, but they probably aren't reading this Blog, and won't be smart enough to respond effectively.

Practical Tip of the Day:

• Gather up all of the advertising / promotional material you used in the last 2 years.
• Make a list of all the products, services, features and benefits, and customer value you mentioned in those ads.
• Look for 2-4 that make up a common theme, and that (hopefully) set you apart from the competition.
• Build your ads around that one theme for the next 6 months, and watch the impact.