We live in a global community managing ongoing sensory overload. So grabbing attention for your business may feel like an overwhelming task. But we want to help you move through the fear and onto the other side, where people notice what you’re doing and want to use your product or service. With this in mind we have rounded up seven top tips and tricks to help your small business’s advert stand out in a crowd and set you apart from your competitors.
1. Focus on benefits as well as features
Features
Features refer to the part of your business that distinguishes it from others in your field. This is key as it will help your customers choose between suppliers and make purchasing decisions that are in your favour. But here’s the important thing to keep in mind: Purely focusing on promoting your service’s features can come across as overly "salesy" and is often ineffective. Especially when marketing to a very wide audience who don’t really know your business.
Benefits
This is where is can be really strategic to rather focus on the benefits of your product. This can prove to be really persuasive and make a real impression on your audience. US cleaning giants Tide did this really well with their Superbowl advert. While they could have chosen to demo the features of their product by showing a dirty shirt becoming clean again. Rather, they took a different angle and focused on the big advantage: Clean and crisp shirts.
2. Only offer one core message
Don’t try and be everything to everybody. Trying to read an advert that is crammed with info is both overwhelming and ineffective. If you want to hook people and persuade them to read the rest of your advert, just convey one message and one message only! By placing one core business benefit under the spotlight you will be making it really easy for your audience to understand your value, by grasping that one core message and increasing conversion. The way to position this message is in some way answering the question: How is my product or service’s main feature going to benefit my customer’s life? Once identified, tell them about it.
3. Keep it visual
As babies we took in the world through images. These images then became associated with behaviours and things, for example a ball means it’s play time. We are wired to take in the world through images and in fact we can understand visual info in 250 milliseconds with a visual system that activates over 50% of the brain. That is really powerful maths. In other words, your advertising design must first and foremost tell a visual story. This will ensure people grasp the concept intuitively and emotionally. A great example of this is a recent McDonalds campaign where they told their message by simply using a combination of emojis, allowing emotion and visuals to fill in the gap that “burgers make you happy”.
4. Create effective design
While the copy in an advert will give your customer all the relevant information. The design begins speaking to them way before the words do. Design is a crucial component of your brand identity and is responsible for sparking attention and drawing in an audience who wants to read more. Consider using easy apps like Over which helps you create eye-catching template- based marketing material.
5. Surprise viewers with unexpected images
A great way to make your advertising stand out is by using unexpected images that garner a reaction from your viewers. This technique has been called “shockvertising”, because it evokes strong feelings in the audience. This makes them a lot more likely to engage with your advert.
6. Channel your inner comedian
If it fits with your brand, then make a joke of it. Humour works wonders when it comes to advertising. This is because it not only secures your audience’s attention, but it also increases memorability, overcomes sales resistance and enhances message persuasiveness. This is one of the reasons that Nando’s have such an edge on the competition.
The bottom line
Advertising is essential for any business owner. Whether its online or on traditional media you need to make sure you are thinking cleverly and strategically. These six tips can make all the difference between making a sale or getting lost in the crowd.
