Your Advertising in a Pandemic!

It is a noisy out in the world. In this pandemic, the digital world got even noisier. With more and more people working from home, the online world is a busy, hectic place. Distractions are everywhere. On average, your customer receives over 6,000 advertising messages on any day. Messages delivered by traditional media like television, radio, newspaper, magazines, direct mail and outdoor. Messages are delivered online through digital display, direct response, and social media. They arrive through computers, tablets, smartphones, and even smart watches. There is a lot of competition for their attention.

First, do not invest in one medium only. It is the worst thing to do. Your message will be lost in the tidal wave of advertising that lands on your customer every day. Better to think about your advertising as a ‘campaign’. Like a traditional military action, war is waged in the air, on the high seas and on land. The objective is to win the war. Using a single medium only is like waging war in the skies only. But you end up losing on the ground and the sea. In the end, you lose the war.

Start with a single clear message. It could be 0% financing. Send that 0% financing message to your customers through multiple media. It must be a mix of media that your budget will allow. It might be radio, direct mail flyers and digital display. Each one is aimed at the same customer carrying that same 0% message.

It has been proven time and again that sales increase when a message is delivered by a campaign, not a single medium. The same logic applies when you look at your inventory. The most profitable vehicle in your line-up is likely a pick-up truck. And you probably sell as many as you can get your hands on. Why not sell pick-ups exclusively then? It is obvious that there are lots of customers that have no need nor any interest in a pick-up truck. They want a small car, a sports car or maybe a minivan. If you do not stock different types of vehicles, you must turn away those buyers hoping that another pick-up truck buyer shows up soon.

This is also true in media. Not everyone listens to the radio. Not everyone has a social media account. Not everyone reads direct mail. However, you can reach more people with a campaign. Varied media will complement and reinforce your message. A professionally written radio spot gives your message some excitement and emotion. A carefully crafted social media message gets shares and likes from people to expand your audience. A well-designed direct mail piece gives a customer enough detail to act.

Any teacher will happily explain that their students have different ways to consume course material. Some students are visual learners where images are most important. Others are audio learners where they must hear something a few times to get it. And still others learn by doing something physically before they learn it. Your customers fall into the same broad cross sections. Some audio, some visual and some action oriented. Each medium will reach these different personality types in a relevant way. Combined they will elevate the value of your message and encourage action.

A good campaign will reach more of them to provide enough leads to keep your sales staff engaged in follow-ups.