A friend of mine used to write daily affirmations on his bathroom mirror. Each morning, inspiration stared back at him as he brushed his teeth and combed his hair. No one else ever saw the messages, but he did and, to him, that’s all that mattered. Too often, this mindset carries over into small business advertising.
Small business owners tend to advertise only on stations and in publications they personally enjoy. “Maybe we should focus our advertising on WZZZ: The Snooze. My wife and I listen every night before bed and so does my General Manager.” Now, I’m not going to ask how you know so much about your GM’s nocturnal habits, but I will ask this…“who cares what you listen to?!”
There’s no profit in advertising to you…nor your wife…nor your staff…nor your friends.
You see – stick with me now, big point coming, advertising is supposed to reach and attract people who would not otherwise spend money with your company. Do you, your wife, your staff or your friends fit that description? Then they’re not your target audience.
Advertising agencies apply metrics to determine the best venues to deliver the client’s message to the appropriate audience. We know how many people ages 35-49, with household incomes of $100k+ listen to The Snooze between noon-3pm on Wednesdays. These are called ratings, which we offset against the cost of placement to determine value.
Your personal preference in radio stations, TV shows, magazines and websites means absolutely nothing. Trust the numbers to guide you to rational decisions that lead to more customers, more sales and more success or the next affirmation on your morning mirror may read, “this will be the best going out of business sale ever.”