10 advertising No-No's.Independent agents and brokers are sales and service professionals. But they typically struggle with marketing and advertising issues. I-Marketing Management has observed the top 10 advertising mistakes--and offers remedies: 1. NO PLAN. Create an annual marketing plan with goals. Start small; first consider targeting customers. 2. NO BUDGET. Spend 2%-3% of revenues on advertising and promotion; more (5%) when merging or introducing a new service. 3. NO CLIENT CONTACT. Spend marketing dollars on clients before spending any on strangers. 4. NO CLEAR AND PRE-TESTED MESSAGES. Keep it simple, and ask a group of customers if your messages work before you advertise. 5. NO UNIFIED LOOK. Spread all your marketing pieces out on a table and ask truthfully if they appear to be from the same firm. 6. DO-IT-YOURSELF do-it-your·self adj. Of, relating to, or designed to be done by an amateur or as a hobby: do-it-yourself home repairs; a do-it-yourself sailboat kit. DESIGN. Insurance experts and design experts are rarely the same people. Hire a creative designer. 7. NOT SHOWING PEOPLE. People buy from people, so show off your staff. Use client testimonials, too. 8. NO STAYING POWER. Testing an ad for one week isn't is·n't Contraction of is not. isn't is not isn't be a campaign. If your message is clear and effective, make it a long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. effort, even if you're you're Contraction of you are. you're you are you're be not in the media every week. 9. SPRAY AND PRAY Spray and pray is a derisive term for firing an automatic firearm towards an enemy in long bursts, without aiming. This may be done especially when quick reaction is needed to achieve a form of suppressive fire, either when aiming proves too difficult (for example due to a moving . The ad rep touts a special, "200 ads for 200 bucks" That's rarely a deal--unless you like your ads running Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. at 2 a.m. Advertise when it's relevant to your target audience. 10. NOT TRACKING RESULTS. Find ways to gauge campaign results monthly, quarterly, yearly. By Peter van Aartrijk, co-founder of I-Marketing Management. Insurance Marketing is compiled by Managing Editor Lynna Goch. |
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