John Kuraoka, freelance advertising copywriter

www.kuraoka.com
(619) 465-6100
Do you make these mistakes in advertising?

“Everyone makes mistakes.” Yes, but the fact remains that victory – in sport, in war, in sales, or in market share – generally goes to those who make the fewest mistakes. Here are six of the most-common mistakes in advertising.

1. Failing to advertise. Do this, and you walk away from a vast amount of potential sales, squandering your existing business. Advertising is the engine of growth-oriented commerce – start it up.

2. Failing to spend enough money. To be effective, your advertising must achieve critical mass. Halfway there, or even nine-tenths of the way there, is nowhere near and money wasted. I have known cases where a 50% larger newspaper ad, which cost only 20% more money to run, drew 800% more responses than the smaller ad. Every ad budget is limited, whether it’s $100 or $100 million. Spend yours where its weight will make a difference.

3. Failing to craft your message. If you’ve put your money on the wrong horse, doubling your investment will only double your loss. The same is true of your advertising message. Yet, here is a case where one well-crafted ad can do the work of ten mediocre ones, both in readership and in results. A quarter-page newspaper ad I wrote brought more than half a million dollars in new deposits for a small Midwestern financial institution.

4. Testing media with one or two insertions. Yes, you should test selected new media. However, a valid test is one that gives that medium a chance to succeed. That means an insertion schedule equaling that of your other media buys. If your budget lacks enough to do a valid test, don’t test at all and put the money into proven efforts.

5. Viewing branding as a goal instead of a milestone. Capturing hearts and minds are measurable milestones, but your real goal is capturing profitable market share. For more about Brand Management As It Should Be, see Brands and branding: a white paper.

6. Following blindly marketing advice you find online or in books. Generic advice, while often valid, can only get you so far. At some point, you have to engage your brain (or the brain of a professional advertising or marketing person) and consider your specific situation, product, customer, and need.

Many a business falters because of one or more of these mistakes in advertising. Likewise, many an outwardly successful company fails to realize its full potential.

These are six common mistakes – but, being common they often combine or, even more insidious, masquerade as intelligent policy. If you decide a review of your current advertising is in order, I will be happy to cast an impartial, experienced eye over your ads, and tell you in what ways I can help improve your ads and your results. Just email me at .
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More advertising & marketing advice.

Advertising strategy and other lies
An advertising copywriter’s bookshelf: recommended books
Brands and branding: a white paper
Free (yes, free) advertising copywriting resources
Four ad copy traps that ensnare even experienced copywriters
How to become an advertising copywriter
How to take your copywriting portfolio to the next level
How to write better ads
How to write a brochure: advice from an advertising copywriter
Long John Silver on writing ads
More career advice: what’s it like being an advertising copywriter?
Napoleon’s advice to entrepreneurs, Part I: starting the enterprise
Napoleon’s advice to entrepreneurs, Part II: the entrepreneurial character
Napoleon’s advice to entrepreneurs, Part III: growing the enterprise
The ART of repurposing marketing copy (Or, why you shouldn’t use brochure copy as web content)
The economy (and what to do about it)
The Tightwad Marketing project
When you should consider hiring a freelance copywriter
Advertising copywriting mentorship
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My experience as a copywriter.

John Kuraoka, freelance advertising copywriter

www.kuraoka.com (619) 465-6100 Do you make these mistakes in advertising?

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My experience as a copywriter.

Answers to frequently asked questions.

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Email me.

www.kuraoka.com
(619) 465-6100
Do you make these mistakes in advertising?