This is a guest post from the very talented Patrick Walsh. Patrick has 20+ years helping big, small and bootstrappers like us see that our current marketing and advertising isn’t working for us as well as it should be.
His Company Map business Growth Strategy helps you to optimize your message in the three critical areas of business, you’ll discover the profit power you have, right now, within your business just waiting to be tapped.
When you make an advertising claim, don’t think about it in terms of coming out of your mouth; instead, think of it in terms of it entering your prospect’s ears.
When you do this, you will realize how ridiculous, non-compelling, boring and flat-out stupid much of the advertising you see and hear sounds.
What we’re trying to accomplish here is simple; we are going to discuss a common sense evaluation you can use to judge whether or not your ads, ads you’re spending GOOD money on, are any good.
Wouldn’t you like to know if what you’re writing and spending your advertising budget on is any good–before you actually spend the money?
The first evaluation you need to use is pretty simple. It is also, however, the one most likely to be failed. It is called, simply…
Well, I Would Hope So!
Whenever you say anything in your advertising or marketing, ask yourself if the prospect will immediately respond to what you’ve said with: “Well, I would hope so!”
To illustrate this; write on a piece of paper why a prospect would favor your business over the competition.
Then use the “Well I Would Hope So” evaluation and see if the answers hold weight.
Let me give you an idea by giving you some of the answers from other industries. A huge printing company gave as their number one reason to choose them over the other sixteen zillion other printers: “We help the non-professional print buyer understand the various options available.” Here’s what you should say to that kind of claim: Well I would hope so! You’re a printer! Isn’t that what you do? See how ridiculous that answer sounds?
An insurance agency claims in their advertising that “they’ll be there for you when you have a claim.” Well, I would hope so! What else would they say?
See how this works? Just read any headline or any claim out of one of your advertisements and then see if it spawns this response: Well, I would hope so!
These usual, lazy communicator claims, are like your barber telling you that your hair will be shorter after it’s cut, or the gas station telling you you’ll have more gas after you fill the tank.
Always, always, always use this important evaluation question whenever you make any claim.
Go ahead and take this test right now.
Answer the question: “why would anyone choose you over your competitors?”
Then honestly evaluate your answer against the “Well, I would hope so!” evaluation.
If you can’t come up with the answer instantly and articulate it well, you can bet that your customers don’t know why either.
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