Or do you even have a clue? Advertising is one of those crafts that every window cleaning business owner has done, and more often than not, has done it unsuccessfully.
I have seen dozens of marketing pieces from window cleaners and new clients I bring on, insisting that they have an excellent piece for their company, something they may have spent a lot of money to create. Yet, when I ask them what their ROI (return on investment) was from that marketing campaign or single advertising piece, they get a blank look on their face. They have no clue.
They say, “Well, look how nice and glossy it is and look at my logo.”
Marketing is all about numbers
It’s a science. I want to know (and you need to also) that I’m generating a return of 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, or 20 back in return for every dollar invested in a marketing piece or campaign. This means every advertising campaign must be trackable.
There are ads created to make the business owner feel good or make the business owner money. You know which one is more important.
The problem is most people don’t know how to create a marketing piece, let alone campaigns that generate a response in their market of potential clients, so they fall back on what they think looks good. Everyone else sees their competitors doing this and assumes this must be working, and they do the same.
Start looking at your local Valpak, local magazines, newspapers, postcards, flyers, door hangers, and even google ads and see how many you could plug your name into. It could work – because everyone’s marketing pieces look just like everyone else’s. They are what is called Image ads. They all look pretty much the same.
So what’s the answer?
Credit: Marshall Lundberg
It’s designing a marketing piece that creates a response and a return on your investment. Start getting away from the usual image advertising and create direct response style ads instead and watch your ROI grow.
What is a direct response marketing piece? It’s an ad that contains 5 important elements.
- It has a compelling headline.
- It creates interest in our service(s).
- It creates a desire in the prospective client.
- It has a specific offer.
- It has a deadline.
It does not contain a large logo taking up a large area on the marketing piece. Sure, the logo is there, but that is not the most essential part of the ad. It needs to be placed anywhere but there! The prospective client could care less about your company name or colors.
A good marketing piece also does not have large areas of white space. Instead, it is filled with content designed to create interest to drive the prospect to call or visit your website, where the marketing continues. Most ads have their logo at the top – big and bold, followed by a phone number, a glossy picture, and some phrase that says “we are the best.” Hogwash!
Direct response is results-based
You know exactly how much you spent on the marketing piece, how much money you made from the jobs to determine your ROI. It gives your prospects something they want and tells them exactly what to do to get it. It gives them compelling reasons to use you.
Look for more on this over the coming months to get your marketing pieces on point…
Here’s a preview:
Strategic Marketing
Strategic Marketing has to do with what you say, how you say it, and who you tell it. In other words, it’s the content of your marketing message.
Tactical Marketing
Tactical Marketing is the execution of your strategic marketing plan to generate leads, place media, create marketing tools, and implement a follow-up system. In other words, it’s the medium your message is delivered in.
The distinction between Strategic and Tactical Marketing is huge. Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing that you’re automatically talking about Tactical Marketing–-placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth.
They fail to realize that the strategic side of the coin–-what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to–-is almost always more essential than the marketing medium WHERE you say it.
Strategies are all designed to make your marketing pieces WIN!
Thanks for reading!
Jim DuBois is the founder of Squeegee Pros, Inc. out of Mooresville, NC, and is the creator of WindowWashingWealth.com. Visit the site for a FREE MARKETING REPORT and 24-page BUSINESS BUILDING MANUAL. Window Washing Wealth is a high-level business coaching program specializing in aggressive marketing tactics, systems implementation, and growth trajectory execution – all leading to an auto-pilot business. Email [email protected] or call 704-451-0409.