AdVentures Advertisements Produce Results!

Writing it Right!

Trust Your Audience. Find Your Style.Trust Yourself.
By Dick Anderson, M.A, President, AdVentures and
Editorial and Creative Consultant for the Psychotherapy Networker

It's hard to trust the marketplace.
Often the competition feels so fierce that we are tempted to create an image of ourselves, rather than allow our audience and potential clients to see us as we really are. However, such persona creation achieves, at best, short-lived success. In the long term, it can damage reputations and careers. Respect the value of your own product or service and treat your potential clients as intelligent consumers.They will recognize quality when they see it and reward you with their business.

1. RESPECT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE.

A. Poor marketing strategies degrade your product or service. You respect yourself when you recognize that advertising decisions are important because they are you. In other words, "What they see is what you are."

B. Participate in your own marketing. This admonition may sound strange, but many professionals wash their hands of marketing decisions claiming ignorance, lack of talent, lack of interest, or even disdain for the process! No ad person, copy writer, or designer can tell your story without your active supervision and participation.

C. Use a professional when necessary. Part of respecting your product or service is knowing when to turn to a professional. Amateur photos, home computer type, self-written copy and proofreading, and design by "a friend of a friend" can make your product or services appear less than professional.

2. TRUST YOUR AUDIENCE.

A. Quality. Value. Integrity. Your audience is capable of recognizing a sound product or service if they are addressed in terms of their own needs. And remember, they are not simply consumers, but potential contributors of referrals and recommendations. Value your audience and they will help you expand your business.

B. Don't oversell. Don't make promises you can't keep. Describe your products and services accurately. If you "Tell It Like You Are" there will be plenty of room for expansion and improvement in the future.

3. FIND YOUR STYLE, TRUST YOURSELF.

A. Listen to your comfort level. If you are uncomfortable about a proposed strategy or idea, pay attention—even, or especially, if the idea is proposed by a marketing professional. While respecting the experience of your consultant, you alone know the most about your product or service. Don't be afraid to amend or reject proposals. Marketing is a process, and a good deal of time is spent going "back to the drawing board." This process is a necessary step in finding your own unique style.

B. Make a prototype. You can safe yourself a lot of time, aggravation, and especially money if you make a "dummy,"
(prototype) of your proposed brochure, leaflet, business card, web site, etc. Sometimes a sketch will do. This gives your artist, copy writer, designer, etc. a clear sense of your purpose.

C. Interact! It is very difficult and risky to discover your style and trust your decisions on your own. Marketing is a process. Trust yourself and your consultant develops as you exercise the process.