| Can
Advertising Synergy Help Your Company?
If you want to compete in the business world, chances
are you'll need to advertise. The Internet seems to be
the way of the future in attracting new business - but
let's face it - we're not there yet. Not if today's 14
billion dollar Yellow Pages industry is any indicator.
Your advertising arsenal may include a website, Yellow
Page ad in one or several books, local print ad spots,
brochures, stationary, business cards, direct mailers,
uniforms, the sign on your store-front, or the graphics
on the side of your service trucks. Your advertising budget
is limited, so you'll have to choose wisely.
Consider this - is there a
unified look that runs throughout your advertising elements
and ties them all together? There should be.
One key to a well-balanced advertising suite is the use
of synergy - tying everything together with a common theme
such that the entire effect is greater than the sum of
the individual parts.
This would include a dominant logo with a color scheme
that is common throughout your advertising elements. Ideally,
your website would match with your Yellow Page ads as well
as your business cards, letterhead, etc. Your uniforms
would have the same colors as your latest direct mailer.
The reward of a common advertising
theme is that sharper, overall more professional look that
says to the customer and the rest of the world that your
business is a legitimate success. Yours is a company that
can be trusted with my hard earned cash. Your company is
the one that can be counted on to deliver top quality work.
You can solve the problems of any customer efficiently
and reliably. The effect on the potential customer is huge.
Picture the person rifling through the local yellow pages
because they desperately need an electrician - they call
your ad because it matches your service trucks that they’ve
seen all over town. Maybe it shows in a direct mailer that
you send out to local customers extolling the virtues of
your company or announces your latest great offer. It may
also be evident in the business card that you attach to
every invoice and gets passed on to the customer's friend
or relative. Referrals and word-of-mouth recognition are
great ways to get new business and you want to maximize
this potential.
The synergistic effect of a unified advertising campaign
is important in shaping your company’s public perception.
Businesses all over the world do great work and they know
it – their company’s internal reality screams
excellence. Yet, it is the company’s public perception
(advertising) that customers see and often leads to new
customers, growth, and ultimate success. And synergy in
advertising is a great way to let the public know what you
already know – that your company understands the importance
of excellence in every endeavor it undertakes.
So, what does your advertising say to potential customers?
Are you benefiting from the synergy effect? Ideally, your
business is competitive, and your advertising shouts you
are here to solve problems fast, effectively, and at a fair
price. Ideally your advertising sets you apart from the
competition by simply stating, "We're better, and here's
why." These are the fundamentals of great advertising.
But synergy is an effective way to illustrate your company’s
ultimate interest in striving not only for new customers,
but also for an image that is only equated with excellence.
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