Advertising Mistakes That Will Destroy Brand Credibility

Despite the fact that many companies today have decades of research and experience under their belts, many still make detrimental advertising mistakes that lead to loss of clients, lower sales, and a tarnished brand reputation. It’s easy to get caught up in your goals and forget what works for your audience. Here are some common advertising mistakes to avoid, so you can protect your brand credibility.

Not Identifying the Target Audience

You might think it makes sense to advertise to as many potential customers as possible, but this is one of the biggest advertising makes you can make. You will ultimately waste your time and money trying to campaign to the masses without focusing on your target audience.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter how amazing and life-changing your product or service is, there are people who will never use it. When creating your marketing and advertising campaigns, you need to know exactly who the product or service is intended for. Narrow it down by demographics, focus groups, or locations, to the people who would most likely buy into your offer. Laser focus on this group and be intentional about every word in your newspaper advertisement.

Overdoing the Ads

Do you remember watching a show on television and seeing the same advertisement played during every commercial break? By the end of the show, you end up annoyed at the brand and wanting to mute or turn off your TV every time it comes on. As an advertiser, you should do your best not to overdo your newspaper ads. Spend your investment wisely to create a few but effective ad campaigns that are intelligent and contagious, so that you can sell your product.

Making the Message All About You

You can be selling the best product in the world, but your audience does not want another sales message. Even though you likely spent endless hours developing this new product or service, telling your customer how good it is will not go far. They don’t care so much about how good your service or product is, but they do care about what is in it for them.

How does your product save them money and time? How does your product solve a problem that your potential customers have? How can they spend more money to get a bigger satisfaction return? How does it improve their life? When you write your advertising message, be sure that you focus on your prospects. Focus on their needs and express how your offer makes their life easier.

Ignoring Your Competitors

With the variety of products and services available around the world today, it’s highly unlikely that your business is completely unique. You might have a personalized spin on certain aspects, or you might have taken a product or service to the next level, but when it all comes down to it you are going up against many other companies that offer almost the same products or services as you. If you don’t remember this ahead of making your campaign, you will get lost in the competition.

To avoid this mistake, take some time to research what your closest competitors are doing. Observe their ads and social campaigns and find out what they are promising. Who is their target audience? Is there a gap in the market that you can fill instead of them?

Consider the Dollar Shave Club, for example. The razors are nothing new. This company sells razors and shaving supplies in a market dominated by huge brands like Gilette, Bic, and Schick. But they took it to the next level. They created outrageous online ads that are honest, funny, and effective. Their subscription box service went viral and was a success overnight. Customers don’t need to go to the store to replenish razors ever again; they will have fresh supplies delivered to their mailbox every month.

Instead of ignoring the competitive landscape, think about what makes your product or service unique. Differentiate yourself and find your angle. Find a way to stand out from your competitors so that you can be more effective for your audience.

Selecting the Wrong Medium for Your Campaign

When you are excited to tell your audience about your new product or service, it’s easy to overlook the importance of how you deliver your message. This is a big mistake. The smallest mistake when choosing the medium for your campaign can damage your brand. Also, since customer opinions can quickly go viral online, seemingly small mistakes like these can severely impact your reputation.

Borrowing Interest

Another mistake to avoid is associating your brand with things that are irrelevant to you. Just because there is an ongoing trend that is working for other advertisers, does not mean it will work for yours. Don’t try adding hashtags or images that have nothing to do with your product or service just so you can trend with other companies. Stay in your area of interest and demonstrate yourself as an expert and that field.

Let North American Media Help You Create a Successful Print Ad Campaign

If you want to create a print ad campaign or purchase advertising space in a niche magazine, we can help you develop and present ads that avoid these mistakes and bring you success. We can help you from start to finish by targeting your prospective customers and influencing them with the right words, images, and presentations.

At North American Media, our specialty is helping our clients create a newspaper, magazine, and direct mail ad campaigns that grab readers’ attention and encourage them to act. We offer a variety of services to our clients including print media advertising in newspapers & magazines, direct mail marketing, digital marketing, alternative media/inserts, radio & TV advertising, list brokerage, data solutions, list fulfillment, and list management, and we can create a customized solution to suit your goals.

For more information about how we can help grow your business through print ads, contact us at (475) 256-0303.