You work hard for your money.
So when you spend some of it advertising your business, you want it to work.
You want people to see your ad.
Understand what you offer.
And hopefully contact you.
But sometimes the advertisement does not work.
Nobody calls.
Nobody clicks.
Nobody buys.
Then you start thinking:
Advertising does not work.
But that may not be the problem.
Sometimes the advertisement itself is the problem.
A few small mistakes can make people ignore an otherwise good business.
The good news is that most of these mistakes are easy to fix.
Here are 10 common advertising mistakes small businesses make.
1. Talking Too Much About Yourself
This is one of the biggest mistakes.
The advertisement starts like this:
We are a family owned company with 20 years of experience.
We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service.
We are dedicated to quality and professionalism.
That may all be true.
But the customer is thinking:
What can you do for me?
That is what matters first.
Imagine you have a broken air conditioner.
You are hot.
You are uncomfortable.
You want it fixed.
You probably care more about this:
AC Not Cooling Your Home? We Can Help.
Now the advertisement is talking about your problem.
That gets your attention.
You can tell people about your experience later.
First, show them that you understand what they need.
2. Trying to Say Too Much
Some advertisements look like someone tried to fit the entire business into one small space.
Ten services.
Five phone numbers.
A website.
Three special offers.
A long paragraph.
Pictures everywhere.
Too much information can make people ignore everything.
Keep it simple.
Pick one main message.
For example:
Need Your House Painted?
Interior and Exterior Painting.
Free Estimates.
Call Today.
That is easy to understand.
Your advertisement does not need to explain everything.
Its job is to make someone interested enough to take the next step.
3. Making People Guess What You Do
Your business name may sound great.
Your logo may look beautiful.
But can people tell what you actually do?
Imagine seeing an advertisement that says:
Johnson Solutions
What does that mean?
Cleaning?
Construction?
Accounting?
Computer repair?
Nobody knows.
Now imagine:
Johnson Solutions
Affordable Home and Office Cleaning
Much better.
People should understand what you offer within a few seconds.
Do not make them figure it out.
Tell them.
4. Using Complicated Words
Some businesses think big words make them sound more professional.
Sometimes they just make the advertisement harder to understand.
For example:
We provide comprehensive residential exterior maintenance solutions.
What does that mean?
Maybe you cut grass.
Then say:
We Cut and Maintain Lawns.
Simple.
Another example:
Bad:
Contact us to inquire about available automotive maintenance solutions.
Better:
Need Your Car Serviced? Call Us Today.
People should not need a dictionary to understand your advertisement.
Write like a normal person.
5. Forgetting to Explain the Benefit
You tell people what you do.
That is good.
But why should they care?
Imagine a cleaning company says:
We Clean Houses.
Okay.
But what does the customer get?
Try this:
Come Home to a Clean House Without Spending Your Day Cleaning It Yourself.
Now the customer can see the benefit.
Another example:
Service:
We Repair Air Conditioners.
Benefit:
Get Your Home Cool and Comfortable Again.
Another:
Service:
We Deliver Groceries.
Benefit:
Get What You Need Without Leaving Home.
People care about what your service does for them.
Show them the result.
6. Not Telling People What to Do Next
Someone likes your advertisement.
Great.
Now what?
Do they call?
Visit your website?
Send a message?
Book an appointment?
Walk into your store?
You need to tell them.
Use a simple call to action.
Call Today.
Get Your Free Quote.
Book Your Appointment.
Visit Our Website.
Send Us a Message.
Order Now.
Do not assume people know what you want them to do.
Tell them.
Make the next step easy.
7. Advertising to Everybody
Your business is probably not for everybody.
That is okay.
Imagine you own a lawn service in Orlando.
Would it make sense to advertise to people in California?
Probably not.
You need people near you who have lawns and may need your service.
Think about who is most likely to buy from you.
Where do they live?
What do they need?
What problem are they trying to solve?
Where do they spend their time?
The better you understand that, the easier advertising becomes.
You do not need everybody to see your ad.
You need the right people to see it.
8. Using a Weak Headline
The headline is often the first thing people see.
If it does not get their attention, they may never read the rest.
Imagine a lawn company uses this headline:
Smith Lawn Services LLC
That is the company name.
But it does not give someone much reason to keep reading.
Try:
Tired of Your Yard Looking Overgrown?
Now you are talking about something the customer may actually care about.
Another example:
Instead of:
ABC Auto Repair
Try:
Car Making a Strange Noise?
Instead of:
Professional Cleaning Services
Try:
No Time to Clean the House?
A good headline makes someone think:
That sounds like me.
9. Spending Money Without Tracking Results
You pay $300 for an advertisement.
Then another $200 somewhere else.
Then $100 somewhere else.
Customers start calling.
Great.
But where did they come from?
If you do not know, you may keep spending money on advertising that is doing nothing.
Ask customers:
How did you hear about us?
You can also use different links, phone numbers, coupon codes or tracking tools when possible.
Maybe you discover that:
Facebook brought 10 customers.
Flyers brought 6.
A local website brought 5.
The expensive magazine advertisement brought none.
Now you know where your money is working.
Advertising should not just be:
Spend money and hope.
Pay attention to what works.
10. Giving Up Too Quickly
You post one advertisement.
Nothing happens.
So you stop.
Sometimes advertising takes time.
People may see your business today.
Then see it again next week.
Then again a month later.
When they finally need your service, they remember you.
Think about how you shop.
You probably do not buy everything the first time you see it.
Your customers are the same way.
That does not mean you should keep spending money forever on something that does not work.
You should track results.
Change the message.
Try different places.
Try different offers.
Learn what gets attention.
Then improve it.
A Bad Advertisement Can Hide a Good Business
This is important.
You may have a great service.
You may treat customers well.
You may have fair prices.
You may work harder than your competitors.
But people cannot know that if your advertisement does not get their attention.
Good advertising helps people understand why they should give your business a chance.
That is why the message matters.
Keep Your Advertisement Simple
Before creating an advertisement, answer these questions:
What problem does the customer have?
How can I help?
What will they get from my service?
What should they do next?
Now turn those answers into your advertisement.
For example:
Tired of Your Yard Looking Messy?
We Cut and Clean Up Lawns.
Enjoy a Great Looking Yard Without Doing the Work Yourself.
Get Your Free Quote Today.
Simple.
Clear.
Easy to understand.
Do Not Try to Impress People
Try to help them understand.
Those are two different things.
Your advertisement does not need fancy words.
It does not need complicated designs.
It does not need to sound like a giant corporation.
It needs to make someone think:
That is exactly what I need.
That is what matters.
Before You Post Your Next Advertisement, Check This
Ask yourself:
Does someone immediately know what I offer?
Am I talking about something the customer cares about?
Did I explain how this helps them?
Is the message easy to understand?
Did I tell them what to do next?
Am I showing this advertisement to the right people?
Can I tell whether the advertisement is working?
If not, fix those things before spending more money.
Remember This
Advertising does not need to be complicated.
Talk about a real problem.
Show people how you can help.
Explain what they get.
Tell them what to do next.
Then pay attention to what works.
A small business does not have money to waste.
Every advertising dollar should have a job.
Make sure yours does.
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Show them how you can help.
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