How much creative advertising
does your small business need?

When small businesses consider creative advertising, it is easy to get caught up in the creative aspect and overlook the main strategy.

Creative disciplines include writing, design, art, layout and anything else that contributes to the making of an advertisement.

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Many business owners get sidetracked because they've heard that "creative sells".

In fact, the industry mantra actually is "It's not creative UNLESS it sells".

When properly done, the creative will reinforce and echo the strategy.

As a small businessperson, you must be able to recognize the difference. Don't get trapped into being creative, just for creative's sake. That's the mark of an amateur.

Over the years, we've seen lots of cute creative ads and logos that have very little to do with communicating the main purpose of the business.

A professional will start with your strategy and will ask you plenty of questions so they can align their creative thinking with that strategy.

When you recognize that their creative product reinforces and echoes the strategy, you've got something worth testing.

And passing the test means that:
1. your customers and future customers can easily identify your business,
2. know what it can do for them and
3. make them want to make a purchase or inquiry.

Your goal is to get creative advertising that memorably describes and promotes your business, whether you pay a professional or do it yourself.

Most of our small business clients already have the beginnings of their breakthrough advertising ideas and look to us to put it all together into a finished project.

Here are some of my suggestions to help get your creative mind flowing.

It does take practice and discipline to be a neutral "fly on the wall" and put yourself in the mindset of your customer as they view your ad, web page or direct mailing.

You want to be be clever (but not too clever) to attract their attention and get them to act. And make sure your ad can be read!

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