Sixty percent of all new advertisers fail!
John E. Kennedy – Author of Reason Why Advertising
John E. Kennedy, who defined advertising as salesmanship- in-print wrote those words many decades ago. Today the
figure might well be seventy, eighty percent or even higher.
But why do most advertisers fail? And what can we, as Internet marketers, do to put us on the success side of the ledger instead of amongst the masses of failures?
According to Kennedy, most advertisers fail largely because they spend their money for Space, under the delusion that Space filled with anything ‘catchy’ is ‘Advertising.’
They believe money talks in advertising, even when it says nothing.
They forget that Space costs the same, whether we fill it with Pictured Nothings or with enduring Convictions.
Take a look at all the advertising you do, online and offline. Are you guilty of the ‘Keeping-the-Name-Before- the-People’ type of advertising that Kennedy talks about?
As a small businessman I know I can’t afford to throw money out their and hope that some sales result from it. I’ve got to know, hard and fast, if the money I spent produced profits in excess of the costs of the advertising.
My simple rule with advertising is ‘If you can’t measure it, don’t do it.’
Your action item: Take a look at your advertising. First, is your advertising advancing your sales process in any way? In other words, does it say anything? Second, can you measure that result?
