Is your advertising bypassing 97% of your target market?

By Candice de Beer

As a small business with a limited marketing budget it’s tempting to go for the jugular in your advertising. You throw everything into your advert. Your logo and company name, and words such as ‘limited offer’ or ‘don’t delay’. You put it out into the universe and then you wait eagerly for your inbox to start filling up with mails. And when it doesn’t, doubt creeps in. Did it actually run? Did you get your contact details wrong? Why isn’t your email inbox flooded with mails? And unfortunately, willing customers to contact you won’t work. You might get some interested buyers over the next few days, but nothing earth-shattering.

At first glance, it was a great deal. The copy was full of punch and emotive language. It was targeted at your niche audience. Essentially, it had everything. So, why hasn’t it worked?

The Brutal Truth

According to Allan Dib, best-selling author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get More Customers, Make More Money, and Stand Out From The Crowd, at any given time only 3% of high-probability prospects are ready and willing to buy. And hard sell advertising banks on converting these into immediate purchases.

What it doesn’t consider is the 7% who are open to buying and just need a little push to spend their money. And a further 30% who are interested, but don’t perhaps need your service right this minute or have available cash. The next 30% aren’t interested, and the last 30% will probably never buy from you even if you offered it for free.

So, the real question is how to convert the other 37% of your target audience into a SALE.

Stop Hunting For Your Market! Farm It

Think of hard selling as hunting. You go out and if the conditions are right you might make a kill. If your aim is off, you go home empty. Whereas with farming, you sow your seeds, you nurture and feed them, and overtime you are rewarded with a crop to harvest. This is known as direct response marketing.

By creating a lead-generating ad, you increase your addressable market to 40%. This is because you capture the 3% who are immediate buyers, the 7% who are open to talking, as well as the 30% who are interested but not right now.

In total you’re increasing the effectiveness of your advertising by 1,233%. And as a bonus, you don’t come across as desperate to sell! Interested buyers will see that you’re not just after the quick sell, instead you’re willing to build a relationship with them.

Invest In Your Future Market

In marketing, the money is in the follow-up! And by using lead-generating advertising you can acquire a database of potential customers to continuously interact with. It’s important to remember that most are not ready to buy from you on your first, second or even third interaction. In fact, it takes up to five mails to simply become a factor in your their minds.

Unfortunately, what most small businesses get wrong is they do random acts of marketing. They’ll place an ad here and there or create a brochure and hope for the best. This is a sure way to throw your money down the toilet.

By allowing leads to opt-in to a newsletter you can start sending content that’s interesting or informative and build their trust in you. You want to give them value and be seen as a welcome guest, not a pest.

Ultimately, your goal is to be the logical choice when these potential customers are ready to buy. And if you’ve built a solid relationship based on value and trust, your business will be top of mind and they will come to you.

Become A Marketing Farmer In 3 Simple Steps:

1. Advertise with the intention of finding people who are interested in what you do.
2. Add them to your database.
3. Keep in contact regularly and continually nurture this relationship.

Don’t waste your hard-earned money on hard sells. Choose lead-generating advertising. It works and it will deliver a greater return on investment if done correctly. Good luck farming!