What makes a great ad?

The answer is almost too simple.

A good ad is one that works. Your phone rings. Buyers walk through your store door. Your salespeople have prospects to see. Your e-mail order forms are full.

On the other hand, bad advertising is one of the most disappointing experiences a small business can have. You spend your hard-earned ad dollars with high hopes, only your hopes and expectations dashed with a complete lack of response.

Here are three critical items to keep in mind to make your ads draw customers and sales:

1. Figure out what means the most to your best prospects. What do you offer that they'll value most? State that best benefit clearly and prominently in your ad. If you've got lots of space or radio time, repeat your benefit at least three times.

2. Tell your prospect to buy. Ads that don't come right out and ask for the sale usually fall short. Tell your prospect to buy, why they should buy, how they should buy, and when to buy. Take a look at pricey ads designed for big companies. They almost always tell you exactly who they think needs their product or service, which store or web site you can buy it from, how to get to that location, what kind of cards or financing they take, and when the offer will begin and end.

3.Finally, pick your advertising media carefully. Don't advertise a specialty service for a particular industry in your daily newspaper unless your town is dominated by that particular industry. Instead, chose a trade publication that specifically targets that one industry.

4.Simple? Yes it is, as long as you make the whole advertising process a real PROCESS!

Do a features, advantages and benefits work-up and determine your key benefits.

Talk to you customers and find out why THEY buy.

Use professionals where you can – they can save you hours and dollars by helping you develop a process that works and once it’s developed – you have it forever.

WHY SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD OUTSOURCE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THEIR CORE COMPETENCY TO AN EXPERT – REASON FOUR

Resources Not Available Internally


Many small business owners do not have access all the required skill sets needed to manage a company properly. Outsourcing is a practical alternative to building those needed resources from the ground up. Outsourcing is also sensible when these skills are need only on a part time basis.

When business owners hire full time to fulfill such needs, they often find employees are under challenged with the tasks that are given to them to fill unproductive time. Consequently turnover is high. Or employees with lesser skill sets are hired and are expected to accomplish tasks that are beyond their training and experience, leaving the business open to risk, poor customer service and frustration for all involved.

Thanks to Next Level for this series of compelling reasons why it makes sense for small businesses to outsource during recession and beyond. For more great tips, check out Next Level's blog, site or FB page.. Find the pros you need and list your own business also on the OED Community.

WHY SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD OUTSOURCE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THEIR CORE COMPETENCY TO AN EXPERT – REASON THREE

Reduce Operating Costs

Companies that try to do everything themselves may well incur higher operating costs for non core areas such as accounting and marketing, which are then passed on to the customer. An outside expert’s lower cost structure, which may be the result of a greater economy of scale or other advantages based on specialization, reduces a company’s operating costs which in turn increases its competitive advantage.

Thanks to Next Level for this series of compelling reasons why it makes sense for small businesses to outsource during recession and beyond. For more great tips, check out Next Level's blog, site or FB page.. Find the pros you need and list your own business also on the OED Community.

WHY SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD OUTSOURCE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THEIR CORE COMPETENCY TO AN EXPERT – REASON TWO

Every business large or small has limits on the resources available to it. Outsourcing permits a business to redirect valuable resources, from non core activities toward activities which serve the customer. Energies that are currently focused internally can now be focused externally – on the customer, which in turn increases revenue.

Thanks to Next Level for this series of compelling reasons why it makes sense for small businesses to outsource during recession and beyond. For more great tips, check out Next Level's blog, site or FB page.. Find the pros you need and list your own business also on the OED Community.

WHY SMALL BUSINESSES SHOULD OUTSOURCE THINGS THAT ARE NOT THEIR CORE COMPETENCY TO AN EXPERT – REASON ONE

Access to First Class Resources:

Outsource providers make substantial investments in technology, processes, and people and they gain expertise by working with many clients facing similar challenges. This combination of specialization and expertise gives their customers a competitive advantage over their competition.

First in a  series of compelling reasons why it makes sense for small businesses to outsource during recession and beyond. For more great tips, check out Next Level's blog, site or FB page.. Find the pros you need and list your own business also on the OED Community.













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OUTSOURCING: Is it a four letter word?

Next Level Business Solutions kicks off a discuss and tip series on why outsourcing makes sense for small business.


During a recession, the term outsourcing congers up visions of thousands of American jobs streaming to emerging countries, however is outsourcing to US workers bad?

Let’s look at the definition of outsourcing: “Outsourcing or sub-servicing often refers to the process of contracting to a third-party.” In its simplest form everyone in the country outsources on a daily basis. Every time you go to the grocery, car mechanic, shopping mall, or doctor you are outsourcing. The same is true for your business. You hire (outsource) individuals with specific knowledge and experience to work for you, and the printing of fliers and marketing materials is outsourced to a printer. Next week we will look at why outsourcing is good for a small business in any economy.

For more great tips, check out Next Level's blog, site or FB page.. Find the pros you need and list your own business also on the OED Community.