Mark Irving: Maximise the message before advertising

It might work for Coca-Cola - but you might need to explain a bit more about your brand. Photo / Greg Bowker.

Mark Irving, advertising company director on some simple things you can do to maximise your message before you even start advertising.

I was reading the sports section of the paper the other day and saw a great photo of a rugby player about to kick a ball. I also noticed the prominent sponsorship panel under his chest. The name was big and bold, unlike some sponsors' panels. Only problem was the name was just a one-word name, presumably the family name of the business.

I would have liked to of known what this company did, rather than having to go to the internet and find out.

Fair enough if you're Coca Cola, Visa or Qantas. Most people know what these brands are about. But in the case I've mentioned, where the brand isn't so well known, it seems to me an opportunity wasted not to give an indication of what your company does, especially if you have expansion plans beyond the provinces you're operating in.

You can't just presume that people know or care about your company, let alone try and find out what they do.

In these difficult times when perhaps the phones aren't ringing as much as you'd like, this is perhaps the time to assess what you're doing and how you could do it better, even before you start to look at advertising. Take business cards.

Often I turn over the card and see it's blank. This is a perfect space to mention your company mission statement or some tips or advice. You could even include a thought-provoking quote. Anything to make you stand out a bit more and be remembered by your customers.

The other day I was walking past a rather large company office. They had a really nice and visible neon sign with their company name. Now I knew the industry this company was involved in but many people wouldn't. Why not include in your sign the addition of one word that clarifies what your company does - accountants, architects, lawyers, advertising, surveyors.

If say 10,000 people drive past this sign very week and you've made these slight changes, that's 10,000 more people who potentially know not just your name but what your company does. The same goes for company vehicles. If you're a small company, is it really enough to just have your company name, where you're assuming that people know exactly what you do? In my opinion, you need to do a little more to be remembered.

Again while it's quiet, it could be the ideal time to contact editors at trade magazines. Perhaps your business has a new product coming out or a new staff member that the magazine could profile. This can be good publicity for your company. All it takes is to just pick up the phone. The worst that can happen is that you'll be told: "no."

Have a re-read of your website and make sure it's as easy to follow and navigate as possible. Are you differentiating your company from the competition? Are you including not just the features of your company but also the benefits of your products and services? Check the grammar and spelling.
The odd mistake here and there is forgivable, but I see many sites where there are over 20 spelling errors. How do you think this reflects on your business?
This is even before you assess whether the site is designed so you can access the information you want as easily as possible.

There's so much a business can do before you even contemplate advertising. Look at what you're currently doing and ask yourself if you're maximising the opportunities and making sure you're communicating as well as you can what your business does.


Mark Irving

Mark Irving is the Director of Range Advertising and Communications.