As soon as you develop your logo and brand, every piece of communication is a form of advertising. Every social media post, every flyer, and every business card you give out is a representation of what you and your business are about. Whether or not you know it, you’re spending money on advertising, but how do you know you’re not wasting dollars on advertising myths?

These are 5 detrimental misconceptions businesses are still making:

Advertising Misconception #1: Putting your name EVERYWHERE is enough.

Sorry, it’s not.

In advertising, you need to consider whether you’re capturing the attention of the correct audience.

Advertising to a million people who have no use for your product is a waste of effort – and resources. On the other hand, a targeted, effective ad campaign that strategically targets your audience is where you’ll find the most success.

You’ll first need to identify your demographic, find where they are, and connect with them. Otherwise, you’re kissing your advertising dollars goodbye, and lowering your profit margin potential.

Advertising Misconception #2: The customer cares about what you are selling.

Knowing about your company is not your customer’s first priority; how you can help them is.

If you want people to click on your banner ads, read your magazine ads, or think about your product or service, you need to create ads that resonate with your target audience. Give them ads that are inspiring, emotional, or funny. Most importantly, make it about them, not about you!

Otherwise, nobody cares.

Advertising Misconception #3: Pushing multiple benefits will entice more customers.

For effective advertising, focus on one key message, and drive it home.

If you provide an unrivaled hairdressing experience, then just say that! While it can be tempting to start telling everybody that you also have the most locations in Canada, and you’re the trendiest, and you cut Barbra Streisand’s hair once in the 80’s – DON’T!

The more information you clutter into an ad, the less impactful it becomes. Think about the ads that stand out in your mind; they’re often as simple as a short headline, a simple image, and a logo. Short, sweet, and extremely effective.

Advertising Misconception #4: Advertising is a ‘luxury’ only for those who can afford it.

Whether you like it or not, you’ve advertised, and will continue to advertise. Any money you spend on your company’s image is advertising (business cards, signage, website, etc.).

So the question becomes not ‘if’ you should advertise, but ‘how’? How can you best represent your brand or business, and how can you reallocate funds to maximize your marketing potential?

Advertising Misconception #5: A slogan needs to be funny, clever, intriguing, etc.

The genius of a good slogan is that it’s incredibly simple, easy to understand, and tells everyone what your business stands for (Walmart; Save money, live better. Subway; Eat fresh). What do you do? Why are you better?

We get it; it’s tempting to create a tagline for your company that says a lot, but ultimately, says nothing at all. Like one of those “original, never before seen” alliterating slogans (Build. Brave. Bravo), that in reality, doesn’t make much sense. You might think you’ve decisively developed a dope divisive brand (you get the point), but in truth, people will just walk away scratching their heads. Make your tagline short, but ensure that it is meaningful to your customers, not just to you and your staff.

For all things advertising, from web banner and print ads, to landing pages and responsive websites, you will gain better results if you work with an experienced advertising agency that understands how to connect your brand with your audience. At Eden, we are passionate about growing your business with creative, results-driven marketing solutions.

Contact us today for a free analytics web assessment to learn what you could be doing to generate more qualified leads.