Think Like a Buyer
If you're like most small businesses, you receive frequent calls and visits from advertising representatives, all with convincing stories. It can be confusing to try to compare and weigh the advantages they cite. To decide if a particular advertising option is right for you, think the way a buyer does.
Think like a buyer to assess which media connect you with the greatest concentration of people you're trying to reach. Examine not only demographics and geographic areas, but also programming or editorial style. Is your target market likely to watch this TV channel, listen to this radio station, or read this magazine or newspaper? Are they likely to trust and respond to the advertising they find there? Does the medium or publication cover the geographic area where your likely customers are located, without including so broad a region that you're paying mostly for exposure you don't need? Take the time to watch, listen, and read for yourself. Know your media firsthand, and get a feel for who their audiences are.
Likewise, think like a buyer to figure out what would make people buy from you, rather than from companies selling either the same products and services or different ones that provide the same psychological benefits. In short, arrive at what's called your "Unique Selling Proposition," or U.S.P. Your U.S.P is the unique or special benefit to customers that sets you apart from the competition. Your U.S.P. tells people the specific advantage they receive if they buy from you, so instead of saying you have the largest inventory in the country, put it in customers' terms: they get the unbeatable convenience of 500 models to choose from and next-day delivery. That's your U.S.P.
References:
• Small Business Administration
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