10 Basics of advertising: inspired by a volcanic delay in Africa

The Icelandic volcano afforded me extra time in South Africa, which is usually a brilliant idea. This time, the combination of being very pregnant, miserable cold weather and absolutely no chance of going to see anything remotely linked to what I love about Africa – baobabs, bush, animals, fantastic scenery, or even drinking great wine – made it downright frustrating. However, I did take the time to consider how an African approach to marketing, particularly how it relates to offline advertising, would be useful to capture. There is a lot of self-prepared signage in Africa, which is actually a simple, yet critical aspect of advertising your business. It naturally has greater impact based on your type of business – a consultancy is unlikely to subsist entirely off passing trade, for instance. As with all things marketing, it’s what you do with what you have that counts.

If you’ve not been to South Africa, or even Africa (as it’s hardly exclusive to South Africa) the quest for sustaining yourself and your family can be an amazing source of ingenuity. In writing this blog, I considered advertising for employment (as a self-employed person) on street drains, little sign boards attached to street signs, street vendors who flaunt  their wares at traffic lights, beggars with signs, outdoor and alternative advertising (like taxis, backs of toilet doors), curio stall proprietors, flea markets, and a host of other media that are possibly largely unconscious.

I’m delighted to state the following 10 basic principles of advertising that I observed that are absolutely worth applying to your business:

1. Say what you do in a way your audience understands. (For all your home painting needs).

2. Make your contact details clear. (Call Joe on 07X XXX XXXX)

3. Make your advertising readable – as per the medium. Don’t over-clutter a sign that needs to be read at 100 metres, or make the font too small, for instance.

4. Be competitive – why should it be you? There is always someone else waiting to take your potential business. (Approved with a 10 year guarantee).

5. Sell something that your target audience actually wants. Traffic light vendors are masters of trends – car mobile phone chargers, coldrinks on hot days, World Cup T-shirts, you name it.)

6. Your target audience must be able to see your advertising. Do they really read, watch, drive/ walk past, use what you are advertising on? (Billboard advertising on the highway may not work for pensioners. Cinema advertising is unlikely to reach many new mothers. and so on.)

7. Create standout. What is making you memorable? Does your ad have any personality at all? Something likeable is easier to remember. (a street beggar’s sign read – 5 wives, 10 children, 20 chickens, 17 cows, 4 cabbages and a tomato plant to feed. Please help.)

8. Say what is really important. Does it really matter to the customer to know ‘that’ first, or does it only matter to you? Does every word you use have a real purpose? Don’t add fluff for fluff’s sake.

9. Handle enquiries. What do you do when you get a response? Do you ask where an enquirer heard about you/ got your details from?

10. Be consistent. Use the same logo, catch phrase, colours that you use elsewhere so that the sum of all of your marketing is working for you – creating familiarity and convincing your potential customer to contact you.

Bronwyn Durand writes the Marketing Ideaology Blog for JupiterJasper, and on-demand marketer service for startups and small businesses.