Services are a mixed bag.
Some are downright necessities. If my toilet explodes, I need a
plumber. If your child wakes up with a high fever, you need a doctor.
Raging termites, aching teeth, and lawsuits also require services
that are necessities.
But most services are
more luxury than necessity. I often hire a young man to mow my lawn.
But if he's on vacation one week, I'll get my out-of-shape self out
there and push the mower myself.
Businesses buy out of
necessity 90 percent of the time. Consumers feel a purchase is a
necessity more like 30 percent of the time. In many cases consumers
could do the job themselves. More often they simply want to buy to
save time and trouble. It's important to think about how your DJ
service is considered by customers. Do some consider you a necessity
while others figure you provide a luxury?
This can figure in how
you promote your business and write your advertising. Necessities
should be promoted as an affordable solution to a pressing problem.
Stress your competence and caring. Promote luxuries by pointing out
how much better the customer's life will be after she buys. Stress
how your DJ service saves time, money, and hassle. There is an old
saying among advertising professionals: When your ad stresses
everything, you stress nothing.
Let me give you an
example. Lots of web sites list every single benefit their DJ service
can give you. You're faced with a long, long list of bulleted points.
Kudos to these sites for putting their features and benefits in
easy-to-browse bullets. But they would do far better to focus their
sales copy on just a few key advantages. People tend to skip over
copy that tries to stress every feature and aspect of a product. Even
worse, many people simply skip over copy that tries to cram in too much.
Make a list of the top
three things about your product or service that seem to impress
customers most. Create a headline for your copy that extols the
virtues of one of your advantages. Then have your copy introduce the
other two points. This keeps your sales copy from becoming
overburdening with too much for busy customers to think about. Of
course, many serious prospects want all the information they can get.
Save your complete list of features and benefits for a second
all-you-can-read page. Stressing the main points and advantages of
your DJ service works well on your web page, but it's a great way to
structure a radio or televion commercial, too.
Radio and television are
excellent buys for many small businesses. It's pretty affordable to
advertise through these mass media outlets, not to mention they also
allow you to advertise to a very specific audience. Radio stations
format their programming for certain age groups and life styles.
Whether you want to reach blue-collar men between the ages of 25 and
35, or white-collar women over 50; there is a radio station for you.
Cable TV systems are
dramatically increasing the number of channels they offer. New low-
power TV stations are popping up everywhere. Soon, thanks to new
digital technology, regular broadcast stations may be able to split
their single channel into several. All these new channels need
advertising to survive. Many are offering very affordable rates
easily in reach for small business people.
Start by calling the
sales departments of radio and TV stations. Ask about rates for
advertising at different times of day. Also ask about package deals,
where you get a price break for buying a number of spots over time.
Keep in mind the kinds of audiences you'll be reaching.
After you have all of
this information, you can look at the demographics of your audience
and decide if it would be better to push your DJ service as a
necessity or a luxury. Remember to stress the most important points
for a better response. |