by Linda Laforge-Koebel, L.A. Designs

The dictionary will tell you that an advertisement is:

a "public notice, usually paid for."
"to decide or praise publicly usually as to promote sales."
"To call public attention to things for sale."
"To ask for by public notice."
Does this fully express the complicated nature of advertising?

We see the words "promote sales" and "to ask for". Many of us try to promote sales, but if it's not effective in promoting a specific sale, does it mean it's not effective?

Most businesses won't or don't ask for something from people once they do get their attention. If you don't ask them to call or visit your website, and they don't, are you advertising?

The key words are promoting sales and asking for something, like business. Promoting sales means your bottom line increases. In order for that to happen, people need to see your ads, relate to them and do what you ask them to do - call or come in. So, if your advertising doesn't bring in new business, are you advertising? Probably not.

Businesses who offer service rather than product usually need to develop relationships with potential clients first. Boosting sales will not necessarily be the primary goal of an ad. Developing a strong, positive presence is likely to be the primary function of their campagnes. That would put them under the category of creating public notices - the key word here being "notices". If they don't notice you, you're not advertising.

Knowing what advertising is will help you to understand what exactly it is you want it to do for you. Do you want it to promote sales? Do you need to be noticed? Do potential new customers know what to do once they have taken notice?

Conclusion - Tracking the result of your present and past advertising efforts will help you discern your true success. Whether you're ad is on TV, the radio or in print, you should plan a tracking system so you can actually measure the success of your efforts. Now that you know what advertising is, you should be able to tell if you've been doing it or not.

Linda Laforge-Koebel is an advertising professional dedicated to the business success of her clients. To see her portfolio and find more resources visit her at: http://www.CreativeEngineer.com or contact her by email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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