If you don’t have a solid ad plan in writing, stop advertising now.

Our company has been doing marketing/advertising since 1972. Dozens of times we’ve advised clients (and prospects) to stop advertising. Why? Almost always because the client did not have a good marketing strategy and/or ad plan and the Return on Investment was less than outstanding, if not downright lousy. In other words, they were on the track to “un-success.”

So, after you stop with the ads, what’s next? Start planning.

After the advertising is called off, redirect the ad budget to research. Decide if you have the people, places, product, pricing and product to support your advertising. Decide what you want advertising to do for you and find out which media performs most effectively for the product or service you feature. Create your ad plan that includes a workable budget, what to promote, where it will be spent and estimate the ROI.

We’re not breaking new ground here, are we?

Admittedly, the above is a monumental BGO (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious!) So why don’t more people do it? Because it’s hard work and time consuming. We find that most companies would rather go with their gut when it comes to research. They’re more comfortable relying on past experience (which may be completely wrong or outdated.) Many times, they feel doing research is a sign of weakness, that it is an admission to their lack of knowledge and experience.

Maybe you don’t have the time or resources to pull this off?

My grandfather worked on the Southern Railroad back in the 1930s. He used to say, “You can’t run the train and lay track at the same time.” (Another BGO.) So, you may not be able to “run the company” and “research and write” an ad plan at the same time. So, here’s a three-word recommendation: get professional help.

Why call us? Because we are professionals who specialize in delivering professional plans (be it a strategic, marketing and/or advertising plan) with seven clear benefits:

1. It’s written in plain English. It’s easy to understand. Easy to implement.
2. It’s backed up with solid, up-to-date research. The research will include current data on your company, your competition, your market, your strengths, weakness, and other key information.
3. It outlines clear goals. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t have a clear map, with mile markers.
4. It contains reasonable and itemized budgets. Putting together a plan with rounded up numbers is silly. You’ll need a number you can afford and an itemized list of the likely costs (monthly, quarterly and annually.)
5. It features achievable return on investment (ROI) estimates. This ROI estimate is your last chance to bail before you start spending money.
6. Workable action steps – a list limited to stuff you can do.
7. A built-in system to monitor and measure results. Think of this as a “Fitbit” for your ad program – a constantly available monitor of results.

Whatever you do, do this.

Don’t hesitate. Don’t equivocate. Don’t keep spending money when you don’t have a plan. Get started with a solution. Up your advertising game and get on track for success.