“If a tree falls down in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Dear Advertiser:

An article in our October 2010 issue asks readers if “they are hearing what their patients are saying?” The article goes on to challenge chiropractors to make sure they are utilizing all the information, tools, and services that are available to them.

To read the complete article “Are You Hearing What Your Patients Are Saying?” CLICK HERE

Likewise, if you advertise but don’t utilize all the opportunities that the advertising provides you to engage or listen to your prospects, are you really advertising?

OFFER: We will conduct a third-party evaluation of your full page ad to see what our readers think as well as offer ideas and suggestions on how you can improve your "engagement" factor. Email me at henri@darickpublishing.com.

First, please consider that your ad in our publication, any publication for that matter, is part of your ongoing communication with your target audience. When creating your ads, picture yourself having a face-to-face discussion with your potential customer.

Any ad should have at least a couple of opportunities for readers to “talk back to you.” Traditional calls to action such as your phone number, an email address, or your website URL all give you an opportunity to measure whether anybody is reading your ad and how they are reacting to the message, but a little bit of creativity will make your ad even more effective.

Those traditional “calls to action” (phone number, email address, website URL) only scratch the surface of what you can do to engage prospective customers, and to provide some valuable feedback to you regarding your company, your product, and your advertising. Here are four simple ideas to better “engage” your prospects.

Your website design.
Advertising is still the best way to drive traffic to your website. But once you get a visitor, what are you doing to engage them, create a conversation with them, and keep them coming back?

Social Media.
All the rage, and a wonderful tool — if used properly. I see too many requests to join a Facebook page that are, in effect, competing with website efforts. Your social media can be a wonderful effort to engage prospects, but it needs to be done properly if you’re going to use it.

Creative links.
With the website technology at your disposal, you can now create links that drive traffic to specific pages within your site. These links will increase visitors to your offer dramatically by bypassing the home page (and lessening your concern about engaging visitors) and driving them immediately to the information you want them to read.

Teleconferences and webinars.
The offer you make on your ad can increase the response and the engagement from readers. Teleconferences and webinars are working well. So are well-written whitepapers and e-booklets. Make sure that any offers are easy to get, simple, and truly provide value, rather than being a hidden sales pitch.

As you can see, advertising does not have to be a one-dimensional effort. It can be two-dimensional or even three-dimensional. And the more creative you get about the opportunities for readers to connect with your company, the better the return on your investment.

OFFER: We will conduct a third-party evaluation of your full page ad to see what our readers think as well as offer ideas and suggestions on how you can improve your "engagement" factor. Email me at henri@darickpublishing.com.