3 Tips For Creating Ads That Work.

Fundamentally, this is something that can be argued by the masses. And quite frankly, it should be- because it's a challenge marketers face on a daily basis.

However, having spent 10's of thousands of dollars on ads- and working with businesses who have spent millions- I have gathered some useful data on the mindset to have when creating ads for your company or clients.

1. Men Lie, Women Lie - Numbers Don't Lie

In advertising, it's hard to base what you think works off of emotion. Actually- it's quite impossible. The market and potential consumers will react to what they like to engage with and often times this has absolutely nothing to do with what you think works. So before you ride out that ad because you want to get everything out of your time investment vs. the other quick ad you made that is outperforming it, think twice- and use what's proving itself.

2. Content Is King

Aside from photo & video content, the only other competitive variables in advertising are placement, spend and copy.

Those of which can easily be competitively wiped out by the higher spender, or seasoned copyrighter. However, these individuals rarely have access to the creative art of photo & video content creation- and while it's continued to become a hotter commodity- it's still the underdog because of the external effort & cost it requires.

When considering the return on investment - custom-tailored content wins every time. The slightly higher upfront cost and effort have proven to be the highest returning variable to excel in the long run as engagement, clickthrough & conversions are all benefited by creating more specific & personable ads that attract consumers to your brand.

3. Attention First, Details Second

Grab your audience's attention, before you try and educate them. People want to eat dessert first. It's not always what's best for them- but in a time where humans attention span is shorter than a goldfish, it's important to use everything possible to get someones attention before force-feeding them their vegetables. Otherwise, it doesn't matter how great your product or service is - because your audience won't ever get the chance to be invested in it.

Hope this helps provide a quick bit of insight on things to consider when creating your next advertisements...more to come.

Why Refusing to be Profitable could be your Best Business Strategy

You're probably thinking... "this guy is crazy", and this couldn't make any sense.. and in a way - you're right.

BUT... as far as long term, proven business strategies go- there will be multiple areas where you can benefit heavily from not making a profit (initially) or providing so much value in a way that takes large percentages of your profit away.

This doesn't mean:

1. You should give your service away (if it's good enough)

2. You should give with an expected outcome

3. You should give up, because you want to make large amounts of money and cutting profits doesn't sound right for you.

Keep reading.

Business is built on trust, quality and consistency.

And while some high paying customers can help pad your wallet at first- a-lot of the long term clients that can put food on the table for years to come- require free work or require EXTENSIVE amounts of hustle in places that don't seem you'll ever get "directly" paid back.

This ability to understand long term gratification can be one of the single most important things you can consider when building your business.

So what should you do?

1. Learn your skill before you charge ridiculous (or even fair, market standard) prices for it

2. Do work within other projects that provides value to your customer, and may not directly benefit you (right away).

3. Consistently improve your product or offering, even when you aren't being compensated for it.

Value builds trust. Trust builds long term relationships that allow you to fund your passion, get better at it- to then offer a truly quality product that you can consistently offer for years to come.

This is how you build a quality reputation, stay in business and get long term contracts. It will bring you word of mouth references that couldn't be obtained otherwise, to multiple valuable future clients.

3 Reasons Your Business Needs Photo & Video Content

1. Tell Your Story

Everyone has a story to tell. These stories bring consumers further to the point of buying, rebuying or to create a major increase in brand loyalty. The issue is that these stories are typically told one-on-one, in person and when the sale has already been made. This is totally fine- but the beautiful thing about video is that you can tell that story one time, properly and in a professional manner- that can then be spread to absolutely anyone with a click of a link.

2. Compound an Arsenal

Building the foundation. This is so important because you won't just make one piece of content... you'll continue to build an "arsenal" of photos and videos that tell different stories, explain different products etc. and you'll ultimately be able to answer any question or explain any product/service without having to pick up a phone.

3. Online Presence

Let's face it. Digital advertisements have been and are becoming the king. The power of social media, in correlation with properly targeted advertisements- effective copy and top notch content- you have a recipe for high returns with minimal spend in comparison to other advertising platforms.