At a regional marketing conference, I had a brief conversation with an unhappy advertiser. "I used to advertise in my local paper, but it didn't work," he said. "A couple of years ago, I ran a special ad for several months. It didn't generate a single call that resulted in new business, so I dropped out of the paper and decided to put my marketing money somewhere else."

When I asked about the content of the ad, he said, "It was about how much our business has grown. There were pictures of our top producers, with captions that described their backgrounds and credentials. It was a shame that nobody responded."

It may have been a shame that no one responded, but it is no surprise. The ad was about the advertiser, not about what the advertiser could do for consumers.

That advertiser's complaint reminded me of the story about a business owner who had no success in getting press releases published in the local media. In an act of desperation, he delivered his latest press release in person. The business editor opened the envelope, read the release, and unceremoniously dropped it into the trashcan.

The business owner was shocked. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

The editor said, "Because I figure there are only two people who are interested, and both of them have already read it."

People pay attention to – and take action on – things that have relevance. The disgruntled advertiser's ad didn't work because it lacked what I call RTB – a Reason To Buy. People don't care about the XYZ Company nearly as much as they care about themselves. If the XYZ Company wants to attract buyers, they should stop talking about themselves and start talking about what they can do for potential customers.

RTB doesn't necessarily mean that a purchase is the only desired response to an ad. It is merely shorthand for "buying in" to an advertiser's message – leading to an appropriate step in a buying decision. RTB could even be a request for more information.

There are two steps in creating RTB advertising:

Step 1: Start by asking, "What do you want readers to do, as a result of reading this ad?" Do you want them to call for details, place an order, or attend an open house? Do you want them to take advantage of a special sale, take a test drive, or clip a coupon?

Advertisers should welcome this time-tested concept. After all, if there is no clearly defined action, how in the world can response be measured with any degree of accuracy?

Step 2: Think backwards. Now that you know the objective, compose the ad with the end in mind – to lead readers to the specific action you want. The more compelling your reasons, the better. How will readers benefit from taking action? What will they lose by not taking action?

Ad response has everything to do with the right RTB. And nothing to do with "I love me" boasting.

(c) Copyright 2010 by John Foust. All rights reserved. 

E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: jfoust@mindspring.com