What questions should you ask to determine client expectations for advertising?

I have found that one of the best and simplest questions to ask is what brand's advertising they admire or would like to emulate. This provides a lot of insight about their ambition for their advertising creatively and in terms of effectiveness. It gives you a way to get beyond the automatic marketing jargon of the brief, to ask questions that start with why, and to see where their excitement lies.

Apart from the literal campaign objectives, find out the business challenge the client is facing, and how your input can help solve it. Clients may also be interested to find out which metrics are worth measuring and achieving for them, and not because of popular sentiments/deemed as vanity metrics. Example - growth in followers is usually deemed as a vanity metric, but it may well be important for a client who leans heavily on word-of-mouth/in a specific locale.

It's super important to know what your client is looking to achieve before you discuss anything else. If they want to get more leads find out. If they wish to become a household name...find out

The "Discovery Call" is my go-to! It's vital for grasping the client's vision and needs. This call isn't just about me pitching; it's a chance to decode what the client really wants and explore how I can help them grow. It's a two-way street—understanding their pulse and aligning our strategies for mutual success. This conversation shapes tailored solutions, fostering trust, and sets the stage for fruitful collaborations.

John this is so interesting ... it struck me that as a life coach ... this is exactly how I approach a new client! Without this kind of information up front ... the coaching doesn't get to or at what the client really wants or expects. They don't know what they don't know! It's up to me to ask, listen and watch what they do and say and come up with my next question from those answers. Without this kind of specificity, a lot of fumbling around can occur. It's not that coaching needs to go in a straight line, but there are many less fruitful side roads that it can take! Thanks for this piece!

This is yet another important information to find out. Your client should be able to have an idea of who their target audience is. Of course, they know who they want to serve so that should help.

Discovering who your adience is allows you to tailor your products, services and communication to their needs. This should be determined before even thinking of advertising, and should be part of the earliest stages of setting up a company. ➡️ Who are they ➡️ How do they behave ➡️ What are their problems You might have the best products or services, but without a clear understanding of your target audience, you've overlooked crucial steps.

Use of actual CRM databases to form your audience persona, instead of personas from a client's wishlist. You can also consider conducting a research from a sample size statistically significant and well-represented across the various demographic as part of the pre-campaign research.

After the initial audience research, an essential aspect of your market analysis involves identifying how your product or service distinguishes itself from competitors. If your value proposition isn't clear, you won't stand out, and customers won't have strong reasons to choose you over your competitors. Once this has been established, it's essential to highlight this in all your marketing communications.

It is extremely important to be honest with yourself in this process. What do you truly offer that is different from the competition. Don't overstate the value the offering creates or try to solve multiple problems. Simplify and repeat over and over again the single problem you solve.

This one is key when it comes to marketing and advertising…the value and your unique differentiators is what will make you stand out from others in your niche.

I think all too often people tend to push their value proposition in marketing. This is very forced from a customers perspective. Instead the value should exist as an answer to the customers need. In that case, you are marketing a solution to a problem. When done effectively, you see the costs of marketing drop significantly in relation to your CAC and your growth accelerate exponentially.

"What is your budget for this campaign?" This straightforward question is fundamental in advertising. Understanding a client's financial limits is not just a matter of logistics; it's the cornerstone of crafting a realistic and effective strategy. A well-defined budget sets the stage for all subsequent decisions – from the choice of advertising platforms to the intensity of the marketing efforts. A common misconception is that a bigger budget automatically translates to a more successful campaign. However, the truth lies in optimization and alignment with business goals. The key is to use the budget judiciously. This involves prioritizing channels that offer the best ROI, targeting the audience more effectively, etc.

Absolutely! Many clients believe that a larger budget automatically leads to greater success. Yet, by comprehending the resources at our disposal, we can craft a meticulously tailored advertising strategy that not only aligns with our capabilities but also comes closer to fulfilling the client's lofty expectations.

This question ensures you're not running any advertising that will be detrimental to the brand. Clients often have specifics about how and where they want to show up. Some preferences I've encountered include: ‣ Never wanting to use PROMO language like 'Biggest Sale' or 40% off ‣ Only wanted to use younger models despite an older demographic because their customer prefers it ‣ Being unable to target certain states based on delivery restrictions Keeping these preferences documented for you and your team will aid in the process.

Finding out preferences and restrictions you ensure that no customer's time and money are not wasted, and the strategy is made correctly. This gives to the customer better experience and the service is worth the money and gets results for the customer.

In my experience, effective communication and collaboration are pivotal in forging strong client relationships in the advertising world. Understanding your client's preferred communication methods is essential, whether they favor emails, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings. This knowledge not only facilitates a smoother exchange of ideas but also ensures that both parties are consistently aligned. But it's about more than just choosing the right communication channels; it's about understanding the frequency and depth of updates your client expects so you can facilitate a good feedback loop and ensure your client has what she needs for her internal stakeholders.

Less is more! A print ad must captivate at a glance. Clean, compelling images are crucial and words should be powerful but limited. A call to action drives a response which is central to many campaigns. Channel, Nike and Apple are great examples of doing all of these things well..

Here are a few more angles you might want to explore: Competitor Analysis: Questions like "Who are your main competitors?" and "What do you admire or dislike about their advertising strategies?" This can help understand the client's market positioning and what they aspire to or want to avoid. Brand Identity and Values: Asking about the client's brand identity and core values. Questions like "How do you want your brand to be perceived?" This helps in aligning the campaign with the brand's ethos. Previous Experiences: Inquiring about past marketing efforts can be insightful. "What has worked well in your previous advertising campaigns?" and "What hasn't worked, and why?" This provides valuable context and avoids repeating past mistakes.

What is the best platform of communication, when is the right time for right audience. It cannot be separated from eachother as its a customer experience in the full lifecycle of comms. If the time is wrong, your audience wont be open for your message and it is the same with platform if all youngsters are using Tiktok but you are olschool with Facebook and surely you can target there young guys but all of them are more opened for Tiktok and a kind of new social media. Wrong platform choice directs to closed eyes and burned marketing budgets. So try to think more complex when you are create a strategy and ask a kind of questions that what, who, where, how? It will be more efficient than separate eachother these questions.