Does Your Advertising Pass the "So What?" Test?

John Wanamaker, a department store mogul from the late 1800s, once lamented, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half." I feel his frustration, and you probably have, too.
Kind of the way nature abhors a vacuum, I have no stomach for waste. When I encounter it, I feel compelled to at least minimize it. One of my priorities with any new client is to help them identify, and subsequently eliminate, wasteful practices in their advertising program. One area where I observe a great deal of waste is content. Once you've done your due diligence to select an advertising vehicle with the greatest potential to deliver your ideal audience, don't drop the ball with a pointless message.
You can easily avoid this pitfall by applying the "So What?" test to predict the likelihood of success for your advertising. An easy example is the business card ad. Small business owners seem to like them because they're usually cheap and no one has to exert any effort to develop content. But when you apply the "So What?" test, they fail miserably because there's no real content - there's no motivating message.
Consider each statement in your current or planned advertising, and imagine a prospect crossing their arms and saying, "So what?" as they encounter each point. In other words, why is that statement significant? Remember the old axiom "Everyone's favorite radio station is WIIFM." (WIIFM stands for What's In It For Me) If you're going to use precious time or space to tell people you've been in business for 10 years, you better back it up by explaining why that little factoid deserves mentioning. If you can't think of a compelling reason it should matter to anyone other than yourself, drop it, and focus on content that explains how doing business with you will improve their life or solve their problem. Don't just tell them the refrigerator door has a textured finish (a feature). Answer the "So What?" question! Elaborate that the finish doesn't show annoying fingerprints. The big benefit? Mom spends less time cleaning in the kitchen. There's not a Mom anywhere who wouldn't see value in that.
People find comfort in justifying their purchases. No one wants to feel like they've wasted money! With the current economy in a tailspin, it has become even more necessary to validate every expenditure. If you consistently apply the "So What?" test to your advertising message, your potential customers can feel confident their purchase of your goods or service is warranted by the benefit you provide. You will enjoy seeing your own return on investment improve accordingly.