How do you know your advertising is working? Do you ask customers how they heard about you? If you advertise in newspaper or direct mail, do your eyes light up whenever someone comes in carrying your ad in their hand? Likewise, does your heart dance whenever a customer tells you they saw/heard your TV/radio ad?
Be careful not to confuse response with results! The simple truth is most people do not know how they heard about you. Just be glad they did. With the thousands upon thousands of ads we see and hear every week, how can you honestly expect someone to remember yours in detail? When asked how they heard about you, most people will either say a.) through a friend, or b.) on TV (even if you’ve never advertised on TV).
That is unless they are holding your newspaper coupon ad in their hand. You cannot compare apples to oranges by measuring a tangible print ad versus an intangible TV or radio ad. The plug has been pulled on many a great ad campaign because the advertiser wasn’t getting the “response” they anticipated. If only they’d given it time.
If you really want to know how well your advertising is working, commit to a solid campaign strategy and follow through with it for at least 12 months. Then, when it’s done see how much your business has grown. You’ll enjoy the results of a fruitful campaign so much more than the response of someone mentioning they saw your ad.