Being a bakery owner, one would assume I would be uniquely qualified to answer questions like, “how do I make my brownies more fudgy?” or “which ingredient is better to use in cookies, baking powder or baking soda?” Frankly, I have no idea. I would have to refer you to our bakers for those questions. I’m in the business of advertising West Coast Whoopies Bakery and owning it.

I recently took over as president for the Calimesa Chamber of Commerce and wanted to make my term productive and supportive for our business community. Instead of sharing all my secret baking recipes (which my bakers have locked away... even from me), I figured it would be more important to share my background in marketing and advertising to help demystify the daunting task of advertising your business. Over the next few months, let’s build our recipe for advertising success into four key ingredients: 1. Visual Advertising Message; 2. Ad Options; 3. the Right Venue; and 4. Tracking Success.

This week, let’s focus on the first ingredient, Visual Advertising Message.

Before you build any advertisement you need to answer the key question: who am I and what do I represent? Any coupon, flyer, newspaper ad or commercial should answer these questions about your business. Draw the viewer in visually, then reinforce with words. Assume your viewers cannot or will not read. Once you have their attention, fire away with your message. Take a look at your current ads and ensure they visually represent your products or services and answer that key question of who you are and what you represent. If they do not, switch up your ad ASAP! You cannot afford to keep putting money into a losing ad. Next time we will go over our second ingredient for sweet success, the best advertising option for your business. Please feel free to email me @ aevans@westcoastwhoopies.com with your ad and I will offer my best advice to help you make the most out of your advertising dollars.