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You get the most from your advertising investment when you do it right
Determining how to advertise your business effectively is something that requires serious thought. Because advertising is an investment, you should first decide on a budget and then develop a strategy that impacts and reaches your target audience within that budget. You want your advertising — whether it's a print ad or a radio or television spot — to be creative and memorable.
Advertising isn't just about selling your product or service; it's about selling your company. When people think of the product or service you offer, you want them to think of you, not your competitors. There are also different reasons for advertising, so a strategy is important. You should be thematic in your approach so your logo and company name must always be crisp and clear and identified in the same manner. Also, in conjunction with positioning your company, there are campaigns that will necessitate advertising, Two or more mini campaigns throughout the year are usually the norm.
To begin, you need to ask yourself two questions. Where do I advertise? And how frequently should I advertise? These questions are not always easy to answer and it may take some market research and testing before you determine which venue has the best effect on promoting your company.
Below are several advertising methods. In most cases it is the combination of these mediums with a strong message that works successfully.
Print — Newspaper/Magazine Advertisements
Quality and placement are key to these forms of advertisements. The advertisements can be overlooked if not executed properly or if not given proper placement. Research is important to ensure the newspaper or trade magazine is reaching your audience. The size is not as important as the number of runs; 4-6x is usually the rule. It is just as important to have a smaller ad run consecutively than to have a full-page ad run one time.
Direct Mail
This medium offers you the opportunity to reach your potential clients individually and guarantees that your company and products are seen by each person who receives your mailing. Even though it is the more costly medium, with proper research and strategy you should reach your targeted audience. Again, direct mail is not a one time deal, at least 3x is the rule per campaign.
Broadcast
Television allows you direct access to your audience. This is a visual medium, therefore, a quality production is very important. This method of advertising does have a higher up front production investment. We recommend this be handled by a reputable agency, because when your company produces a catchy commercial, it could prove priceless to your business.
Radio
This medium enables you to reach a wide audience. Again, a commercial must be memorable. You need to research, or enlist the help of an agency to research, which station's audience and listening area would most likely purchase your product or service.
Frequency
Once you have chosen your respective medium or a combination as we prefer, your decision must be how frequently you advertise. As you or your agency strategize your advertising campaign, you need to realize your focus. If yours is a seasonal business, it makes sense to save your complete advertising budget for one or two campaigns to kick off just prior to your season, usually about eight to six weeks prior, and to run heavily through the entire season.
If yours is a year-round business, you could choose to design quarterly campaigns with a standard name recognition, or "institutional," campaign throughout the year.
Once you've chosen your media and your frequency, how should you advertise? Most importantly, keep your advertisements simple, but effective. You want something to catch the eye or ear of your audience. That something needs to include your company name, a slogan, or a jingle that is identified with your company.
Some of the most successful advertising campaigns have been focused around a slogan. Slogans and tag lines such as "You are in good hands," "We love to see you smile," "Mikey likes it," and "Snap, Krackle, Pop" automatically provide you with a product name association known as branding. These campaigns were so successful that the slogan already put the company name in the target audiences mind.
Creating a campaign around such elements as slogans and jingles, and choosing the proper venues and frequency, are the keys to your success. Without proper implementation, your advertising will not be successful. Consulting a qualified advertising agency with the experience in producing successful advertising campaigns will put you on the right track. Most agencies have teams of creative minds whose job it is to produce effective advertising. They also conduct the market research to determine your target audience and the best means to reach them. Their guidance could prove invaluable to your campaign and its success.
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