Everyday, we are bamboozled by adverts. On the TV, radio, magazines and the Internet, but is there one ideal marketing scheme? The simple answer to that is, not for everyone. However, we can make it a little easier...
Publications in relevant trade magazines if you are business to business can be rewarding and a great way to let the right businesses know who you are. If you have many magazines in your industry, look at the circulation and see how many readers it reaches. This may be slightly more expensive but is more likely to get a better response.
If you operate business to consumer, then trade magazines aren't necessarily the best for advertising, although they are still an important read to keep up to date with industry movements. You need to advertise in the magazines or papers your clients read.
Remember; don't give up if your first advert doesn't flood you instantly with enquiries. As any company with experience knows, these can trickle through and appearing in a series of editions is more likely to provide more traffic on your website or more calls.
One of the most important things about the Advert is what to include. Nearly all adverts now include a website address. This is your online, 24/7 business representation and a reference to send people to out of hours. Not only is it there for your existing customers but is vitally important in letting new customers know you are there. The search engines now are dramatically increasing in their popularity. The convenience and speed of the internet makes it one of the easiest ways to research your purchase or service choice. And it's only going to get more popular.
With technology improving and people (of all generations) now using the internet, it seems unlikely that any business wouldn't need one. Every company is selling something, even if not a physical product, you would be selling a service. Therefore, every business can sell online. Every company should have a presence online so that your customers and business associates can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products/services you have to offer. The website must co-ordinate with any other advertising and be professional if you want to be taken seriously.
Areas to think about
Before you create your advert - set a goal. What do you want your website and marketing to achieve? Is it to just be keep brand awareness or to gain new business? Always keep one step ahead of competitors. It is always easier to stay ahead of the pack rather than playing catch up.
Your advert and website content/style will depend on these main aspects:
1. Audience age (majority).
2. Audience gender (majority).
3. Audience location (majority).
4. And budget.
Age: If your business aims towards teenage consumers, then the cost of advertising in The Telegraph would most likely provide a poor return on investment. However, if you were a manufacturer or wholesaler for a product aimed at Director Level, then advertising in an industry relevant B2B publication would result in reaching your perfect target audience.
Gender: This is important to think about when producing your visual material. For a men's clothing shop, swirls or feminine colours wouldn't be ideal. Although, going for the stereotypical and obvious structure is not always best in making you stand out, thinking about trends on what your audience want to see is vital.
Location: Whether you operate on a local, national or international scale, your target audience will be different. Cultural differences aren't just based on country but can even be down to the county. Colloquial terms and phrases may be lost so if this is for a large area then make it sure it appeals to all.
Budget: This is one of the most thought of aspects to marketing. Prioritise where and how you market. There is always an aspect of trial and error to see a return on investment but you need to use multiple channels to keep a consistent flow of traffic. Also placing a one off advert will not be as effective as booking a whole series as regular appearances builds up trust. You will also save money booking your advertising over a longer period rather than booking it for a one off advert.
Whether it is running newspaper advert or producing a website, you need to have a 'call to action' and somewhere to go to should they wish to find out more. This could be a telephone number or, if you want to provide 24/7 information, your website.
Remember that running one advert in the local paper may not inundate you with calls and having a scatter gram approach to marketing does not build up trust. Regular advertising means that your target audience become familiar with your name and logo. Consistency in the running of adverts shows your clients that you are taking your business seriously, even if this thought is subconscious. Brand awareness is important in making people feel secure and recognising a company brand is essential in gaining customers confidence.
Member comments together with Member Names may be used by
InternetMarketingTNT.com for promotional or other media efforts.
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior
such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or
material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users
who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the
content that you post.
Comments (0)
We invite you to be the first to post a comment regarding this article.
