Advertising bombards us hundreds of times each day, but we do not pay attention to many of them. So the question is, “Does small business advertising still work?” I would say, “Yes!” provided that the advertising is done correctly. Now I am not talking about multi-million dollar ad campaigns from large companies such as Apple, but for small businesses operating locally. The issue small businesses are facing is targeting their advertising to their customers. In order to maximize your company’s advertising you need to consider three things.
To develop a compelling ad, you must first know your target market. This is not as easy as it sounds. While many small businesses know a little about who is purchasing their products, they have not taken an in-depth look at their customers by conducting proper market research to really find out all there is to know about their customers. Many companies say their target market is, “anyone who has X amount of money to spend for our product.” This is not only too broad, but makes it extremely difficult to effectively advertise.
A large part of marketing today is focused on Internet marketing and online advertising through social media. While it is important to focus on Internet marketing, do not neglect traditional marketing as well. These different techniques are commonly referred to inbound and outbound marketing. Ideally, your business should use a mixture of both inbound and outbound marketing to reach your target market. However, knowing where your target market gets its information is important. If you erect a billboard for your company, yet your target market mainly finds its information through a trade publication, then you have wasted your money. You must put your ad in front of your target market for it to be effective. That seems like common sense, but many companies just use a shotgun type approach for their marketing efforts. It is important that your internet marketing strategies are aligned with your traditional marketing strategies so that all your marketing efforts work together.
The third part of this equation is concept. In order for your advertising efforts to be successful, you must know your target market, find where they are getting their information, and engage them emotionally. Advertising works best when it engages the target market on an emotional level. This engagement comes from a strong concept behind the advertisement. This is the most difficult part in creating an ad campaign and is why large companies spend millions of dollars to get it right. Engagement with your audience is key because without it, your company is lost in the sea of advertisements seen each day. The concept is the key behind creating compelling and successful advertising campaigns.
Creating a successful advertising campaign takes a lot of time and research. When you are looking for a graphic design firm to handle your advertising, ask them about their research process. Many will tell you they research key words and your competition, but there is so much more that goes into creating a compelling campaign. Ask about the concepts behind some of their other design work to see if they have the skills to come up with something unique or if they just arrange things to make a nice layout. Ask them about the target market for different pieces. If they can’t answer these questions, you need to find another design firm.
Designing a compelling ad campaign takes time and effort but can benefit your company in the long run. Quality research is paramount in forming a strong foundation for your advertising campaign and the information gained can be used in other ways to help your business grow and prosper.
