Advertising as we know it isn’t that old, especially when one considers running your own business is so ancient the Greeks dedicated a god, Hermes, to it. In fact, given the first paid radio and TV ads aired in 1922 and 1941 respectively, you might have customers who are older than modern advertising forms! I won’t even discuss the first Internet ad, which appeared in 1994, the same year the TV show Friends debuted…. What I’m saying is that advertising as it applies to your small business is still new and, what’s more, continually evolving, which means we need to be savvy and open-minded when planning an advertising strategy. Advertising has few limits in this day and age — it can be anything from a promotional mug to event sponsorship or even some brave soul standing by the road in a chicken suit! For this post, however, I’m referring to traditional media; that is:
- Television
- Radio
- Magazines and newspapers
- Direct mail
- Cinema
- Outdoor signage
- Internet.
Why and What to Advertise
At its simplest, advertising tells a wide audience about your business and its products or services. “What?” is a far more exciting question. At different stages both in the year and your business lifecycle, you’ll advertise for different reasons, such as to:
- Build your brand
- Introduce new products, premises or staff
- Announces sales
- Celebrate awards, events and milestones.
Whatever you do, remember to keep your advertisements fresh and engaging by updating their look and content regularly, even if the basic message remains the same. Like most people, I love a story told over time in a series of ads — you might remember the Nescafe ads in the 1980s that teased us over a budding romance for four years. Of course, a series of ads doesn’t have to be a multinational affair. Canberra lawn company Canturf keeps me entertained with an ever-changing array of grass-related puns on local billboards, including “Kiss my grass”, “Looks good mown eh Lisa” and “Lawngerie modeled here”. Choose Your Medium Seeing yourself on TV or in the glossy pages of a magazine is thrilling, but let your business sense, not your ego, guide your choice of media. Start by answering these four questions:
- Who is my ideal client?
- What personal message do I want to tell them?
- Where is my business located?
- How much money do I have to spend?
Then consider the strengths each medium. For example:
- Newspapers: reach a mass audience for short-term sales and special offers
- Outdoor signage: suits extremely simple messages or bold graphics
- Radio: listeners are captive unless they change station or switch off.
And, finally, make up a short list of specific publishers, broadcasters and agencies, and obtain a media kit for each — either download from company websites or ask sales representatives to post. A good media kit outlines:
- Advertising growth and performance
- A summary of the idea reader/audience
- Production requirements and deadlines
- Rates (costs) for different types of ads
- Circulation/audience numbers
- Customer feedback.
Words of Warning You need to be a bit savvy because the bottom line is that advertising funds the media, which means a sales representative’s primary ambition is to get you to sign the dotted line. Protect your precious advertising dollars by doing your homework before you agree to any advertising contract. Ask four questions, especially with smaller, local and less-known media:
- What are the audited circulation/audience numbers; that is, those calculated by an independent source? Otherwise you could be looking at “guesstimated” or fudged figures, which are, unfortunately, rather common. If audited numbers aren’t available, ask how many copies of a publication were sold (not printed or given away), how many listeners call into a radio program or if numbers are generally on the increase or decrease.
- Who will produce your ad? If it’s an in-house film crew or graphic designer, ask for costs and examples first to make sure you’re getting quality and not just another opportunity for the media outlet in question to make money.
- Is free editorial part of the deal? Don’t actually ask this question, but take note if it comes up. Generally, unprofessional magazines and newspapers will offer this as a “bonus” — of course, it’s anything but when you have to slave away to write an article and provide photographs for free! Any publication worth its salt will pay professionals for top-notch content. Likewise, they’ll also politely decline the increasing number of advertisers who request free editorial.
- For a magazine, newspaper, radio or TV, are the articles, music, talkback or programs good? If you wouldn’t pick it up or tune in, chances are your ideal customer won’t either.
Measure the Response Guess what most advertisers forget to do? Measure the success of their ads! Make the most of your advertising budget and refine your advertising strategy by:
- Monitoring website and foot traffic
- Examining leads, enquiries and sales
- Creating special offers related directly to your ads
- Simply asking your customers.
