The Small Business Administration
(SBA) can be a valuable source of information and financing for small
businesses. Much of that information is now available online,
including this on the fundamentals of planning an advertising
campaign:
Ask yourself the following four key questions when planning your ad
campaign:
- What do I want my advertising to accomplish?
- Who should my advertising speak to?
- What should my advertising say?
- What advertising medium should I use?
Each question can have a number of answers, depending upon the
specific business situation. Explore the full range of possibilities
-- you may need several advertising strategies for your particular
business.
You want advertising to increase awareness of your business, develop
the loyalty of your current customers or generate sales or sales
leads. You may want it to do all of these things. What's important is
to prioritize your goals. Advertising works best when it's developed
to meet one goal at a time.
Once you determine your goals, you can target the right audience to
receive your advertising messages. According to the SBA, "Mass
market" advertising rarely is successful. Have a specific customer
type or group in mind when developing your ads.
Ads should be written to communicate a message that your
target audience considers important. Stress the benefits of your
product or service and keep AIDA in mind:
In addition to the "traditional" print and broadcast media, there are
dozens of other options for placing your ads -- from kiosks to web
pages to billboards. The important thing to remember about placement
is to go where your targets will have the greatest likelihood of
seeing or hearing your ad.
Your choice of media should fit your advertising goals, effectively
reaches your target(s) and is cost-effective. While getting the
maximum number of impressions per ad dollar spent is important, what
is even more important is that the right people see your ad.
You may be better off, for example, running a larger, more expensive
ad in a highly targeted trade publication whose readership is made up
of your targets, than running a small ad in a larger circulation
publication that may or may not have readers which fall into
your target category.
It may also be time to consider having a professional -- either an
independent contractor or advertising agency -- help you plan and
execute your ad campaign. While you will pay for their services, they
can help you refine your advertising goals and strategies, plan your
media placements and write highly effective ad copy designed to
achieve your objectives. There are many trade and industry
associations that can point you to highly reputable people who
specialize in your business area, such as
The American
Association of Advertising Agencies.
Copyright Liz Seegert. All rights
reserved
Turn your business information into effective communication! From
newsletters and brochures to web page copy, Liz Seegert/Marketing
Communications is your source for marketing solutions. I can create
the right communication tools for your business.
Visit my services
page or e-mail me for a
free brochure. And don't forget to ask about my handbook, The Small Business Guide to Local Media
Relations.
Liz Seegert
Liz Seegert/Marketing Communications
"Helping Businesses Communicate More Effectively"
http://www.seegertmktg.com
info@seegertmktg.com
718-229-5730
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