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Written by: srtooley | January 8, 2012 11:10 AM in Marketing & Advertising | 709 views | Tags: advertising , marketing , target audience , small business
As a small business owner it's vital that your advertising dollars be spent efficiently. Consider the following when creating your advertising campaign:
Identify & Zero In On Your Target Audience
I can't stress enough how important your understanding of exactly it is who you are marketing your product or service to is. If you own a company that makes tennis rackets you might think your target audience is tennis players. You're right ... dig deeper. Perhaps your target audience is female because of the ergodynamic design of your racket. The size and shape of the racket would best fit a smaller frame player, teenager to young adult. The rackets are priced affordably and designed to take a beating. Suddenly your target audience is a female tennis player between the ages of 13 and 20 who needs a great tennis racket at a great value.
Deliver One Message
You have seen core messages all of your life. From Nike's "Just Do It" to "The best part of waking up is Folgers’s in your cup." from Folger's Coffee. These short messages set the tone for the product. They're aimed at making the target feel something. Inspire them to select Nike the next time they're looking for a new cross-trainer or pick up Folger's to start feeling better in the morning. You have 3 to 5 seconds to implant your core message in your audience's mind. Keep it short and make it unique! For a list of popular slogans, check this out.
Require Your Reader to Take Action
You've designed your ad, described your product or service and you are ready to send your new advertisement to the paper for printing - but did you make certain that there is a clear call to action? Don't simply expect that your client knows to pick up te phone and call you - because tehy don't. They won't simply visit your web site because they saw the ad. You need to tell them, in no uncertain terms, exactly what you want them to do and be blunt about it. Call now! Email me for info! Visit Us Online! Stop in and Save!
Stand Out From The Crowd & Be Unique
As a small business owner you need to always be searching for ways that you're smarter, better, faster, cleaner, friendlier, more professional and the better choice for your audience to spend their hard earned dollar with. Developing your unique selling point is important not only to you as a business that needs to help develop it's own identity in a sea of small businesses - but to your audience who is looking for a reason to make a change to something better. This "something better" can be an actual fact or a perceived difference or specialty. Be creative!
Ask Questions of Your Customers
Measuring the success of your advertising is crucial so you can determine which specific approaches are working. There are literally hundreds of factors that come into play when learning what works best for your company. The keywords you choose. The color scheme you incorporated. The font styles. The photos & imagery. The time of day your ad is run (television or radio). The day of the week you send your e-newsletter, etc. When your customers come in or contact you simply ask them, "When was the last time you heard about us?" ... Perhaps it was on the internet, through word of mouth or a newspaper article... you won't know until you ask them.
Developing an advertising campign for your small business is more than a good design. Contact North Country Design today and bring more business to your business.
