Advertising goes beyond simply listing your product’s name, price, and the physical address of your small business. It also involves publicizing your product or service in a way that persuades customers to buy from you instead of your competitors. Typically, you need to communicate your brand and explain to your customers the benefits that come with your product or services.
There are many different advertising strategies, each with its advantages and disadvantages. To be effective, your small business needs to employ the right mix of these strategies to reach its target market. Here are advertising strategy examples to help sell your business:
Image Advertising Techniques
Some advertising strategies don’t mention the product but focus on creating an emotional reaction in the viewer that will be associated with the company or product. These are known as image advertising techniques.
For example, a company that sells environmentally friendly products might run an ad campaign that shows beautiful scenery being destroyed by pollution. The goal is to make viewers feel a certain way about their environmental impact and convince them that they can help by using the company’s products.
Celebrity Endorsements
One way to get attention quickly for your product is to use celebrity endorsements. Having a well-known actor, musician or athlete endorse your product can lend it an air of credibility and make it more attractive to potential customers.
Of course, celebrity endorsements are also very expensive, so this technique is usually only used by well-established businesses with big advertising budgets.
Social Media Advertising
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become some of the most popular advertising platforms in recent years. They offer businesses a way to reach out to potential customers where they already are, spending time socializing online.
Advertising on social media platforms is usually very affordable and can be very effective if done correctly. However, it can also be easy to waste a lot of money on social media advertising without seeing any results.
To succeed with social media advertising, you need to have a clear idea of your target market and what platforms they are using. You also need to create ad campaigns that are interesting and engaging enough to get people to click through to your website.
Paid Search Advertising
Paid search advertising is a type of online advertising message strategy where businesses bid on keywords that potential customers are likely to use when searching for products or services online.
When a customer types a keyword into a search engine like Google, the businesses that have bid on that keyword will have their ads appear at the top of the search results. The goal of paid search advertising is to get potential customers to click through to your product page.
Paid search advertising can be very effective, but the downside of it is that every click mounts your bill up. So each click of your advertisements will cost you money, whether or not it leads to sales or just an inquiry.
Print Media
Another common advertising strategy is using print media, such as newspapers, magazines, and flyers, to pass your message. The advantage of print media is that it can be very targeted, so you can choose to advertise in publications that your target market is likely to read.
The downside of print media is that it can be expensive, and you usually have to commit to advertising for a certain period in order to get the best results. Additionally, the readership of print publications is declining as more people get their news and information online.
Please Note: Highlight Your Benefits
Regardless of what media you choose, your advertising should focus on your product or service’s benefits rather than its features. Your potential customers don’t care much about your product’s dimensions, color selection, or top speed. Instead, they want to know how your product or service will improve their lives.
For example, if you’re selling a new type of vacuum cleaner that is more powerful and has more suction than any other vacuum on the market, don’t just list the specs. Instead, your advertising message strategy should focus on how this will make your customers’ lives easier by helping them clean their homes more quickly and thoroughly.
Bottom Line
There are many different advertising techniques that businesses can use to reach potential customers. The best approach for a business will depend on its budget, target market, and the type of product or service being advertised.
