Getting started in advertising can seem overwhelming to new business owners. If you aren't careful, you can end up spending too much money on the wrong type of advertising, and not achieve the desired results. Before you start advertising, answer these questions:
- What is your expected response?
- Who is your target audience?
- What is the best way to reach your audience?
- How often should you advertise?
- What time of the week, month, or year should you place your ads?
- How will you measure the success of your advertising?
Make yourself an advertising expert
You can avoid making wrong turns by first understand advertising basics.
step-by-step guide to getting started in advertising. SBA's
Primer on Advertising is also a great starting point.
Put software to work
There are software programs that will walk you through the advertising planning process.
Set your advertising objectives
Unless you know what you want your ads to achieve, you can't create a successful campaign. Pinpoint your objectives. For example, are you trying to attract new customers? Encourage existing ones to spend more? Improve your overall image?
advertising objectives used in the University of Missouri-Columbia's advertising program and learn more about setting objectives from the SBA's
Advertising in a Nutshell.
Set you advertising budget
You can set an ad budget several ways: as a fixed percentage of gross sales (often 2-5 percent for small businesses); matching what your competition spends; the task method, in which you spend as much as it requires to meet your goals; and the residual method in which you spend whatever's left after you meet other expenses.
What's your message?
Delivering a simple, clear, and concise message is key to getting a response.
Choose your media
Newspapers, cable TV, online - each of these and other media can be effective for an advertising campaign. However, choosing the best media for your campaign depends on your specific objectives and your target market.
Consider hiring a pro
If you're planning an ongoing advertising effort with, you may benefit from hiring an agency. Agencies can help create effective campaigns, select an appropriate media mix and negotiate rates to get you a better deal.
