Advertising Your Business

One of the commonest problems I hear of from small business owners is that they paid for an advertisement which resulted in few or no sales. Advertising can work for your business. Here are some tips to help make sure that your investment in advertising works for you.

What do you want from your advertising? Be very clear about this before you part with a Kobo. Know who you want to reach, and make sure that you know which publications go out to this audience. There is no point advertising in a national newspaper if you want to reach people in your small town. Look at local advertising instead which will be much more cost effective.

What action do you want people to take after seeing your advert? A good advert uses as few words as possible to send the right message, so take time to get the wording just right. Try the advert out on as many people as possible before you put it in any publication. Ask people what they think the advert is suggesting that they do, and see if this is what you are aiming for. Make sure the advert is clear and readable too: a few words in large bold print are better than lots of detail as more people will be able to read it at a glance.

The right image can help make your advert work to put your message across. Try several different images on the people testing your advert and see which one appeals the most.

Finally, remember that one advert alone is unlikely to get you results. Potential customers need to see your business message six or seven times before they act. Advertisements are best backed up b PR and marketing too. Ask about the best deals for booking a series of advertisements too. And remember that an advertisement does not just have to be in a paper or on TV. Look at advertising your business on your car, on hoardings, on the front of your building. Get really creative here to spread the word about your business and make advertising work for you.