Today’s Lie: Advertising Doesn’t Work

If you’re a business owner, you know how it goes – you have a business, or a product, or an event, and you go through all the options (can you say overwhelm?) pick SOMEthing, because SOMEthing’s gotta work, and instead, you end up feeling like you just threw your money in the garbage, and wish you had at least gotten a Margarita and guacamole with?

Advertising is one of those nebulous marketing channels that, from the outside, can be a tough nut to crack. It’s why many companies look to outsource to advertising agencies that specialize in their industry. For example, the company Dealer who can be found at https://www.dealer.com/products/advertising/ is a perfect choice for car dealership owners looking to advertise. They know the audience they need to find and can do more targeted work than generalized advertising agencies can. The best part is, you can find specialized agencies for most industries who will know how to best help your business generate leads. The first truth is that if you are just putting money down on types of advertising without doing some up front work on targeting, and goals, the advertising will definitely NOT serve you. So, what can you do to make advertising work? Here are a few ideas:

1. Make sure you know your GOAL – is it increased page likes, getting people to an event, having people sign up for your newsletter….? Get specific.
2. Determine your desired RETURN – what would you consider effective? How many people do you want at your event? How many widgets do you want to sell, and what percent of that should your advertising bring you?
3. Know your REACH. Blanket advertising to EVERYONE might not work as well as targeting. So, if you’re having an event in New York, advertising in Brooklyn and Queens and Manhattan is more likely to net you a return than one in California. However, if your event is far enough out, people in California might book a flight and come in. If you’re struggling to make your brand known, it might be worth finding a company that has experience working with a big data platform. If you’re new to the business world, you’ll probably need a little help with advertising and marketing!
4. Justify your TIMING. As mentioned above, when you advertise could play a role. If it’s 2 weeks before an event versus 8 weeks before, your geography target may be vastly different.
5. Know your CHANNEL. It pays to know where your target audience is so you know the right channels to use (Facebook, versus article, versus paid ad in newspaper, versus TV ad…). You can do this by using analytical tools such as Samba TV for tv viewership data that can show what people are watcing and when, so there can be more accurate advertising outcomes for your intended channel.

Be patient – as you grow your business, so, too, grows your understanding of the best advertising that works for you!

Want some hands on help with your advertising and marketing? Please join our workshop next week – Marketing Makeover – How to Make Marketing and Advertising Work For You! Click Here for details and the early bird rate runs out tomorrow!