Why is advertising an essential feature of your business processes?
In this post, we’ll discuss the following:
When you have started a business, it’s imperative that you make people aware of this fact. Marketing and advertising is essential to this process. Any type of business, whether you run online or offline, requires customers. By investing into a marketing and advertising strategy, you can improve leads, increase sales and ultimately, make a profit.
To do this, reaching new audiences and promoting your products or services is crucial, especially in a competitive market.
There are many different ways you may choose to advertise your business. Whether it’s television ads, editorial pieces in a newspaper, banners, leaflets, websites, or social media, each method of marketing has its own pros and cons and you must evaluate the best strategy for you.
Advertising can be tricky to get right, which is why we have provided five quick tips to help you get the best out of your marketing processes and maximise your chances of success.
Relevance is the key to successful advertising
One of the most fundamental aspects of marketing is to drive stronger and more meaningful connections between customers and brands. Everything you do must begin with the customer.
Today, customers are freely engaging with brands via multiple devices and touchpoints in real time. They are more connected and empowered than before, so you must provide them with the relevant information they need. By taking an omni-channel marketing approach, you meet the desires of your customers and answer their questions whenever and wherever they want.
The amount of data we can now gather about target audiences and customer journeys allows you to gather deep knowledge about your customer’s behaviour. Through data-driven techniques, you can gain great insights that should educate your marketing processes.
With so much information available, there is no excuse for creating irrelevant customer experiences.
Always communicate your competitive advantage
Marketing is all about creating and satisfying your customers’ needs and desires. It’s important to relate to your audiences needs, but don’t forget to tell them why you can satisfy them.
Your business is likely to be in competition with many other industry leaders and businesses who are firmly established. Having a secure and strong brand position involves truly understanding your competition and your competitive advantage.
Ask yourself: what can you provide to your clients or customers that your competitors can’t? Once you can answer that question, let your target audience know the answer.
Build your image
The world is becoming increasingly consumer-led.Everyday you will be exposed to hundreds of images, whether they’re adverts, brand logos, signs or symbols. They may come in many forms, shapes and sizes. The most effective adverts are those that remain consistent in their image and build a unique brand through it.
Ensure your advert and message have clarity, consistency and creativity to communicate strongly.
Your principles and identity should be built through an initial brand positioning review. Whether it’s the quality of your products or the tone and personality your business uses, you need to remain consistent with your brand.
This consistency is what makes a strong brand that is familiar to consumers and can significantly improve your bottom line. In fact, according to Forbes, consistency across channels increases revenue by 23%.
Are you being seen?
It sounds obvious, but ensure your target audience will see the advertising platform you use.
Research your demographic – what do they do, how do they behave and what do they need?
If your target audience is younger and using social media platforms such as TikTok or Snapchat, investing into advertising on Facebook and LinkedIn means you wont be seen by the consumers you want to target.
Evaluate your customer personas and ensure you’re reaching the right people at the right time.
Have a reactive budget
Allocate a certain amount of money that you wish to spend on advertising and don’t cut corners – cheap advertising can be counter-productive to your brand image.
Ensure that the platform or advertising medium you use is specific to your target audience and then invest.
It’s also important that you don’t just simply allocate a set figure every month. React to the changes in your sales performances during various seasons or events of the year. To remain effective and efficient, a well-structured advertising strategy will help ensure your return on investment is maximised.
When deciding on where to allocate your advertising budget, think about utilising a variety of media and decide whether physical or digital advertising is more appropriate.
EDGE Creative
It is important that you have measurement controls in place to assess the effectiveness of your advertising. A strong marketing and advertising strategy provides a number of benefits, one of those being the ability to find out what is working and adjust your marketing processes accordingly.
At EDGE Creative, we can draw upon research into your customers and their journeys and optimise your advertising and marketing processes to ensure success. Enquire today to find out more by emailing info@edge-creative.com or calling us on 0121 355 8092.
