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Best Types of Advertising for Small Businesses

TYPES OF ADVERTISING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
  • Andre Kay
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Advertising is spreading the word about your business. This means reaching out and communicating to your audience effectively about your product and services. Advertising is the most obvious facet of marketing and is included in the promotional mix — a component of the 7 Ps of marketing.

Small businesses aiming to reach their marketing goals; want to be seen, and understood, inspire action, and produce a positive result should invest in advertising to spread knowledge of their brand across a wider audience.

Investing intelligently in advertising will help you expand your customer base and increase sales swiftly. 

There are various types of advertising your small business may choose from including digital advertising platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google AdWords, or the more conventional advertising channels like local TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers.

Advertising can evoke strong feelings in your audience through the use of words, sounds, and visuals. The deal is in what you say, how you say it, and how it makes people feel.

This article will show you the best types of advertising for small businesses and give you tips for effective advertising that works for small businesses.

If you are searching for reliable advertising company for small businesses, please contact sociallybuzz.
Sociallybuzz is a digital advertising and social media management company that helps small businesses and franchises generate more leads, sales, and revenue online.

 

Types of Advertising for Small Businesses 

Whether you’re trying to get new customers to buy one of your existing goods or are launching a new one, make sure you select types of advertising that are within your means and align with your business model.

The following are the best types of advertising that small businesses can employ to promote their brands. Combining a variety of channels may help you achieve the best outcomes.

Note: For each type of advertising, consider the possible reach, cost —in terms of media, creativity, and production — and how you want people to respond. 

Online Advertising 

The majority of customers conduct online research before buying a product or service. Online advertising offers an efficient and focused approach to drawing in new customers. The online channels and format you choose should be based on the goals you have in mind, and the online behaviors of your target customers. 

Here are the types of online advertising you can choose from:

  1. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

PPC is one of the most common types of paid search ads and a form of search engine marketing. In pay-per-click advertising, which is typically done through search engines, advertisers are charged each time a user clicks on one of their ads.

These advertisements surface when consumers conduct online searches using a search engine like Google, particularly when they conduct commercial searches, which means that they are looking to buy something. 

Advertisers bid on keywords within the search engine that are relevant to their business by setting a maximum amount they’re ready to pay when a user clicks on their ads. Small businesses running PPC ads are not charged if users do not click on their ads. 

According to WordStream, PPC can be an excellent choice for small businesses with tight budgets; they generate $2 in income for every $1 they spend on Google Ads. Google Ads and Bing Ads are the most popular PPC advertising platforms.  

Recommended: Google local campaign vs performance max campaign.

  1. Display ads

Display advertising is a form of online advertising that makes use of generous visual media to spread brand awareness and attract customers. Display ads frequently consist of text-based, picture, or video ads that nudge viewers to visit landing pages and take action (e.g. buy a product or order for a service).

Display ads are typically featured as banner ads (graphic or text) and can be found in specific corners of websites and social media platforms. They are charged on a cost-per-click basis. In other words, depending on your overall bidding strategy, you will be charged every time a user clicks on your ad. 

Display ads are also utilized in running retargeted ads. Here individuals who have previously visited a website are encouraged to visit the website again and complete an action. 

Effective display advertising campaigns cleverly combine images, text, gifs, and videos to reach their target audience and stand out online. 

  1. Social media advertising 

Social media advertising is a popular choice among small businesses. It is quite affordable and can be used to narrow advertising targets to particular demography within the geographical location of your business.

You can choose from the different social media options below:

  • Facebook: with a wide range of audiences, Facebook is the most popular social media network reaching the highest percentage of all social media users. Facebook records 2.94 billion monthly active users and 1.96 billion daily users. Facebook ads offer a variety of ad units to pick from, such as video ads, customer offers, carousel pictures, lead generation, page likes, event responses, and more.
  • Instagram: Instagram ads are big on visuals and are used to target the younger generation. Out of the 1 billion users of Instagram, 60 percent of them are under 30. Instagram advertising formats include picture ads, video ads, story ads, and carousel ads. You can integrate obvious call-to-action links to increase traffic to your website.
  • LinkedIn: LinkedIn ads are a great social media advertising channel for small businesses operating the business-to-business (B2B) sales model. LinkedIn offers one of the biggest possibilities for broadening your small business; with LinkedIn ads, you can target industry leaders and professionals in your line of business. 

Recommended: The effectiveness of social media advertising.

  1. Mobile advertising

Online purchasing is frequently done via mobile apps and software. Your small business will benefit from utilizing a mobile advertising strategy.

Mobile advertising is a type of online advertising that only appears on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

According to WordStream, the majority of adult customers (84%) under the age of 30 who purchase frequently online do so on a mobile device.

Mobile advertising consists of mobile display ads, search ads, videos, app ads (encourage users to download a brand’s app), and social media ads accessed only through mobile devices. 

Local Advertising 

Local advertising is advertising targeted specifically to a local audience. It is location-specific advertising. The following are ideas for local advertising: 

  1. Design a business card

Designing a business card is less expensive, and a good means of advertising your small business. 

Your business name and contact information (phone, email, and location) are the most fundamental details you should provide on your card. List the services and/or products you offer, or write a brief description of your business. Create a catchphrase for your business or USP to put on the business card that briefly informs customers of what makes you different from rivals.

You can also include a discount code at the back of the card so customers are even more willing to buy from you. They can also recommend your business to their connections by giving your card to them. 

  1. Sponsor a local event

Sponsoring a local event offers real benefits to your small business. This act will expose your business to your target audience without spending a lot. 

Your donations might be made to a nearby charitable event or you can partner with a group, such as a community League team or a neighborhood picnic.

This will increase your visibility and spread the word about your business without you spending a fortune.

Recommended: Marketing strategies to grow your local business online.

Print Advertising 

Before the inception of digital advertising, print advertising was the main form of advertising for small businesses. Even though printing advertising revenue is declining and the costs are significantly higher than those of digital and social media, it is still a wise investment for small businesses that target older and less digitally connected audiences.

While prominent print ads are magazine and newspaper ads, it also includes brochures, flyers, and pamphlets ads.

  1. Newspaper advertising 

Newspaper advertising is a type of print advertising that can help you advertise your small business and reach a large audience. It usually works by inserting display ads into the paper’s classified listings under relevant subject headings.

There are two main factors to take into account when determining whether and how newspaper advertising may benefit your business: the geographic reach (national, regional, or local) and audience profile.

Typically, the cost of advertising increases with an increase in geographical coverage (circulation).

  1. Magazine advertising 

In general, magazine advertisements cost more than newspaper advertisements because they are distributed nationally rather than locally.

You can reach a highly focused audience with magazine ads. Magazines may target readers with a specific interest (like women’s health) or businesses in a specific sector (e.g. hospitality).

Additionally, readers of magazines tend to read tend to keep them for longer. This increases the likelihood that people will see your advertisement. 

Magazine advertisement will be your ideal choice if you need to exhibit your product in color.

Broadcast Advertising 

Broadcast advertising includes tv and radio ads. Broadcast advertising, particularly TV ads, can be very expensive for small businesses. However, it will cost less if you have local TV and radio stations nearby, and the audience is especially relevant to your small business.

  1. Television advertising 

Television advertising can be a good choice for small businesses because of the wide coverage. It covers a large market in a large geographic area. 

Television ads have the distinct advantage of combining images with sound, motion, and color. It is a potent instrument for creating an emotional bond with potential customers and moving them to take action.

The cost of tv advertisements depends on variables, such as the duration, frequency, and time of day that they are aired.

  1. Radio advertising 

Radio advertising ensures you reach your target audience successfully. With radio advertising, you get the choice to concentrate on a certain location or neighborhood, and you can use sound to express your brand identity.

Consider who your target audience is when selecting which station to run your advertisements on and what time of day to run them.

Outdoor Advertising 

Outdoor advertising is a type of advertising that reaches prospective customers who are out and about their normal businesses. 

You create high-impact graphic ads in outdoor advertising, including conventional and digital options.

Outdoor advertising commonly takes place in three separate settings:

  • roadside (e.g. billboards, bus shelters, kiosks)
  • transport (e.g. airports, trains, buses, bicycles, subway stops)
  • lifestyle (e.g. shopping centers, gyms, stadiums).

Remember to keep your message simple and direct, with a compelling call to action.

Direct Mail Advertising 

Direct mail advertising involves sending personalized emails to individuals to promote your product or services. It enables you to communicate directly with your customers.

It includes brochures, catalogs, sales letters, and newsletters.

Direct mail is a less common form of advertising for small businesses than internet advertising, but it may still be effective if your approach is unique and eye-catching. 

Tips for Effective Advertising 

  1. Determine your target audience

Ensure you determine your target audience to make the most of your budget and channel your advertising effectively. It will save you money and time. Begin with drawing up the profile of the particular demography your product and services will mostly serve. You can also survey your existing customer base for more insight.

When you’re done profiling your ideal customers, select the advertising channels that are most appropriate for both your potential customers and your location.

  1. Tailor your advertising to your target audience

After you’ve determined who your target audience is, the next step is to tailor your advertising to them. To ensure your ads reach your target audience, research the various advertising platforms that are accessible to them.

If your target is the young audience, you’re more likely to reach them by using mobile advertising such as Snapchat or Instagram. While broadcast media advertising (TV, Radio) or print media advertising (newspaper, magazines) works well for the older audience.

  1. Measure your success 

Digital ads make it simple to monitor the effectiveness of your ads; social and PPC ad platforms provide you with thorough reports on your spending, budget efficiency, top-performing ad creative, and the demographics of those who interact with your ads.

Monitoring and measuring your success is important so you’re better equipped to make informed decisions for your future advertising strategies.

  1. Use retargeted ads

Retargeted ads are used specifically to target people who have previously visited your site but didn’t make a purchase. 

Based on what these visitors have already viewed on your website, you can develop highly customized ads to engage with them and possibly convert them into paying customers.

In Conclusion 

This article has provided an extensive list of the best types of advertising for small businesses. Compare the advertising types and decide which format is ideal for your business.

Make sure the quality of your advertising matches the quality of your business. Keep the customer in mind, and be unbiased in your channel selection.

Always give customers a clear call to action so they know what to do. 

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