From digital ads to email marketing to direct mail, there are many ways to advertise your business and attract new customers. So many, in fact, that it can be downright confusing knowing which to choose to help you reach your goals.
To help you decide which types of advertising are best for your business, we’ve taken a closer look at today’s most popular and effective ways to advertise below. The ones you choose depend on many factors, including your budget, how much time you have, and your goals.
Organic (nonpaid) social media. Whether it’s through Facebook, Instagram, or even LinkedIn or YouTube, social media is an excellent way to grow your business without having to pay a dime. What’s better, a little effort and time is all it takes to attract customers through social media.
While Facebook is still the most popular social media platform businesses use, Instagram is growing by leaps and bounds. But don’t forget about LinkedIn, YouTube, and even Twitter. Depending on your business, these platforms can be of great benefit to you, too.
Here’s why it’s smart to make social media an important part of your advertising strategy. First, it’s free. That means you’ll have more dollars to invest in other advertising mediums which we’ll discuss below. It’s also an excellent way to share content from your website, videos, and photographs quick.
And because Facebook and Instagram, in particular, continue to roll out new ways to communicate and share content, like the “stories” feature, there’s constantly new ways to connect with people and convert them to customers.
Paid social media. Another great way to grow your social media audience and attract new customers is with paid social media advertising. Facebook ads, especially, are usually much less of an investment (in time and money) than Google Ads. In fact, you can reach about 200 people with a boosted Facebook ad that costs a mere $10.
In addition, you can really customize your ads to target certain demographics much more than you can with Google and other types of digital ads. And Facebook Insights, its analytics tool, is easy to use so you can see how well your ads are performing.
Google My Business. Every business should take advantage of the Google My Business platform that allows customers to connect with you via Google Maps and Google Search. You can update your business profile with photos and posts, from links to blog articles to information about sales and promotions.
The platform also gives you access to Google Reviews and Google Ads. And if you’re new to Google My Business, you might just score yourself a $100 credit when you spend $50 on Google Ads.
Google Ads. Advertising on Google comes with some pretty sweet benefits. Not only can your business rank high on search engine results pages (SERPs), but Google Ads often have a high conversion rate – meaning, once people “click” on your ad, they’re quite likely to convert to become your customer or client.
Why is this? The answer lies in Google algorithms, and its ability to return highly customized results for searches, primarily through keywords.
Google Ads also allows your business to rank high, or even at the top, of SERPs, depending on how much you’re spending and how competitive your market is. And ads are relatively easy to create and launch. Once they’re up and running, you can track the results through Google Ads or go even deeper via Google Analytics.
Email marketing. Contrary to what you may think, email marketing is alive and well. In fact, it still has the largest ROI than any other marketing channel today. The key to making email marketing work is having an excellent list of email recipients, which you can purchase from a variety of companies.
Then, you’ve got to create captivating content – from the subject line to the body of the email itself. Great email marketing features solid, motivating calls-to-action, and an easy way for recipients to engage with you, whether it’s by filling out a form, or visiting your website to sign up for your services or to buy your products.
You can upload your email lists to email marketing platforms including MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, and Sendinblue to create great looking email campaigns that are easy to monitor.
Print. It may come to a surprise, considering how much the landscape of print journalism has changed, but print advertising is still going strong and is a great medium to consider, especially if you’ve got a limited budget.
People tend to remember what they read in print far longer than they do a digital ad. Simply put, print ads have staying power. In a world where we’re bombarded with ads every time we do a search on our computer, print ads have a way of cutting through all the noise. And with print ads, you never have to worry that your customers will think your ad is spam.
Print advertising is (usually) a budget-friendly option, now more than ever. With subscription sales waning, many newspapers and magazines are charging less and foregoing contracts to attract more business.
Television. Sure, we’re living in the age of Netflix, but that doesn’t mean television advertising is a thing of the past. One of the greatest benefits of television advertising is its ability to reach a large, diverse audience. The challenge, however, is that one 30-second commercial spot on major networks can set you back thousands of dollars (like, hundreds of thousands of dollars).
So, what do you do if you don’t have that kind of cash? Consider running your spot on YouTube, that has advertising options to fit all budgets, and cable alternatives like Sling TV.
Direct mail. If you’ve ever gotten a coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond or DSW Shoe Warehouse, you know the power of direct mail. Those coupons are worth a whole lot more than the $20 off they’re offering because of their ability to bring (many) more customers into the store.
One of the best ways to use direct mail effectively is to purchase mailing lists that target the demographics you’d like to reach. If you own a gourmet food shop, for example, you could choose a mailing list with the addresses of people with a high income who live in neighborhoods near the shop.
Like print advertising, one of the benefits of direct mail is that it’s tangible. Once you receive a piece of direct mail advertising that piques your interest, you’re likely to hold on to it and keep it in plain sight, until you’re ready to act by making a purchase.
Radio, music streaming channels and podcasts. Radio has been an effective way to advertise for decades, and that hasn’t changed – although the landscape of radio certainly has. Today, many people use streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify to listen to music and podcasts.
This means that when you’re ready to advertise on radio, you’ve got lots of options. Traditional AM/FM radio is still relevant and effective and with listenership down due to the popularity of streaming services, it’s often less expensive now than in the past to buy commercial spots.
You can also advertise on streaming platforms that fit your niche market. If you’re a chocolatier, for example, you could sponsor a podcast with a famous chef and advertise your chocolates or store location. If you’re trying to attract more millennial customers, consider advertising on the free versions of Spotify or Pandora.
Still unsure which advertising mediums are best for your company? We recommend trying a few out to see what results you get. Or connect with us here at Friedrich Advertising. We can set up an advertising plan that gets your business noticed.