As a small business, you may not have the budget to pay for a major advertising campaign, so you need to make the image and every word in an advertisement count. Here we explore how to create an effective advertisement for your small business.
1. Be memorable
Making your advertisement memorable will encourage customers to think of your business when they next need to purchase that product or service—and even when they don’t. A memorable advertisement can include a memorable image or catchy tagline, or can use tactics like repetition, humor or exigency (e.g. Buy insurance before you lose everything in a fire).
2. Define your target audience
Think about who would want or need to use your products or services. Now describe this ideal audience, listing their age group, where they live, their lifestyles, whether they are retired or not, if this is likely to be a hobby for them (special interest audience) and how much disposable income they have to spend.
3. Tailor your advertisement to that audience
You know your ideal audience; now find a way to make this audience realize that they want or need what your business offers. Will the product/service make them feel better (and if so, how)? Does it meet a particular need they have? What pain or frustration does having this product or getting this service address for them? Finally, what appeals to you most about the product/service?
How receptive your audience is to your message also depends on how you approach it. Young adults may be more motivated to buy something when humor, trendiness, or peer pressure is used. Kids need lots of stimulus (color, imagery, sound) to get their attention. Discerning adults appreciate quality, sophisticated humor and value. What will make your ideal audience respond to your ad?
The answers to these questions will help you connect your ideal audience to your product/service—and form the basis for your ad.
4. Highlight what makes your product/service different
Can they buy products or get services like yours elsewhere? To finish off your ad, you may need to define what gives your product or service the edge.
5. Decide when to advertise
Remember to advertise your products or services when customers are most likely to look for them. For instance, if you’re promoting a lawn mower, advertise in the spring since this is when most people are starting to think about fixing up their yards for the summer.
6. Include key information
Make sure you have included all the information the customer needs to access your product/service; e.g., your business location, phone number and/or website. In addition, include a name or code that customers should quote when they contact you and see if sales spike after the ad. Tracking sales before, during, and after enables you to see how effective your advertisement has been.
When thinking about how to advertise, consider using our variable printing services which allows you to create a highly personalized—and therefore more effective—advertisement that changes key content (text and images) to suit each recipient’s situation. With our free professionally designed templates and minimum printing orders as low as 50 pieces, these services provide great value for money along with a professional output.