We all see the expensive and highly produced advertising campaigns on our television and cinema screens for the latest automobile. With every whistle and bell included to make maximum impact upon the advertising weary viewer. Things explode, beautiful women are successfully wooed, fit young men drop from the sky to free fall down to awaiting sports cars and there is a lot of sound and fury. These cinematic productions are like scenes from a James Bond movie and they cost about the same amount of money to produce. This is the realm of big business and Madison Avenue advertising budgets.
Challenges of Advertising for Small Businesses
What about the challenges of advertising for small businesses? How can they cut through the consumer ennui to make an impact? Well, forget about TV and cinema, because they can’t afford it. As a small business there exists a large variety of challenges getting your business the right amount of exposure through advertising. Here are some great tips that will help your small business launch itself to the next stage of success.
The Internet may not have been specifically invented with you in mind, but it serves the interests of small businesses better than any other marketing platform. The digital sphere is your bouncing ball small businessmen and women; and you can bounce that ball more economically here than anywhere else. You can have a website, you can have six websites and/or you can have a whole network of websites promoting your products and services. And these will only cost you peanuts in comparison to an ad on television; and they work for you 24 seven. Of course, you need SEO that works and works well, so that your customers can find you.
Social media is sometimes referred to as Much Ado About Nothing, although I am sure William Shakespeare didn’t have Facebook in mind when he wrote the play. Social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc can all create some level of interest in your product if properly manipulated by someone who knows what they are doing. Professional help with social media management is recommended.
Traditional marketing for a business like a locksmith or plumber can offer some exposure through the few remaining local newspapers, but this is a dying form of marketing in the long run. Printed stickers, key tags, pens, coffee mugs and the like can still offer some narrowcasting targeted exposure for small businesses. A combination of digital and traditional marketing still remains the best mix for small businesses in the short to medium term.