Do Ads Help Small Businesses? [Yes! Here’s Why]

Ads Can Reach Your Customers Wherever They Are

If you’re a small business, one of the biggest difficulties you will find during the early stages of your business is getting your brand out there. If customers don’t know who you are and what you’re selling, then they won’t buy from you. They need to know you exist before they can spend their money on your products and services.

This is where ads can be worth every dollar you spend on them. You don’t need to worry about your customers finding you as you can find them wherever they are. 

Online advertising is especially effective and a great investment. You can tailor your ad exposure to suit your business needs and pay as little or as much as you can. If you have a brick-and-mortar store that has no online presence, consider purchasing some Facebook ads and target users that are in your area only.

If you do have an online store then Google Ads are a great choice. These can be placed on almost every website on the internet but you can also pay for ads to show in Google search results. This means that whenever someone searches for your product, or even terms related to your product, they will see your business in their search results.

For example, if your business sells scented candles, your business will not only appear when people search for scented candles, but can also appear for related terms such as aromatherapy, lighting, and decor. 

Numerous studies have shown that many people search online and research products before they buy them. By buying some online ad space, you can ensure that potential customers find you.

You Can Target Your Ads

We touched on this point a little in the previous section but it’s worth diving into in more depth and detail. 

When you purchase ad space online, you can make sure that your ads are seen by customers that are relevant to your business. This is called targeted advertising. It means that your ads for scented candles will be seen by people interested in scented candles instead of people searching for plumbers.

There are many other ways that your ads can be targeted as well. You can target people in specific areas and certain demographics. Whether you’re advertising through Google, Facebook, or other popular services, these services have the information you need to reach potential customers.

Usually, with Google Ads, you pay Google for every time your ad is clicked. This is called pay-per-click advertising. This means that it is not only in your interest to have customers click on your ads but it is also in Google’s interest for this to happen as well.

This also means that you can lean on some of Google and Facebook’s outstanding customer data to ensure you reach the right people instead of spending time and money on creating your own. As long as you have an idea of the criteria you want to target, these services will do the rest.

Increases Your Company’s Credibility And Image

One problem that small businesses can often suffer from is that it can be difficult for customers to trust them. If a business is brand new and has no presence, it can make customers feel unsure about trusting their money.

Ads Can Give You More Data Than You’d Expect

One aspect of advertising that is often overlooked is how much data you can get about your customers. 

The advertising services offered by Google and Facebook both give you a large number of monitoring and analytical tools that can help you to grow your business. You don’t just get the demographic information of the people that buy your products, but you will get this information for everyone who clicks on the ads.

This gives you an enormous amount of data that can help you further target your ads. You can see whether people are accessing your ads through browsers or mobiles and which time of the day they’re clicking on your ads.

If you’re running both Google and Facebook ads, you’ll be able to easily tell which is generating the most revenue and you can then decide to focus on one over the other.

As a small business, you probably won’t have much cash flow. By looking at your advertising data you can make sure that you’re getting the best deal for your money and that you’re only spending money on ads that work for you and your business.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we looked at the different reasons why ads can help small businesses. They’re a great way to get your business out there to potential customers that you might not normally be able to reach as easily. You can also make sure that you get your money's worth from your ads by ensuring that they only target the people that are likely to buy from you.

Advertising can also help to give your business some credibility that a new and small business may not have accumulated as yet. There is a lot of data associated with advertising that can also help you grow your business.