As anyone who runs a small business, you know that it is not easy, and that there are lots of things which you need to worry about. Maintaining stability, and starting to make a profit is what most of your early years will be concerned with, but this means that avenues for growth can often be overlooked, and if you overlook these avenues of growth, your business will not grow as quickly as it could.
This is why as a small business owner, focusing on things like advertising will help you and your business grow and will make sure that your name is out there.
Some small business owners assume that advertising is something which is always going to be a hefty investment and is more designed for larger businesses, but this is not the case and advertising can benefit businesses of any size.
You are likely reading this article because you understand the importance of advertising and how it could impact your business, but you are unsure what type of advertising is available, and what will suit you best.
So, this article will be going over all the different types of advertising you can use to promote your small business. The descriptions of these small businesses will hopefully let you know which will help your business the best, and then this is the one which you can choose to invest into.
So, if you want to know what types of advertising are available, and want to know which will help your small business the most, then keep reading!
1. Advertising On Social Media
One of the most popular and rapidly growing forms of advertising is advertising on social media. Social media is of course quite a new phenomenon, and people have now realized just how easy it is to advertise on these platforms, and how effective the advertising can be.
One of the best things about advertising on social media is that you can target your adverts to a specific audience, whether this is by demographic or location. Depending on how you want to advertise, the price can range, but a lot of people are surprised at how affordable it can be.
One of the most popular avenues for social media advertising is on Facebook because of how many people use it and the wide range of demographics which use it. There are also plenty of different types of adverts available on Facebook, whether it is videos, or offers, the customization options are endless.
If you are aiming for a younger audience, you could also try advertising on Instagram, you also have a choice of what type of ads you want to use, so you can tailor it to your business.
Another platform which is a little more costly, but arguably even more effective is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for B2B advertising, so if this is what you are looking to do, this is definitely worth considering.
2. Local Advertising
This is something which a lot of people overlook since it feels a lot more classic compared to newer types of advertising like that on social media. But sponsoring in the local sphere can be incredibly effective.
This will get you the best results if the local crowd is what you are prioritizing. For example, this will be a lot more useful for a shop which needs to get their name out there, compared to an online business, which does not necessarily need local support.
There are plenty of different methods to try here, but they mostly come in the form of community outreach and making sure that the people in your area know about your business and what it offers.
This could be something as simple as printing business cards or brochures and putting them in strategic locations, or you could try something a bit bigger like sponsoring a local event, or a charity fundraiser. These can get more mixed results, so ensure that this type of attention is what will benefit your business the most.
3. Pay Per Click Advertising
A more affordable form of advertising which you can try online is pay per click advertising, these PPC ads will only charge you when someone clicks on your ad, so even if someone sees the ad, but does not click on it, then you will not lose any money.
The most common ways to do this are on services like Google ads or Bing ads and you can use these services to sign up for PPC advertising. This can be incredibly effective and it can work wonders for your business with not that much of an investment. However, you will want to check this style of advertising will bring in your target market who will be willing to spend on your business.
4. Print Advertising
This point is linked back to the local advertising, but print advertising is something which is still worth doing, but again, you will want to keep in mind what kind of audience you are trying to attract.
One of the most common forms of print advertising is in magazines or newspapers, so, when you are choosing the magazine or newspaper you want to advertise in, you will want to keep in mind who you think is reading the magazine, and if you think they are the type of person who will invest in your product or service.
If the newspaper or magazine does not cater to an audience which will invest in your product, then you will be wasting your money.
The main thing to keep in mind with print advertising is that it is more aimed at an older audience, so if you are trying to aim younger, maybe take a different approach.
5. Broadcast Advertising
Broadcast advertising applies to advertising which is done over television or on radio, and it is what most people think of when they think of advertising. While this often seems like something which will be too expensive, it is actually more affordable than a lot of people think, and it can be very effective in getting results.
Getting a professional looking TV ad can be quite costly, but, if you want something for local TV, you will not have to spend as much money on it, the same is the case for radio advertising.
However, you will have to keep in mind the same points from print advertising. If you are advertising on a certain radio station, or television channel, you will want to keep in mind who is going to be consuming media on these channels, and if they will be interested in what you are advertising. If this is not the case, then look to somewhere which fits better.
6. Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising seems like a big investment, but depending on what you are doing, you can often get a good deal for a big impact. These are the type of ads you will see on billboards, on buses, or on sports venues. They are big and you subconsciously spend a lot of time looking at them.
They are a great way to build up brand awareness and if you want to make sure people know the name of your business, this is a great way to achieve that!
This type of advertising will mean that you will have to worry less about demographic, and more about location. You will want the advertisement to reach people who would be interested in your product or service, so make sure it is in a place where these people will see it!
7. Mail Advertising
Mail advertising is often overlooked since it does not work for a lot of people who try it, however this is usually because of poor planning and not aiming it at the right people.
If you know your demographic, mailing coupons, brochures, or catalogues can be a great way to let people know what you are offering. Also utilize newsletters to keep in touch with your local community and let them know about your business.
Summary
When advertising as a small business, one of the most important things to do is to ensure that you are not wasting your effort or your money. Advertising is an investment, and if you are not getting anything back from that investment, it is probably best to take a step back and reassess your approach.
Tracking your success with advertising is one of the most important things to do. With certain types of advertising like social media or PPC, this will be easy to track, whereas with something like outdoor advertising, this will be harder to track.
If you are happy with your current consumer base, you may also want to focus on remarketing and keeping your audience captive. It is hard to convince someone randomly to buy your product or service, but if it is someone that has already invested, then this is a lot easier to maintain! By creating loyalty, you will keep your business sustainable!