Applying these rules will make your media buying and advertising campaigns more effective and less costly.
It’s true that TV, radio, and print advertising still have a powerful punch when it comes to your overall marketing strategy, but they also come with a powerful price tag. If you follow these rules to advertising before you purchase any media, you can ultimately increase your audience, heighten your brand awareness, and save a few bucks!
Rule #1 Know Your Audience:
Capturing the right audience’s attention is the most time saving and cost-effective way to advertise, and the digital world has upped the game for every media outlet. The amount of information gathered on consumers is astonishing, and it benefits all advertisers and advertising outlets. This is why it is so important to know your audience first and foremost; it is your #1 job.
Communicating with your ideal audience starts by identifying who they are and building a strategy that engages them where they are most comfortable. By clearly defining your audience, you will be better equipped to highlight how your service can help them in a language that is meaningful to their lifestyle.
The best way to identify your ideal customer is to start by looking at your past & current customers, your social followers, your circle of friends, and the attributes of customers you want to attract. Find commonalities in these groups and, from there, create personas for your ideal customers.
Tip:
Make sure you get a full demographic report specific to the station, show, broadcast, time, and area before buying any TV, Radio, or Print packages.
Rule #2 Pick Proper Placement:
You can have print ads that pop, television commercials that are memorable, and radio spots that people want to listen to, but your ads won’t work if your advertisements aren’t placed properly. This goes back to Rule #1: Knowing Your Audience.
When picking ad placement, be firm about where and when you place your ads. No matter your budget, you want to place as many advertisements as possible into the time and place that reaches your max audience. This will help solidify your brand in your audience's mind.
Things to think about when considering ad placement:
- TV Advertising
- Identify the shows and times that are most popular with your audience.
- Consider the bookend programs around the most popular shows and times.
- Educate yourself on the cost of cable versus broadcast.
- Radio Advertising
- Buy ad placement during the highest point of your audience’s listenership.
- Talk radio has purchase power.
- Print Advertising
- Billboards, bus stops and benches all have a traffic report, make sure you review how much traffic can view your ad.
- Get neighborhood-specific when buying big print ads.
- Send direct mail to specific households rather than mass areas.
Tip:
Don’t get blindsided with media packages, these packages very rarely put your advertising in the proper place. Stay with your plan to place your ads strategically, you might pay a little more per ad but you will have a better ROI.
Rule #3 Effective Frequency
Consumers have advertising overload, and this is why effective frequency plays a major role in the success of your overall marketing strategy. Effective frequency is the exposure a consumer must receive during their purchase cycle to an advertising message before buying a product. This number is usually 3 impressions per week per person or 21 ads a week to that targeted audience. Frequency and repetition are the golden keys to any advertising message.
Tip:
One clear message across all your media, TV, Radio, Print, and Digital will help boost the effectiveness of all your advertising. It will increase your frequency, your impressions, and your brand's message.
With these 3 rules your marketing will have a winning strategy. Know your audience, place your ads into their lifestyle, and turn up the frequency.
