Make your advertising work for you

No matter the size of your business, advertising should be an essential part of your marketing strategy. You need to know how to maximize your investment. By following a few basic rules, you can choose the right advertising medium, do effective ads and get the most out of your ad agency.

Where do you start?
First set your objective, the target audience and the key customer benefit.

• The objective is what you hope to accomplish by advertising (introduce a new product, counter claims made by the competition, announce a special promotion or price offer, etc.).
• The target audience is who you are selling to (engineers, investors, do-it-yourselfers, CEOs, boating enthusiasts, etc.). This is a part of your marketing research and marketing plan.
• The key customer benefit is the reason customers should buy from you (quality, service, price, etc.).

Choose your advertising means
Each kind of advertising vehicle has advantages and disadvantages. In deciding what kind to do, think about the audience: what are your potential customers' age group and sex? What are their preoccupations and personal habits? Where are they most likely to see your ad, and in what context are they most likely to respond to it? Where is the vehicle circulated? How often and when is it circulated? In what language is the medium published?

Answering the questions above will help you to select the advertising medium that will best suit your needs and budget. There are 3 basic categories:

• Print (newspapers, newsletters, magazines, circulars, signs, etc.): As a small or medium-sized business, it's in your interest to consider low-cost means to do your marketing, such as community newspapers, press releases or simple networking.
• Media (television, radio): Television tends to be very expensive and the return on your investment isn't always high for a small or medium-sized business. Radio ads can be produced locally and usually cost less. However, it's an auditory means that doesn't allow you to showcase your product.
• Electronic (e-newsletters, websites, etc): Online marketing  such as e-mail campaigns, websites and electronic newsletters, are popular given their broader reach and lower cost. Be sure that your target audience uses the Web; otherwise, don't go there.

Advertising best practices for good results
The rule of thumb is that if your ads are amateurish, badly produced, or appear in the wrong places at the wrong time, your product will be diminished. Most of these practices apply to just about any advertising in any medium.

• Keep it simple; advertising is often misunderstood and you want to avoid this.
• Put your key message in the headline and avoid burying it.
• Colour advertising is often more effective than black and white.
• Avoid reverse type (white text on a background) if it makes it harder to read.
• Use only first-class photography and visuals.
• Illustrate your print ads with photographs rather than drawings.
• The larger the ad, the bigger the impact.
• The more frequent the ad, particularly for television or radio, the more effective it is.
• Advertising printed on inside covers and page one are generally read by more people.
• Placing an ad next to a relevant article about your product is an effective way to attract attention.
• Typically your ads should demonstrate the product being used in someone's hands.
• Use testimonials to build credibility.
• Highlight the benefits of your product rather than the features and don't undermine your competitors.
• Avoid simply using humour to position your company; stick to other means such as your unique selling point or company culture.
• Being concise is important, but make sure that people get the information they need to make a purchasing decision.

Get the most out of your communication specialist
Studios or advertising and communications agencies offer a diversified range of services from conception to production. It's up to you to choose the agency that suits your needs (usually, small ones will give SMEs a better service). A less expensive option, is to hire a creative freelancer (copywriter and/or designer) who can help you find the right concept, marrying visuals with copy.

• No one knows more about your company than you do. Your agency will expect you to give them the information they need to do their work: your objectives, target audience and key customer benefit. But let the agency do their work. Don't tell them how to write or design.
• For a proposal, you may have to pay part of the "pitch" fee up front; agencies won't generally allot time and money for an extensive proposal unless they have a lot of potential work ahead of them.
• Make sure you have a written contract with all parties specifying the timeframe and cost (including some or none of the things like overtime, copywriting, photography, translation, project management and printing).
• If you're dealing with an agency that sends top people to pitch the work, make sure that you know who will really be handling your account.
• Simplify the approval process. Aim to have a select number of people to deal with the agency and sign off on the project.
• When considering advertising on websites, the best approach is to consult with an agency specialized in Web advertising (e-marketing). Make sure you get a guarantee of service. This means that if a website goes down or your ads are not being shown, your contract could be extended for the period that you missed.