If your business is like most, you compete with several similar companies or organizations in your market.
Your ongoing challenge is to get your target audience’s attention and ultimately earn their business. And in today’s competitive business landscape, the “pack” you’re trying to stand out from is probably growing daily.
One of the best ways to set yourself apart is through paid advertising. But there’s a catch: Your business isn’t alone in trying to leverage advertising to earn “eye share” and attract new customers or clients. Many of your competitors are likely already doing it or considering launching a campaign.
Does that mean you should forgo paid outreach? Absolutely not! It just means you have to do your advertising strategically. Success in differentiating your business isn’t so much about reaching the marketing peak as establishing it! With the help of ad-buy experts, you can determine where and when your ads will most likely be seen and move prospective customers or clients to action.
Commencing a Well-Informed Ascent
As mountain climbers know, not every trek achieves its objective. They also understand that teams that fail to summit haven’t set the wrong goal but instead failed to execute a carefully constructed plan.
As our agency has learned in helping countless organizations hit their revenue targets over 25 years, there are specific steps you have to take to succeed. The first few are as follows:
- Define your advertising goals.
- Choose what you want to promote.
- Identify your target audience.
The list continues with six more critical steps, as we explain in the Advertising Alps section of our free Marketing Survival Guide. And, of course, each step is shorthand for a set of actions.
For example, “Choose what you want to promote” is a common-sense action. You don’t need a marketing firm to tell you that! But when working with clients, we go much deeper into that simple directive. It isn’t just about the product or service you want to sell.
- What specific features are you marketing?
- What intangibles—better health, more free time, enhanced happiness, etc.—are you touting?
- What additional benefits—membership in a community of like-minded product/service users, for example—are available to customers or clients?
When diving into advertising, organizations with solid plans in place do much better than those that just wing it.
Breaking Down Your Budget
Another essential aspect of successful advertising is how you manage your budget. There are many advertising channels available to marketers, including:
- Social media
- Digital
- TV/Streaming
- Radio
- Sponsorships
- And others
The key to maximizing the effectiveness of your chosen channels is twofold. First, you need to select those most likely to help you achieve your marketing goals. For instance, if your ideal customer or client is between 18 and 30, you probably don’t want to invest heavily in print advertising, as that’s not a medium they tend to favor. (There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but you should be sure you understand them before funding an advertising campaign that seems counterintuitive!)
The second key is to revise your spend based on results. If you’re advertising on social media and radio, and the latter generates significantly more leads, allocating more budget to that channel makes sense.
Get Our Guide on Traversing the Advertising Alps
Here in Colorado, we’re fortunate to have awe-inspiring mountain peaks. However, people understand that it’s much easier to view them than to reach them. The same is true for marketers and their advertising goals.
Fortunately, our team is skilled and experienced in traversing what we like to call the Advertising Alps. If you’re considering an ascent, an excellent digital trailhead is our Marketing Survival Guide. It’s got great food for thought, a helpful budgeting worksheet, and more.
Grab your free copy today, and then reach out anytime to discuss how we can help you leverage paid advertising to elevate your business!
