Your 2021 Advertising Checklist

Deciding where and when to advertise your business, and more importantly which audiences you should target, are decisions not to be taken lightly.

To simplify advertising, we’ve made a checklist on what to consider before going through with an advertising campaign.

Whether you’re advertising using digital means, print adverts, outdoor display, social media or any other method (radio, podcast, TV – the list is endless!), there are a few things businesses will need to think about before going through with an advertising campaign.

1. What do you want to get out of a campaign?

Do you want more website visits, heightened social media engagement, increased website conversions, all of the above? Specifying a specific, but achievable and measurable goal makes it easier to understand what type of advertising method would work best to meet that goal, as well as being able to measure that goal against the results of the campaign.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as creating a goal of ‘more customers’ because there needs to be a strategy behind getting those customers, whether that’s through your social media channels, your website, your local newspapers, or any other method at your disposal.

So, consider your goal and then think about what is going to help you achieve it. You want more website visits? Then you’d be best advised to create a social ads campaign that drives clicks, work on your SEO strategy and run a paid search campaign – because that is what is going to deliver clicks and traffic to your website. Similarly, if you desire better social media engagement, you need to implement a high-quality content strategy to acquire improved interactions and garner an engaged following. If you want to increase conversions, you’re going to need to take a look at your consumer journey funnel.

2. What’s your budget?

Most digital advertising (particularly social media advertising) is highly cost effective, and you can set limits on your advertising spend to make sure you don’t go over budget. Local print advertising can also be cost-effective, and promotes your business to an already captured audience, in the local areas that matter most. You need to think about which advertising methods are going to be the most effective in returning ROI – and that’s where you need to place your budget.

3. What message do you want to convey?

Do you want to promote any offers, new products, or simply just increase your brand awareness? Messaging is extremely important because it’s often a ‘make or break’ factor in terms of whether a person clicks on an advert or not. You need to create a message that resonates with your target audience whilst making it clear what action you want them to complete (e.g. learn more, buy now, sign-up etc.). It’s also important not to overcomplicate your message, any further information you’d like to give can be added to your desired landing page.

Keep your target audience in mind at all times when creating advertising visuals and content. Read more about how your brand personality and tone impacts sales and conversions.

4. Consider: do you need advice?

If you’re not sure where to begin or which advertising method suits your goals, then there’s no harm in seeking advice. Whether that’s with another local business, or with a company that provides marketing solutions, it’s up to you. There’s no harm in seeking advice, creating an advertising campaign is an important project that can substantially impact your business, therefore getting some extra knowledge/information will only help you make those campaign decisions.

If you’d like some marketing advice from experienced professionals, or to learn more about our digital marketing solutions, talk to us today! We’re here to help your business grow.