How to Understand Your Advertising Options :: Part 2

Written by guest expert Saundra Hadley of planning . . . forever events. You can follow Saundra on Twitter here.

A review of well-known advertising mediums and my own opinions and thoughts on each one, continued from part 1 earlier today:

Outdoor Advertising: Billboards or digital outdoor screens should be primarily used as a directional or for a simple, branding message. Directional: if you have an office or retail space that is physically near the billboard and it is pointing out where your location is or a slogan/branding message to reach the masses. Due to the cost of this type of advertising and the broad reach (anybody driving to go to work may or may not see your business name, and are not necessarily a potential client), it is most often a poor investment for small businesses. Especially small niche businesses like wedding/event planning.

Radio/TV and Cable: Radio spots rely on ratings and track their demographics. They sell radio "spots": 10, 30 or 60 second commercials during a specific time period (12 hours or 24 hours). Most likely you'll pay for each spot; however you want to inquire about the time factor that the spots will run. For example, your 60 second commercial that plays at 1:00 am is not probably the best use of your money for targeting brides. Ask your radio sales rep specific questions about when your spot would run. It is also critical to know the demographics of the station. It doesn't matter how inexpensive the radio promotion is, if the radio station is targeted to a demographic that doesn't have the income nor the need to purchase your niche service, it's wasted money. Think Talk Radio stations where their listeners are more interested in hearing commercials regarding assisted living facilities.

TV and local cable offer local small business advertising promotions as well. Even though national shows might be airing, a small business can have a 30 second commercial that runs locally. Like radio who rely on ratings, TV is obviously similar. You should be provided dates, times and shows that your commercial will run. You'll want to check with your sales rep on production costs for the commercial, often it is an additional price. If you choose to do this investment then be sure you can keep the commercial so you can possibly run it on other channels if necessary. And as always, since you are a savvy advertising expert by now, you'll ask for and will be provided in-depth demographic information on each station.

Most often TV and Radio are not the most viable financial advertising investments for small businesses. You'd be better off in relying on a strategic viral campaign that will position excitement about your business and positive branding.

Yellow Pages: I think it should be called the Purple Pages after Barney the Dinosaur. Honestly, when is the last time you've picked up a yellow paper book to look up a number? With Blackberrys, iPhones and computers; business phone numbers and addresses are at your fingertips more easily than ever before. Yellow Page sales representatives will try their best to tell you about the legitimacy and convenience it is for your clients to find you. I'll beg to differ, but that's just my opinion.

If you feel that your business needs to be in the yellow pages for your local area, then invest with one yellow page book (the biggest one and not all the knock-offs or cousins of the big book). Take out a one line listing, no bold. Remember you will already know which is the biggest book because you will ask and receive (in writing) how many books are distributed to both personal homes and businesses and what counties. Do not let them talk you into a half inch size text ad with bold listing. You don't need it. People who use the yellow pages want to find two things: your location and phone number. Keep it simple.


Direct Mail: Lists for brides can be purchased through national bridal websites, bridal shows and some wedding retail stores (bridal attire stores may sell their lists). Experts say that successful direct mail campaigns gets a 1-2% return. It's been my experience that the best Direct Mail campaigns have a "call to action" advertising message: Hurry! Order your invitations before May 31, 2009 and receive a 15% discount!

A more eco-friendly direct campaign can be easily done through email marketing. It's cost efficient and less expensive. Just be sure that you are not spamming people.

Shows and Expo's: Every city is different, but most often bridal shows are a great way to reach your brides. I love it because it is an opportunity to market your business and network with clients. In other areas, bridal shows are not the best avenues to reach their targeted market. When purchasing booths, be sure to look at the location, the marketing of the show and the producers. Then use your Cost per Client formula to be sure that you are making a wise investment. If new to this type of marketing, then don't be afraid to call other wedding professionals in the area and ask them about their experiences with the local show.

After the advertising publishes . . .

Measuring Results: Do you track your advertising? Do you ask every person that calls or emails you how they heard of your business? You should and you should also track which advertising mediums that you close the most sales from. Otherwise, how do you know what is working for your business and what isn't?

There is no exact science to advertising. Your market, advertising mediums, buyers, your message and the needs of your services all play into which advertising medium is more effective than the next. Your challenge is to identify what works for you and that includes making mistakes. Remember, what was great for your business two years ago might not be working for your in 2009. Be willing to analyze your business every year and be willing to change.