Where Do I Advertise?

I'm often asked what media is the best for Small Business Owners wanting to generate interest, sales or enquries. Unfortunately theres no easy answer, so i've listed the Pro's and Con's for the 3 most commonly used mediums.

Radio Advertising

Pro’s

• It goes everywhere. Ninety-five percent of all cars have radios
• Radio campaigns are simple to produce and can be done in a variety of commercial lengths.
• Radio is a highly personal medium.
• It can help establish you as authority if you the only one in your field to use this medium.
• The auditory nature of radio makes a message more easily remembered.

Con’s

• Getting sufficient airtime during the prime (drive time) hours on popular stations can be expensive.
• Ads are limited to what can be conversed by sound. There is no visual message.
• Phone numbers and web addresses heard while driving may be forgotten.
• Listeners jump from station to station.
• Radio may reach to broad an audience for niche businesses.

Newspaper Advertising

Pro’s

• Reaches a large audience in a single exposure.
• Specific sections (Beauty, Sport, Motoring, Dining) target specific customers.
• Small ads can be placed at low cost.
• Has credibility and wide acceptance.

Con’s

• No single newspaper will reach the entire market. Additionally, very few readers read the entire paper every day.
• Many ads reduce the impact of your ad.
• Deadlines restrict your flexibility.
• Unlike magazines, newspapers are thrown out each day.

Magazine Advertising

Pro’s

• Most magazine readers read them to find resources. Ads can be seen as news.
• Most magazines cover a greater geographical area than newspapers.
• Far more time is spent reading magazines than any other consumer-based print medium.
• Magazines are kept, read repeatedly, and passed from person to person.

Con’s

• Cost of space is usually much higher than in other print media.
• Production lead time means ads must be prepared long before publication.
• Ad clutter means low recall; the average magazine has close to 50% advertising.
• Magazine producers usually don’t offer the creative or production assistance that most newspapers do.

So you really need to know exactly who your talking to, what your saying and what you want before you go down any of these roads. No matter what medium you use, here are some points to remember:

• Choose Frequency Over Size; A smaller ad more often will leave a longer-lasting impression that a big ad, once.
  
• Use One Message; A high response rate ad usually conveys a single message.
• Be Credible; It has become human nature not to trust advertising, so your claims need to be real and credible.
• Test Everything; Test only one item at a time and in one medium. If its not showing results, review the project.