Choosing the right advertising medium is crucial to the success of any marketing campaign. Without a thorough understanding of your target market, as well as the best way to reach them, you run the risk of wasting your money. In this article, we list 6 advertising mistakes businesses need to avoid when choosing an advertising medium.
- Communicating only through email, rarely or never talking in person or over the phone. One of the biggest drawbacks of email communication is there is no opportunity for real-time back-and-forth discussions. By actually speaking with a potential media partner, they get to know you and your business better, which enables them to learn more in-depth about your company, products or services, and to better brainstorm and put together an individualized plan to help you find the greatest success in the areas you need it most. In addition, you have the opportunity to get to know them more and learn how they work as a company to see if what they offer is the best for your business at that time. A face-to-face or over-the-phone discussion avoids endless emails that can be misinterpreted or misunderstood and could lead to frustration, or it might lead someone to miss out on a great advertising opportunity because of the time an email conversation would take. Having a conversation, as opposed to communicating through email, allows you to get the answers you need quicker to determine the best route to your successful customized advertising.
- Putting all your money into “digital.” Digital advertising is both popular and effective, but the key to advertising success is knowing where your audience is and how to reach them. Combining digital advertising with radio advertising can have a multiplier effect by driving radio listeners to visit your website. Radio provides the opportunity to reach specific listeners at specific times and to reach them multiple times. Consumers need to be exposed to a consistent message multiple times across multiple channels before they take action, and radio is one of the best ways to boost your digital advertising.
- The belief that you have a good business and you can put it on autopilot. Brand awareness is a critical component in the success of any business. The ideal level of brand awareness is top-of-mind awareness, meaning when a customer has a need, your company is the first one they think of. Top-of-mind awareness is accomplished through repeated exposure and a consistent message. Even the biggest brands advertise constantly, because they understand the importance of keeping their brand in front of the customer.
- Advertising sporadically and neglecting the importance of frequency. Frequency refers to the number of times a person is exposed to your advertising over a given period. Advertising sporadically is unlikely to be effective. To reach its full significance, advertising must be carefully planned and timed, and it must be consistent with your brand’s messaging.
- Choosing a medium based on its popularity and not based on data that show it can deliver results with your target audience. While digital advertising may be wildly popular, it may not be the right medium for reaching your target audience. Take the time to research the demographics of various advertising media and compare it with the demographics of your target audience to ensure the best ROI.
- Not giving your strategy and your medium enough time to produce success, growth, or meaningful analytics. The expectation that your advertising will deliver overnight results is unrealistic. An effective marketing strategy, regardless of the medium, takes time to produce a significant increase in customers or sales. Likewise, useful analytics cannot be obtained after a short period of time. It’s important to commit to your advertising strategy long enough to objectively measure its effectiveness.
