10 Sep Best Business Advertising Ideas

Business Advertising means to create attention to your business and its products or services through the use of various forms of media, such as print or digital media. Therefore, advertising provides a direct line of communication to both- your existing and prospective customers about your product or service. So, the purpose of advertising can be stated as to

make customers aware of your product or service; convince customers that your company’s product or service is the best for their needs; announce new products or services and to enhance the rapport and image of your company.

Today’s businesses have more options than ever when it comes to business advertising techniques. So even if you can’t afford a national TV ad or a full-page spread in this month’s Vogue, you can still get your message in front of relevant customers using some of the following tried and true business advertising ideas to grow your client base larger and faster.

Business Advertising Techniques can be classified into the following ideas:

A. Traditional Advertising Ideas:

1. Sponsor a Radio Contest: With a large percentage of our population listening to radio during both odd times and working hours, one way to get your message across radio listeners is by sponsoring a radio contest. You can offer one of your products/services as a prize or sponsor a special prize such as movie tickets in exchange for the station crediting your business. You can also invite radio personalities to visit some of your business events and broadcast it across the radio live to attract fun from customers.
2. Newspaper Advertising: With newspapers being the most prevalent print media across the nation, you can reach out to local customers easily through newspaper advertising. Restaurants, bars and cafes might want to target the weekend entertainment section in the newspaper. Service providers might focus on classified ads, which are particularly cost effective. Some newspapers also offer advertorial options that allow businesses to sponsor written content about the products/services they offer.
3. Create a Magazine Ad: Magazine ads offer a great format for businesses that put a heavy emphasis on visuals. Trade magazines are valuable for businesses that cater to specific industries.
4. Create Local TV Ads: TV commercials are considered as another traditional ad format. Along with national TV network, for small businesses, one can target the local news stations or cable TV to fit within their budget.
5. Advertise at Local Movie Theaters: Movie theaters offer advertising options to local businesses, to air commercials before movie resumes.

B. Online Advertising Ideas:

1. Set up a Google My Business Page: Google pulls information about local businesses directly from the “Google My Business” listings. Listing here is free. Add your company name, website and hours to make it easier to be found online. Trick your listing out with enticing images to invite clicks and engagement.
2. Purchase Search Advertising: Google Ad-words or Bing Ads bring shoppers who are actively searching for particular items. These ads help your business feature prominently when people search for relevant phrases you bid on.
3. Use Re-targeting Ads: Re-targeting ads show up after people leave your website, and remind them to, say, go back to your eCommerce site and purchase that item they were browsing.
4. Sponsor Article Content: Share thought leadership content by working with blogs or online publications to publish sponsored content opportunities related to your industry.
5. Place banner ads on a local or industry website: Create visually focused online ads, like banner or sidebar display ads, and then place them on sites relevant to your business.
6. Sponsor your products on E-Commerce platforms: If you sell products on large eCommerce platforms like Amazon, eBay or Etsy, you can pay to boost the visibility of offerings so they’ll be more likely to show up in customers’ searches.
7. Start an Email Newsletter: Send promotions to customers via email. Get your customers to sign up for updates by offering exclusive discounts, early access or other incentives.

C. Social Media Advertising Ideas:

1. Advertise on Facebook: Facebook is the most popular social media platform with over 1.4 billion daily users. Advertising options for businesses range from boosting the reach of a post to placing ads that promote your product and if you’re looking to start conversations with customers, Facebook’s Messenger platform offers an advertising option to make it easy for customers to reach out to you.
2. Create YouTube Video Ads: YouTube offers several options for short video advertisements that play before videos on its site and app.
3. Use LinkedIn Ads: For businesses that target professionals or other businesses, make use of LinkedIn ads. While more expensive than other social platforms, LinkedIn ads may prove out to be more targeted. For B2B businesses, they may be the best.
4. Promote social posts to encourage sharing: Social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest offer advertising options to boost the visibility of posts. These options can jump start engagement, leading to more sharing of your content naturally.
5. Create a sponsored Snapchat lens or filter: If your business is especially popular with young people and creatives, you could take advantage of some of Snapchat’s advertising options, including the ability to sponsor lenses or filters that promote your business.
6. Work with influencers on a campaign or create and Affiliate Program: Work with influencers relevant to your target market to spread the word about a particular campaign. Find influencers with an authentic following and encourage them to share their experience with your product. you compensate online publishers or influencers for the sales they drive to your website, based on tracking links you set up. Be sure to disclose per FTC Rules, as required.

D. Local Advertising Ideas:

1. Make the most of Business Cards: Include a discount code on the back of your card, and place a stack on your reception desk or checkout counter. You can also give every satisfied customer a few of your cards (with or without a discount code) so they can hand them out to neighbors and friends. It’s a good way to encourage referrals.
2. Sponsor a Local Event: Contribute financially toward local charitable or community events or make an in-kind product donation.
3. List your business in the Yellow Pages: Printed Yellow Pages may be going away, but they are not gone. They are transitioning to the online world. To gain visibility, get a free listing.
4. Offer Local Deals or Coupons: Use a limited-time promotion through “deal” services like Groupon. Offer a discount to get more customers to discover your business and visit it. A variation is to include coupons or special offers in local coupon books like Clipper Magazine or mailers such as ValPak.
5. Post on Community Billboards: Take a look around your local community to find businesses or landmarks that have bulletin boards allowing open posting. Then create tear-off flyers or signs.
6. Sponsor a Local Sports Team: Make a donation in exchange for shirts with your business name and logo.
7. Create Refer-a-Friend Promotions: If you send regular bills to customers, include a small flyer or card offering a bonus to those who refer new customers.
8. Set Up Shop at a Local Festival: If your community has any local fairs or festivals where businesses can purchase booths, you can set up shop there and meet with local consumers or even offer product samples.

E. Outdoor Advertising Ideas:

1. Add Signage to your location: The area right outside your store or business is super valuable. Make sure to follow any local zoning rules and then add a well designed and visible sign that advertises your business favorably.
2. Use Human Billboards: To call attention to your business from the street corner, hire a human billboard, that is, people who stand in the corner with a sign, usually paid hourly.
3. Wrap your vehicle: If your business has vehicles that take you to service appointments, like HVAC trucks, you can buy vehicle wraps that turn your mode of transportation into a mobile advertisement. Better yet, park your wrapped vehicle prominently in front of your place of business when it’s not in use.
4. Advertise at unconventional places: Finally, no collection of small business advertising ideas would be complete without something you might not typically think of. So, consider physical ads in unusual spots. This could include ads inside elevators or near escalators. You can even buy ads on shopping carts at your community grocery store.