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By Tammy DePew Smith
Reaching your ideal customers with the right message, in the right place, at the right time is very important for stretching available ad dollars. Proper marketing research, and planning, will allow you to reach your prospects wherever they happen to be and when they are in a receptive frame of mind for your product or service. Basically, this means that you put your advertisement where your target audience can’t miss it. Whether you sponsor a Little League Team, purchase a radio spot on a popular rock and roll station, or advertise in this family targeted magazine, you should choose the right place and time for your advertising.
Choosing just the right advertising venue to reach your targeted prospects can be tricky. I’ve included four questions to help you evaluate your options. Be sure that you answer “yes” to one or more of the questions.
1) Location, Location, Location! This is true in real estate transactions, and in an effective marketing campaign. Does the location target your best prospects? Are your prospects mothers with young children? Then an advertisement in a family based publication is a good investment. Are you looking to reach individuals without health insurance? Leave brochures and flyers in dentist’s and doctor’s offices. Do extensive research on your target audience. Know where your best prospects are likely to be to see your ad.
2) Is your ad reaching your potential prospect at the exact moment they are receptive to your product or service? When would you be more receptive to an organic sleep aid, while driving down the interstate or while watching late night talk shows because you can’t fall asleep? The point is that your prospects will require different products and services depending on the occasion. This is sometimes called “occasion segmentation.”
3) Is the location appropriate for your company’s message? When conducting your research for advertising options, make sure any location you choose matches the theme of your overall marketing plan. For example, if your business sells homemade, gooey, calorie-laden brownies, then a poster in a health club might not be the best investment of your advertising dollars. Even if the patrons of the health club match the demographics of your target audience, the message isn’t compatible with the location.
4) Is your advertisement creating community goodwill? Some types of location advertising can do wonders for your company’s image. Sponsoring community events, Little League Teams, or even nature trails in a local park can boost your company’s image as a good citizen of the community. A good example of using sponsorship as a form of advertising – a lovely playground in this area was built with the generous donations of many local businesses. As a “thank you” the names of these businesses were engraved on plaques that are now affixed to the playground equipment. How many individuals have read these plaques while watching their children enjoy themselves at the playground? This type of goodwill is priceless.
By doing your research and discovering your target audience’s preferences and locations you can choose one of the above advertising choices, or a mix of several, to achieve your marketing goals, and get the most “bang for your buck.”
Article by: Tammy DePew Smith is the designer and owner of www.wahpromotion.com, a marketing resource site dedicated to promoting small businesses. Resources include marketing articles, marketing tips, a bi-monthly marketing newsletter, and weekly marketing chats.
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