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Investing in promotion and getting zero results? “Now, how do I launch a marketing campaign so that it was successful yet not too much of a money waste at the same time?” – the question that haunts way too many enthusiastic business owners. It is so, since the advertising budget in small companies is often limited. I’ve got a tried-and-true recipe for effective advertising. Give it a read and promote your business the right way!
So, with the evolution of technology, all kinds of new ways of communicating with customers are emerging. But despite this, offline advertising is still an important part of promoting small, local businesses. If your company focuses on customers living nearby, it’s advisable to start implementing a marketing plan with traditional methods still included, notably outdoor advertising.
Outdoor advertising
Several things come to mind here. Let’s run through them.
1. Flyers
This is not a relic of the past, but a really effective generator of customers for many service centers and workshops, focused on the local audience. Flyer advertising works if you realize that you have to hand them out in crowded places (near subway stations, markets and bus stops). This is a good way to tell people in the neighborhood that you are available (open right now / moving to a new place/ recently moved here / have a nice discount, etc.). The main thing is to see if your offer is interesting to a wide audience, and focus on its needs.
2. Signage
Is it worth writing about the fact that without signage, people simply won’t know where you are at? By looking at the signage, the customer starts to memorize the location of your office or other facility. This will increase the likelihood that he or she will remember it at the right moment and will turn to you to solve the arising issue.
3. Business cards
A classic way to spread the word about yourself. This marketing tool is especially useful if there are office buildings in the neighborhood: you can leave business cards, for example, at the reception desk. Be sure to give them to customers so they can share the useful contact with their friends in case of an emergency (if the option to send a link doesn’t work).
4. Banners
The size is limited by the area and your budget, so, without a doubt, there is room for imagination. Such advertising has no chance to go unnoticed: banners are large in size, use bright colors and visually appealing content to attract attention and get into the brain of various pedestrians and drivers.
Internet advertising
“If your business is not on the Internet, then your business will be out of business,” – Bill Gates said once, back in the good old 90s. It would be rather difficult to disagree with the guy. No matter how much you fiddle with offline promotion, a digital campaign offers great opportunities and often brings traffic that no outdoor campaign will.
E-marketing means you’re going to promote your product/services through digital channels. Along with traditional methods, such advertising is a good way to maintain contact with regular customers and attract new audiences.
Maps
For small and medium businesses, every customer is critical. Since people often look for services near their home or place of work, putting the company on a map increases the inflow of local clients.
There is one really cool platform that allows you to do this – Google My Business. A free way to get traffic from Google Maps and the search engine. You just need to fill out a profile and add photos, and your potential customers will see the company and all the information about it with the location on the map when they search. They will also be able to leave reviews and rate your company without going to the site, and this provides automatic rating of the company in the service.
Customer reviews
Stories from real people make for the best advertising. Reward your customers with bonuses or discounts to make them more willing to share their opinions about your company: no marketing campaign has the same effect as word of mouth.
Be sure to post testimonials on your website or shoot some videos of your customers. When prospects are doing research, they will notice others who have contacted your firm and were satisfied.
Social media promotion
Start social media pages, finally. Seriously. If you think a website is enough to promote a service business, take a look around: chances are your competitors are already running social media marketing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Social media marketing can be an effective way to promote a business if you take the time to prepare different types of content.
Tell your customers about what you do, shoot a couple videos or take photos of customers in service. People are more willing to use a service if they familiarize themselves with it beforehand. Social media platforms are exactly the way to do this.
It is equally important to organize personal communication with clients on social media. Any business sooner or later finds itself in need of a convenient and accessible way to communicate with its audience, which will help to handle all the leads.
Also, social networks give an opportunity for paid promotion. You can run targeted ads on Instagram through your Facebook advertising account, pre-setting audiences. Or you can promote only on X: the main thing is to choose a social media channel taking into account the interests of your audience.
Affiliate marketing
This is one of the online advertising strategies that involves a company collaborating with another business to conquer new markets. Such a partnership is based on favorable conditions for all parties – each gets something useful (profit or advertising).
Within this type of campaigns, different formats are distinguished:
- Affiliate marketing proper, which assumes that partners contribute to the company’s sales by placing links to its website on various external resources, and are rewarded according to a certain payment model.
- Referral marketing, where affiliates are rewarded for each customer they bring in.
- Co-promotion – partners recommend each other to their clients, implement separate social media strategies, or place banners on their websites.
- Distribution, which is when a company offers a partner’s services or products to its customers, receiving a percentage of sales as a reward.
Affiliate marketing allows to expand your customer base and increase sales, and at the same time to not waste the campaign budget and resources. After all, partners are paid only for the actual achievement of results, such as an attracted client or performing some specific action.
Advertising techniques
When you have decided on the type of advertising, you can move on to the most interesting – creative – part. There are techniques that will make (almost) any digital advertising campaign successful. These techniques are suitable for any type of business and will serve as your cheat sheet in the process of creating an effective strategy.
Informative advertising message
When composing an ad, use as many specific facts as possible. Also, mention the most popular services or products.
Do not limit the advertisement to the statement that your service is “the best”: bring statistics or comparison with other services, the time it takes to fulfill orders, or the experience of employees.
Don’t feed your customers with small talk and empty adjectives. Instead, provide real reasons why they should turn to you.
Indicate specific prices, completion time frames, the maximum warranty, and other essential details. The main thing is that they match reality.
Time limits and product quantity
A great way to encourage a customer to make a purchase of a product or service is to create a sense of urgency. This advertising technique is considered one of the most popular and effective. Of course, you should use it in the right context and not too often.
For example, give customers a discount on the repair of a certain model of laptops or computers. Be sure to specify that the discount will expire in a few days. Another way would be to tell them that “these popular printer cartridges” are only 10 units left, and the delivery will not be soon.
One service – one advertising campaign
Try to speak about only one product or service in one ad. This way the attention of customers will not be dispersed, and you will be able to generate a more detailed description of the subject.
Call-to-action
This is one of the key tools of digital marketing. The call to action still has the same great impact on the effectiveness of a campaign as always. In the ad, tell the customer what exactly they need to do to achieve the desired result. Show what next step must be taken now: “Learn more”, “Buy”, “Pay”.
In fact, this is what encourages customers to buy, go to the site or perform another action you want them to. When placing this element on landing pages, in newsletters or any other type of ads, follow these rules:
- your call to action should be clear and specific;
- it is better to use active verbs;
- it is better to arrange it in the form of a button with an active link and highlight it against the main text.
3 basic rules of an effective advertisement
Rule №1: Quality comes first
No matter how good the advertising is and no matter how well the ads are composed, if you make a low-quality product the case will not go far. It is much easier to advertise real quality than to lie. An effective marketing campaign is possible only when there is something to share with the client sincerely, without embellishment.
Rule №2: Stand out
As you plan your campaign, think about what makes you different from your competitors and define your unique selling proposition (USP). What unique features does your parlor or workshop have? What is your specialty? If such a question leads you to a dead end, I advise you to reflect on the specifics of your business. Those who bring the idea are remembered.
Rule №3: Talk to your target audience
Use the language of your audience and the marketing channels your customers are sure to use. If you want to add creativity, cool buzzwords, or experiment with visuals, think about whether it will appeal to your audience.
Practical tips
Some businesses need ads more than others – because of the sheer number of competitors within the niche. I’ll give you a couple of examples.
Service center advertising
Phones break often, that’s a fact. When developing an online advertising strategy for your phone repair service center, put an emphasis on retaining loyal customers. Smarts steps here include:
- discounts for regular customers;
- promotions, involving bonuses for each next visit;
- discounts on additional products and accessories for phones.
Encourage every client, and they will come back again and again.
Computer repair advertising
Laptops and computers require less service, so when launching your marketing campaign, emphasize attracting new customers:
- give discounts if the customer recommends the service to family and friends (“bring a friend” promotion);
- offer free diagnostics;
- think about the possibility of a technician visiting the client’s home/office.
Make a valuable and interesting offer for new customers to tell others about it. That is the key.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a recipe for a successful online marketing campaign, remember: take the universal rules, add a pinch of advertising techniques and spice it up with a unique offer. Promote your business correctly and you’ll get more customers spending less. This will help you achieve your business goals.
