Traditional Advertising: Do's and Don'ts

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does."
Steuart Henderson Britt

At last, we have laid the ground work to allow for traditional marketing to work most effectively. Let's recap the necessary ground work:

1. Create a business plan.
2. Develop a brand and company image, complete with a logo.
3. Implement an online presence, with an effective website and social media functions.
4. Go network!


The final step is to implement and effective traditional advertising campaign. What do I mean when I say "traditional advertising"? This encompasses the following forms of advertising:

• Outdoor Advertising
• Print Advertising
• Online Marketing
• Radio, TV advertising

While I do believe there are circumstances in which a business can bypass the first four steps and go directly to the traditional advertising route, generally speaking, I do believe that implementing a solid foundation is essential. Without a solid foundation, marketing dollars can be squandered!

Everything that you do to build your marketing program, should flow together consistently and efficiently. 

• Consistently use the same logo and color scheme in ALL forms of advertising.
• Efficiently make use of your contact information...if a web address is all that the advertising has room for, then direct consumers to your website. 
• Stay consistent with your message and form of advertising. A one-time shot at ANY form of advertising WILL NOT work. It's a similar concept as weight loss is. You wouldn't expect to lose all of your excess weight by going to the gym one-time? Same situation with advertising. A one-time shot will likely be a waste of money. The only exception to this rule is for special events, that happen only once per year. 
• Listen to your advertising representative. They are an expert with their form of media. It is in their best interest to make sure that your campaign is a success. The more successful your campaign is, the more likely that you will become a consistent advocate of that form of advertising!
• Know your audience and CONSISTENTLY refer back to your marketing plan when deciding what form of traditional marketing will work best for you. Not all forms of media are created equal. Know who you want to target and when you want to target your audience before you decide how to target them.

As always, we are available to answer any marketing questions that you may have!