Where to advertise a company to get customers?

Business owners often report to marketing agencies when everything else has failed. They expect quick results because they care about new clients. Then we advise where to advertise the company so that it brings the maximum effect without incurring unnecessary costs. 

At the beginning, it is worth systematizing the channels with which you can tell the world about your activity. This can be done off-line (e.g. on billboards, on TV, in the press, etc.) and online - e.g. through social media and content marketing. Each of these places is actually a separate topic when it comes to where to advertise your business. For example, a radio advertisement may take the form of a nationwide campaign. However, it may also mean sponsorship advertising ahead of the local weather forecast.  

If you run your business locally, where the local station broadcasts, you will gain wide recognition by placing your ad in front of the broadcast, which is broadcast almost hourly. At the same time, the costs will be really small. There are also ideas for advertising a business that fall outside the classifications. This is the case, for example, with company ambassadorswho can operate on or off the network. It is similar with fairs, workshops, events, which usually took place live, but recently can also take place on the Internet. 

What to consider when choosing a place where to advertise a company? 

Before you decide where to advertise your business, you should do so a marketing audit. Thanks to this, you know what your current advertising expenses are, what works and what does not. It is a very good idea to conduct customer surveys. These don't have to be expensive focus studies. It is even better if, when finalizing your purchases or during the first conversation, you simply ask: where did you find out about our company? Collect such data, because thanks to it you will learn the answer to this fundamental question for free.  

It happens very often that entrepreneurs are surprised by the answers of the respondents. They invest in expensive and prestigious marketing communication channels, such as television or advertisements in the national press. Meanwhile, it may turn out that most customers come from a recommendation or because ... the store has a nice website ... Then it is better to strengthen these advantages and focus on referral marketing or posters in the city than overinvesting in something that will not work. Until you know for sure what works for your customers, it's better to refrain from making radical decisions about where to advertise your business. 

Where not to advertise your company? 

When considering where to advertise a company, it is worth abandoning stereotypes and old solutions. It doesn't matter how unusual your company's marketing idea seems - as long as you earn money from it. You may remember that elementary schools used to give away tickets for an amusement park. Thanks to them, dozens of students went straight from the lesson to the carousel or to the haunted house. This may seem like an absurd idea to advertise your business. However, it worked, because only local children go to such places anyway.  

Likewise, if you are considering ways and places to advertise your ad, be sure to only reach where your customers are. If they're housewives, you'll reach them by advertising on TV, on social media and in shopping malls. However, give up forms of advertising that will not reach them. It is not only about the marketing communication channel, but also about the time of broadcast or form. However, do not cross off any platform in advance.  

Some ideas of where to advertise your business may seem outdated or ineffective. Marketers however, they use them all over the world because they bring them excellent results. It is, for example, about advertising mailing, telemarketing or press. If the world's biggest brands use them, why not use them? Before deciding on a particular form of advertising, check your stats to see if it works. 

Create your own marketing mix 

Thanks to the above steps, you will create your own marketing mix. It is a term for a set of strategies tailored individually to the needs of your company. Most companies use many different communication channels at the same time. Nike is the most popular brand on Instagram, but that does not mean that it resigns from advertising at bus stops or organizing events. On the contrary, there is a synergy effect due to the variety of channels. Also, remember that your customers need multiple touchpoints before making a purchase decision. Before deciding where to advertise your business, make sure that they can come across the brand off-line and on-line, at different times and in a variety of contexts.  

Where to advertise a company on-line? 

Forbes reports that in 2020 people were able to read twice as much content online as a year earlier. This means that it is worth investing in content strategies. Thanks to them, you do not have to directly advertise the company. All you need to do is describe the problem and solution, adding links to the store, a native ad or a photo.  

When it comes to social media, a resident of the United States spends 2.6 hours a day in them, and a European citizen - 1.15 minutes a day. If you know where your customers are most likely to "stay" on the web, then you already know which platform is the easiest way to reach them. Another tool that probably everyone uses every day is the search engine. Check what questions are asked by the people you want to reach. Then direct your campaign to them  content marketing, paid advertising or a website optimized for this slogan.  

Staying at the same time, where to advertise your company on-line, it is worth mentioning that every year there are more and more searches on phones, and desktops are consuming less and less attention. This will also allow you to decide whether to advertise in applications or rather in desktop versions of search engines. If you don't know how to do this, please contact Commplace. We will also help you conduct an audit of previous activities and answer the question of where and how to show yourself to see the first results as soon as possible. 

How to effectively advertise a company?

Promoting a company online is a complex and multi-stage process. Entrepreneurs who have been on the market for some time promote themselves differently. Other actions must be taken by the company that just wants to appear on it. The first and fundamental step everyone takes is identifying your target audience. Once you know who you want to target your ad to, you can use that information to prepare an action plan.

Today, to appear on the web, you need your website. It doesn't matter what industry you operate in. Both a shoe store and a shoemaking service can benefit enormously from it. There is only one condition: the page must be refined. You cannot neglect any element, because each of them is important. Substantive content that includes key phrases and allows the website to be better positioned, fresh and transparent graphic design that does not deter users right after entering, and all this is in line with the UX standards, i.e. user-friendly. Each of these things is important if you want to successfully advertise on the web.

Positioning is also associated with your own website. The higher your position in search results, the greater the chance that another user will find your website. Positioning of websites is a long-term activity. It takes time to notice the first effects, but it's worth waiting for them, because it is one of the most effective ways to generate traffic, and thus gain new customers. Of course, even the first position in the search results will not guarantee you new transactions if the website is not polished, but we have already mentioned it above.

A great way to advertise is through social media profiles. You can only be active on one site or actively contribute to all of them. Much depends on how much time you have to run social networks or on the budget you plan to spend on hiring a professional. There is no doubt, however, that social media can be a fantastic addition to your own website. This is because they not only have an informative function, but also allow you to stay in touch with your customers. Building an engaged community will allow you to gain loyal customers who will always be happy to come back to you.

Local marketing - where to advertise your company?

Local marketing is governed by slightly different rules. Theoretically, nothing prevents you from doing exactly the same as in the case of global marketing. But there are some important points that you should never forget. Of course, we are talking about advertising in those places that allow you to extract the potential of your local business. And appearing where customers will most often look for you.

The absolute basis is GMF (Google My Business listing). Your listing will make your business appear in local search results and Featured Snippet (i.e. responses from Google). By adding your company to the GMF, you will also appear on the maps. The customer will be able to quickly set the route or check the exact location. The Google Business Card works great for all cities. However, the smaller the size, the better for you, because the competition will not be too big. The business card contains all the basic data that may be useful to customers: address, telephone number, website link and opening hours. In turn, all user reviews will be displayed under the business card.

This is another reason why you shouldn't give up on it. By taking care of your customers and providing services at the highest level, you will quickly strengthen your image and the company will gain credibility. You can also put a FAQ on your business card, i.e. short answers to frequently asked questions. You also have an event section and the option to add photos. GMF is a great way to attract new customers with little effort and strengthen your position in local search results at the same time.

Local marketing doesn't have to be online. You most often address your offer to customers in a small area, so you can use traditional forms of promotion. When running a transport company or employing drivers, you can invest in advertising on cars. It is a good idea to advertise in local newspapers. Buying the space will not be as expensive as in the case of large publishing houses, and many people still prefer the paper form of the newspaper to the electronic version. In addition, you can invest in brochures and flyers to end up in potential customer inboxes and engage in local events. Remember that in local business, the number of people you reach is not as important as reaching those who can actually use your services.

Free advertising - is it possible?

Beginning entrepreneurs with little capital to start-up do not have an easy task. The costs of the marketing campaign are increasing year by year, because there is more and more competition on the web, and thus more and more energy costs to break into the market. Entrepreneurs starting their own business do not want or are afraid to spend money on advertising, which may turn out to be insufficient, and in the worst case - ineffective. There is nothing strange in this, but unfortunately it cannot be denied that without advertising your company has a poor chance of success. What can you do to avoid investing and give yourself a chance to enter the market and get your first customers?

Beginning entrepreneurs are in such a comfortable situation that they have a little more time to act independently, and this is where you should look for your chance. The obvious option seems to be social media. You do not have to pay any costs for running a company profile, as long as you are able to prepare the content and simple graphics yourself. Social networks have great potential to promote your own brand. In fact, all you need is an idea for yourself and good content.

Building an engaged community takes time and patience, but the results are worthwhile. It is worth using advertising portals where the listing is free. Adding them in many different places is a time-consuming task, but in this way you give yourself a real chance to acquire customers. When creating an advertisement, take into account everything that may be of interest to a potential customer and include it in the content. People who browse through a lot of ads in search of a product or service will not want to waste time contacting you to ask for details.

You will not become a market giant immediately, but when you start earning your first money, you will be able to spend some of it on hiring professionals who will deal with advertising your company, thanks to which you will gain more time to focus on developing your business.