When
it comes to cultivating and maintaining a solid client base, developing a sound
advertising strategy is extremely important. By using the right tools at the
right time and in the right place, an advertising campaign will build demand
for products and services, leading to increased sales as well as consumer
awareness. If you are charged with the responsibility of putting together an
effective advertising strategy, here are a few basic points to keep in mind.
In
order to begin the process of creating advertising, it is important to
determine which consumer markets that the campaign should reach. Your product
may have broad appeal, but it is still necessary to identify what will be the
primary focus of the effort. Ideally, your primary market
is that sector of consumers who will become the foundation of your client base
and provide stability to the sales effort. It is fine to also identify a couple
of niche markets that are likely to respond well to the same sort of general
advertising information you will use in the campaign, but without that primary
market to anchor your efforts, the opportunity for the campaign to flounder is
greatly increased.
With
your primary market focus established, begin to identify specific demographics within
that market. This further defines the focus of your advertising campaign and
makes it easier to determine which tools will be most effective. Your
demographics may have to do with location, age, gender, or some other
characteristic that would apply to an appreciably large customer base.
Evaluate
the potential for profit within this primary or target market.
This is important at any time, but it is especially key if the marketplace is
dominated by two or three highly visible brands that have achieved a high
degree of name recognition and an excellent reputation for quality. Study what
it is that makes those brands so successful within the market and how those
brands go about reaching the core audience. This will provide you with not only
some ideas on advertising copy but also point the way to determining what type
of media you should use in your advertising strategy.
At
one time, print media was the cornerstone of every advertising strategy. That
is no longer the case. Along with newspaper and magazine
advertising, there is also the option of radio and television commercials
and general promotions. More recently, Internet advertising has become the
ideal way to reach a number of consumer markets with relatively little expense
involved. Which and how many of these options you will use in your advertising
strategy rests on how well you know the habits and preferences of your target audience.
Keep
in mind that effective advertising copy is essential to the success of the
campaign. Your advertising strategy should make use of cultural references,
current buzzwords, and in general, verbiage that your target audience can
connect with immediately. You would not use the same type of wording in fashion
advertising as you would in a campaign to advertise garden
tools. This is another area where all the hard work to learn about the
targeted client base pays off. You will know what words to use and what they
mean so the text will immediately grab and hold the attention of prospective
buyers.
In
like manner, any visual elements that will allow the products to connect with
the core consumer market is extremely important. Snow capped mountains with
people skiing is great for selling snow shoes and ski
jackets, but it is not likely to stimulate attention in a company that sells
swimsuits. When the visuals and the texts make it easy for consumers to imagine
themselves using the product, the connection is much more likely to stick and
eventually bear fruit.
Good
advertising strategy is intended to help a company reach specific goals in
terms of market
share and specific types of consumers. Identifying that audience and
targeting the elements of the campaign to connect with them is vitally
important. Unless these aspects are taken into consideration and applied
properly, even the most attractive, funniest and most informative advertising
strategy will fall short.