7 Points To Consider Before Starting An ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Marketing And Advertising

7 Points To Consider Before Starting An ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

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For a business, natural popularity, organic traffic, and referrals are undoubtedly some of the very handy and cost-effective tools to generate brand awareness and boost sales.

However, the type of consumer base gained from these methods is not something that you can entirely depend upon. In today’s world, the competition is stiff, yet the opportunities are many.

And for a business to survive in this tough competition and to utilize the full potential of these opportunities, it is crucial to start an advertising campaign. Advertising is one of the most effective and interactive ways of providing your audience with valuable insights about your products and services.

It is a marketing method that makes use of promotional or persuasive messages, called ads, to generate awareness about your products, improve sales, build long-lasting brand awareness, influence buying behavior, and so on.

There is hardly any business that does not make use of advertising. From small billboard ads to multi-channel advertising campaigns, advertisements are everywhere and they are nowhere on their way out.

Advertising can be seen on almost all the media that we consume in the form of radio spots, website banners, television commercials, social media ads, magazine ads, and newspaper placements.

However, the art of advertising isn’t that easy. If done correctly, it can prove to be one of the best investments for your brand; if done poorly, it will not only be a complete money sinker but will also harm your brand.

There are a lot of things to be considered before starting an advertising campaign for your brand. With so many options available for you to choose from, what channel or medium is going to suit your brand and your pocket the best?

Also, keep in mind that you are not the only one advertising your products and services in the market. Every business is making use of advertisements, be it traditional, digital, or social media ads.

So, how can you curate an advertising campaign that not only stays true to your values but also attracts your customers and helps you stand strong in front of your competitors? 

Advertising Campaigns

In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the most important points to keep in mind before starting an Advertising Campaign for your business. No matter how small or big your business is, these are some of the most basic yet highly critical points that will help you create and run an effective advertising campaign.

Define Your ADVERTISING GOALS

Starting your advertising campaign without defining your goals is just like aimlessly throwing darts at a dartboard. Your goals define everything you do, how you do it and what channels you use for the same.

Some of the most widely accepted goals of an advertising campaign are (but not limited to) to market a product, increase the recognition of a brand or product, reminding buyers to use the product, change a belief about a brand, to promote direct sales, gain a seasonal push, build company’s image and so on.

Depending upon the nature, size, age, and other factors concerning your business, your advertising goals can be any of the above-discussed objectives or can even be something different. For example, when a new brand or product enters the market, it does not easily gain the favor of the audience.

This is only going to happen when the buyers are well informed and aware of it. So, a new brand can launch an advertising campaign focused on launching their product into the market and creating brand awareness (Informative Advertising).

For an already existing brand, the goal of their advertising campaign can be to increase sales or stimulating the primary demand of their product (Reminder Advertising).

So, before you start with your advertisement, keep in mind that defining your goals is very important. Use the “SMART” tool to plan and achieve your goals. It’s short for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. So, make sure the goals of your campaign are “SMART” and you are good to go!

Target The RIGHT AUDIENCE

The consumers or your target audience are one of the most important elements of your business. Moreover, all your marketing efforts are aimed at nothing but your target audience. Similarly, your advertising campaign should be geared and aimed towards your niche market. It will help you create campaigns that resonate with them.

A very common mistake that most businesses make is that they do not analyze and study their target audience well. The job doesn’t end with just figuring out who your target audience is.

You must know their likes and dislikes, their buying behavior, how they think, and other similar traits so that your campaign reaches out and speaks to your target audience at a personal level.

Other information that you must consider studying includes demographics, buying habits, hobbies, socioeconomic status, and so on. All this research will help you create buyer personas, which are blueprints of the people interested in your business or are most likely to take an interest in your products or services.

This will further help you in targeting the interested leads easily and accurately. It will also help you advertise in the right places. For example, your favorite magazine or radio station, might not be a favorite of your target audience.

Doing some research about them will help you determine the appropriate media to ensure that the choice of the channel is right. Many advertisers fail to do so, and in return, they are unable to attract their audience well. Instead of creating generic ads, revolve your campaign around your brand and your target audience.

Set A BUDGET

Budget for advertising campaign

Like it or not, advertising isn’t free. I mean, yes, some methods such as organic traffic and referrals are free, but as we discussed earlier, they are not enough. The creation, management, and execution of an advertising campaign require funds.

So, you must set a budget. Budgeting will help you efficiently manage your paid advertising program. It will help you know how much money you have, how much you can spend on your ads, and where to spend all these funds.

Your company must have a budget in place to know how much you can spend on your paid ads. Your budget is directly dependent on factors like the size of your business, the goals of your campaign, the choice of media, duration, and reach of your campaign.

There are online platforms, such as the one provided by Google, that can help you with your budgeting related to the online ads and can help you break it down to how and where you spend your funds.

Do Not Forget To Invest In RETARGETING ADS

Do Not Forget To Invest In RETARGETING ADS

Have you ever visited a website and checked out some of their products? Well, I guess we all have been there and done that. But, have you ever come across advertisements of the same product on other websites after you leave the website you first visited without buying anything? Well, if yes, then it is the result of Ad Retargeting.

Investing in retargeting ads can prove to be one of the best investments for your advertising campaign. Just as the name suggests, these ads allow you to retarget your audience.

Let us briefly talk about how it works. It makes use of a tracking pixel that tracks your website visitors anonymously. You get notified of the website visited by these visitors and with this information, you can reach them on the sites they visit subsequently.

If your website visitors leave your website without buying, these ads remind your website visitors of your brand and its products and services after they visit other websites. Thus, you can show your visitors (that have already expressed an interest in your brand) relevant advertisements when they visit other websites.

These advertisements will not only help you advertise your brand but will also bring you in front of those leads or people who have just expressed interest in your products and services but didn’t convert or did not take an action.

So, retargeting them will help you get more people to consider buying your products again and persuade them into making a purchase.

Focus On Your BRAND’S VALUES AND MESSAGES

Another important consideration when planning out your advertising campaign is your brand values and message. If you are consistent with your brand value and messages in your advertising campaign and every piece of content associated with it, it will help you have a long-lasting impression on the minds of your consumers.  

However, being consistent with your brand values and messages doesn’t mean that the advertising message needs to be the same through every piece of content that you create. On the contrary, it means that your advertisements should have consistency in the values of the message that your brand is trying to drive across.

These values help you attract an audience and help them relate to your brand. It is more about how your brand inspires your audience through your messages on the advertisements which, in turn, makes them want to be associated as a customer of your brand.

To understand this better, let us talk about the brand – Red Bull. Red Bull is one of the best examples of how you can deliver a consistent brand message that conveys your brand values. They have a catchy slogan which is, “Gives You Wings”.

And this message is reflected in everything they do – from their advertisements to other marketing campaigns and even the events they sponsor. Although, if you talk about the brand, it is just an energy drink company.

But its messages and values of “giving wings” or giving energy and enthusiasm are consistently seen throughout their Advertising campaigns.

Thus, keeping in mind your brand values and message will help you set the tone for your advertising campaign and will make it more successful by helping your audience better relate to your brand.

Don’t Forget Your BRAND’S TONE AND VOICE

Your brand’s tone and voice should reflect in whatever you do. Your brand voice is your personality and your brand’s tone is how your brand expresses that personality. Your brand’s persona should be properly expressed in every marketing or advertising effort.

To begin with, work on crafting your brand’s personality. And then, you must work towards showing this personality through your brand’s tone and voice in your advertising campaign. 

A good example of a brand doing so is Bewakoof. It is a lifestyle fashion brand that makes creative, distinctive, and trendy apparel and has a young, humorous and quirky personality which is reflected in all its campaigns, websites, and even products.

By keeping in mind your brand’s tone and voice while designing an advertising campaign, you can easily make your consumers agree with your brand’s messages and value which, in turn, makes it easier for them to buy into your brand.

Focus On Your UNIQUE SELLING POINT

Focus On Your UNIQUE SELLING POINT

As we discussed earlier, competition is the natural order in the world of advertising. Think it this way. All your competitors are advertising on almost every media platform you can think of, and even your target audience is exposed to hundreds of advertisements daily.

In a situation like this, it is very crucial for your ads to focus on how your product or service benefits your customer, to accentuate the pros of your company, and your Unique Selling Point. 

A unique selling proposition or Unique Selling Point (commonly referred to as a USP) is a specific benefit that makes your business better than your competition. Your USP not only helps you differentiate your brand amongst others in the market but also helps you stand strong in the competition.

 Focus on the positive aspects of your company in your ads, but do not mislead your consumers with exaggeration or false claims. Your advertisements should reflect how your company is the best and how it stands out from the competition.

However, just focusing on these factors can result in a glitch due to the fact that it’s not consumer-focused. No one wants to always hear your long list of claims of why your company is the best. Unless the right balance isn’t maintained, your campaign delivers no value to the customers.

So, it is important to maintain a fine balance between how much you focus on your USP and how much focus is laid on the benefits of your product or service. When you create your advertisements, talk about your USP but also focus on how your product or service benefits the end-user.

Your ads should reflect how your company fulfills a need or solves a problem. This will keep your audience engaged and interested in your company. The right balance of these two elements will help your advertising campaign succeed in the long run. 

What more points do you have that need to be factored in before starting an advertising campaign? Do let us know in the comments section down below! You can also check out the following video and our blog for more information. Ciao!

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