No matter the industry, all small business owners face the same uphill battle – advertising. While there is no “golden rule” of marketing or any singular approach that is guaranteed to work for everyone, there are some time-tested strategies for advertisements and branding.
However, being a successful business owner means spending your money wisely at all times to the best of your abilities. Therefore, you may feel a little cautious about throwing valuable resources into various types of advertising techniques. How do you know if it will be worth it for your business or brand?
The truth is, you won’t know exactly until you are in the thick of a campaign. At least, not until you have tried. However, we can help you save some time, money, and frustration by getting you started on the right path.
Keep reading for the top 5 most effective types of advertisement techniques for your ad budget.
1. Pay Per Click Advertising
Pay per click or PPC advertising is pretty straightforward. You pay a host to publish your ad on their site. However, there is no set payment, only a set rate per ad or ad type. The most common PPC ad platforms are Google Ads, Bing Ads, Yahoo Ads, Meta Ads, and other large ad networks.
Each time your ad gets clicked on by a user, you pay the host site a predetermined amount. You can also use these types of advertisement techniques on search engine sites. Your website will come up at the top of the results pages and you will pay for each click.
2. Paid Social Media Marketing
Another worthwhile investment is paid social media marketing (SMM). While you can get a lot done with organic social media marketing, paid marketing extends your reach exponentially.
You can choose your daily or weekly budget (i.e. five dollars a day) as well as your target demographic. The platform will then only spread your message to the demographic of your choosing based on gender, location, and more.
Finally, these commercial techniques give you valuable insight into the performance of each ad. You can see how users engage with your ads (link clicks, likes, shares, comments, etc.). These social media ads are easy for beginners to get started using and complex enough for online ad experts to leverage.
3. Landing Page Ads
Landing page ads are types of advertising techniques used on websites, both internally and externally. These ads are generally pop-up windows or funnels users fall into by clicking on certain links. Landing page ads have simple, powerful messages and strong calls to action (such as “click here for your free Ebook”).
Generally, landing page ads should compel users to sign up for an email list, go to specific product pages, etc. Landing pages are all about getting specific conversions.
4. Email Marketing
Speaking of emails, email marketing is still one of the most effective types of advertising techniques. There are multiple ways you can encourage people to subscribe to your email:
- Offer exclusive deals and discounts to subscribers
- Offer free content if users subscribe
- Create a raffle or giveaway in which people must subscribe to enter
Once you have an email list, you should have automated emails continuously going out. These should be gentle reminders of your products and services, yet offer value to encourage people to open them.
5. Content Marketing
Finally, think about content marketing. Content marketing uses a subtle approach to connect with consumers, build credibility, and establish a relationship. Through engaging and valuable content, you can persuade consumers to use your products, services, etc.
This takes the place of more aggressive (and often off-putting) in-your-face marketing techniques. Look into various companies to see the type of work they do in improving your online presence.
Looking for More Types of Advertising Techniques for Your Business?
We know how difficult a decision it is to invest in advertising. However, it is important to understand that organic (free) marketing does have its limitations. As the old saying goes, sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Using the right types of advertising techniques is a smart investment and not just an expense.
If you are interested in learning more about the different types of advertising techniques, you are in the right place. Check out some of our articles to learn more about business marketing, appealing to target audiences, and more. Visit the Marketing section of the Everything Entrepreneur Blog right now for additional advertising advice!
