How to Make an Advertising Plan for Your Business

Finnegan Pierson

To attract new customers, a business needs to have an advertising plan. Traditionally, advertising might have included a combination of print and broadcast ads in one of the few media outlets available. In today’s varied media landscape, things are more complicated. There are seemingly endless outlets and methods for promoting a business. So how do you tell which ones are right for you? Here are some advertising ideas to consider to market your brand.

First, Think About Audience

Before you start designing ads and writing copy, it’s important to define the audience for your business. Think about your existing customers and who you would like to attract to the brand. Are you aiming for younger consumers with an active lifestyle? Empty nesters whose kids are out of the house? Make a list of characteristics for your primary audience and one or two secondary audiences. Include demographic traits like age and gender, as well as behavioral traits like location, shopping tendencies and lifestyle choices. Whether you’re marketing clothing, source code review or another item, knowing specifically who you’re talking to will help you determine where to advertise.

Next, Know Your Goals

With your target audience in mind, it’s time to set goals for your company. What do you hope to achieve with advertising? It could be that you want to increase brand awareness among a specific group of potential customers, introduce a new product or promote a sale event. Knowing what you hope to accomplish with an ad will help you decide what content to include and where to place it. An advertisement promoting a limited time sale will do better in a daily publication, broadcast promotion or targeted social media ad. An evergreen piece highlighting your brand’s benefits might work well in a monthly magazine or as a digital banner ad. Set your goals, make a note of which audience you want to reach and start thinking about advertising options from there.

Print Advertising

One of the traditional forms of advertising, print ads have waned in recent years with the rise of online options. According to the marketing service Hubspot, the first newspaper ad appeared in 1650. That’s a long history for a media form. Today, print ads can still be useful for reaching specific target audiences, particularly in older age groups. A lifestyle brand or destination resort might find success in placing an eye-catching ad in a monthly, glossy magazine that’s geared toward affluent consumers interested in travel and entertainment. Chron.com notes that print pieces like targeted publications and direct mail can be especially effective with older audiences.

Social Media Advertising

Paid advertising is available and endlessly customizable on social media platforms, with Facebook being the largest ad provider. Through social media ads, companies can speak directly to their audience and promote the type of content potential customers are already accustomed to seeing in their feeds. Brands can create engaging photo and video ads that draw viewers in while they scan their networks. Targeting is the biggest advantage in social advertising, with platforms offering the ability to zero in on an audience by their interests, connections, location, buying history and demographic traits. Companies can also tap into their existing customer lists by adding databases as a custom audience on Facebook or Instagram. Testing and learning are key to success with paid social ads. Look for ads that perform well with your target audience and allocate spending accordingly. Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn and YouTube also offer advertising options.

Digital Display Advertising

Through digital advertising networks like Google, companies can place digital banner and sidebar ads on a wide variety of websites. These visual ads can appear on sites based on interest targeting, demographics and location, meaning your ad can be placed in front of the people most likely to engage with it. When designing digital display ads, be sure to keep text to a minimum, with only the most important information featured to draw customers into your ad and on to your website.