Advertising Opinion South Africa

Choosing advertising for your business

Advertising has become more complicated since the reign of newspaper advertising and direct mail. Any company now has a veritable treasure trove of possible advertising options and, as a result, it has become complicated choosing a sustainable and valuable means of getting your message out there...

Consider the below options and their benefits to aid you in deciding which method will be the best for your business, audience, and message:

Want cheap advertising?

Opt to advertise in newspapers or sign up for online advertising offerings. While newspapers are the cheapest, your advert is unlikely to gain much attention unless it is the largest and brightest. Online advertising has been made very easy and cost-effective, and is quite useful, too, as it targets Internet users who are relevant, and you usually only pay per click.

Choosing advertising for your business
© Jason Winter – 123RF.com

Want potential and content-targeted customers to pay more attention?

Opt for magazine advertising. While it is considered an expensive means of advertising, magazine readers are more attentive as they turn the pages, while there are also fewer advertisements per page. Magazines are also a good way to target a special-interest market, depending on what you are offering.

Have a simple message you'd like to get across?

Try billboards and other transit possibilities, since these are difficult not to see. You do, however, have a very short time in which to catch your viewer's attention, so make sure your message is memorable.

Want a captive audience?

Try radio or television advertising, as listeners and viewers rarely switch radio and television stations to avoid the advertisements. This is relevant in particular for talk radio and prime time television. You may even consider advertising in cinemas. However, these types of advertising are quite expensive depending on the size of the audience you would like to reach.

Looking for more personal attention?

Try direct mail and email. While the former has largely fallen out of favour in the digital world, both mail and email allow users to choose how and when to view your message. You can also approach your potential or current client in a personal way. In addition, email advertising mediums give you the bonus of measuring the interest your advert has garnered.

Want to spread your message en masse?

Try flyers. Flyers are considered quite cost-effective for the amount of people exposed to your message. You can target specific areas by distributing them on the streets, putting them in postboxes, or laying them out on counters and information tables. However, you do run the risk of having many of them simply thrown away.

Targeting a younger crowd?

Advertise on social networks. This method can also be quite cost-effective as it costs nothing to start a new Twitter, Facebook, or other social network account. These networks also offer targeted advertising options that allow your message to be displayed to people most likely to be interested in it.

Source: Biz4Afrika

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