In many ways, advertising has changed over the years. Technology, culture shifts
and new mediums have all contributed to new advertising methods. However, advertising
is still rooted in two principles: media research and media planning. These advertising
strategies are the foundation to all other effective advertising techniques.
Advertising Techniques: Research
The first step is deciding whether you want to hire an agency, utilize
Online media planning or handle everything manually. An agency can save
you time, but will charge you various fees. Online planning will take some work
on your part, but less than contacting all the media companies directly for planning
and research. Whether you use an agency or not, it is useful to be familiar with
advertising strategies. You can give an agency valuable insight to get a better
ROI (return on investment), or you can put the strategies to use on your own to
maximize the success of your campaign.
To reach your audience, you have to know which media they utilize. What radio stations
do they listen to? What are their favorite television shows? Which Internet sites
do they visit? Do they use a computer or mobile device? What billboards and other
out of home advertising do they drive past? Which magazines and newspapers do they
read? Getting the answers to these questions is a must, regardless of your advertising
methods.
But the research does not end with media preferences. You also need to know pertinent
demographic information about your audience. Are you marketing to men, women, or
both? What age range, race and household income are you targeting? How about location?
Are you looking to advertise in local markets or nationally?
Advertising Techniques: Planning
Once you have compiled the data on your targeted consumers, it is time to put your
advertising campaign together. Budget is a key consideration. Effective advertising
techniques are simply those that offer the best ROI. There are a number of metrics
that help you determine how to invest your advertising spend. For example, magazines
have CPM (cost to reach 1,000 people) and television has audience ratings. Completing
the planning process involves using all the data to choose the best mix of media
within your budget that targets your audience.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is particularly true in
the advertising industry. For example, the Internet has become a major player in
the world of advertising, offering an exciting new media channel along with a new
set of metrics. But for this and other media channels lurking in the future, the
classic advertising techniques—research and planning—are still the cornerstones
to successful advertising.