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Mass Market Advertising Tips for Small Businesses

Mass Market Advertising Tips for Small Businesses

Mass marketing is a marketing strategy that uses minimal content to reach a large audience. Traditional advertising media like television, radio, and print media can deliver outstanding results for your advertising dollar. The key is to choose the right message for the right media and the right audience.

Before choosing your media, develop your media plan:

  1. Design a media plan. Analyze your target market, products, and services to determine which media - television, radio, newspaper, or the Internet - fit your needs and strengths.
  2. Gather information. Gather data about your audience/target market and your competition. Include data on the features and benefits of your products and services. Also, look at the various local and national media available in your marketplace. Determine their audiences and demographics while gathering budget information.
  3. Develop your message. Write your key advertising messages that will resonate with your ideal customer.
  4. Form an action plan. Develop a list of tasks that fit your media plan using the information you gathered and the messages. Implement the plan.
  5. Evaluate. Gather statistics about the results generated via each medium and measure your return on investment.

To determine which media to pursue, here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Television

Television audience numbers remain strong. TV ads airing between three and six months carry a 70% likelihood of profit return. Because Americans watch over three hours of television daily, TV ads can quickly reach a large audience.

Decide if your small business would best benefit from local or national advertising. Part of this decision will involve your budget and the cost of advertising. With the expansion of TV channel options, many niche stations now exist. Finding a niche station that pairs well with your product or service can result in highly targeted, cost-effective advertising.

Local cable providers offer advertising during national shows. The ads would be run locally, within your small business market, but take place during nationally televised shows. This approach allows you to reach a specific geographic region and maximize your advertising dollars.

Like any advertising, identifying your target audience, their interests, behaviors, and how to reach them best will maximize your TV ad success.

Radio

Although radio has been used for commercial broadcasting since 1920, it is still a reliable advertising channel. 93% of adults listen to the radio weekly, making it the leading reach platform. Reaching multiple generations, radio offers an impressive reach. Reach, compared to targeted advertising, generates over two times the sales. Furthermore, radio delivers an impressive 12:1 ROI ratio.

After considering your key audience demographics (age, gender, income, etc.), research which stations your ideal customers use. Radio sales reps can provide a wealth of information about their listeners: buying habits, listening habits, disposable income, etc. Refrain from assuming stations you like are your best bet; your listening habits may differ greatly from your target audience’s.

One key to effective radio advertising is frequency.  Research indicates listeners are most likely to act after hearing a message at least three to four times. The more often your message is broadcast, the more likely customers will hear it and that it will make an impact. Work hard to provide meaningful deals, sales, or promotions and include a call to action.

Print

Print advertising is more than just fliers. It can encompass newspaper advertising, billboards, magazine ads, catalogs, letters, and weekly coupon booklets. Print advertising carries a high level of consumer trust. 82% of consumers trust print ads, whereas only 22% trust pop-up ads. Well-planned print advertising can make consumers feel special and reach the right audience.

Print ads that find their way into consumers’ homes deliver specific bonuses. Most people keep these advertisements for 17 days, allowing for repetitive exposure to the ad. Compare this statistic to how many times you would need to run an advertisement to achieve this level of exposure. Consider how to best deliver a print advertisement that will feel individualized and stay with the reader.

Print ads have a 112% ROI. This could be because printed ads require less cognitive ability to process them, resulting in greater brand recognition. The call to action is repeatedly conveyed, and the consumer is more likely to act on a print ad rather than a digital ad.

As with any advertising, evaluate your ideal customer and which print advertising might best reach them. Choose a print outlet that matches your target audience’s interests and reading habits.

Web

A company website in itself is a form of advertising. Ensure your website effectively promotes your business, and that email/digital ads link to a landing page. Beyond websites, the Internet holds multiple advertising options.

Consider pay-per-click advertising to reach a broad range of customers. You can restrict your ads to a local audience or open up the possibilities to a national or international audience. National advertising only makes sense if you sell products at local outlets. On the other hand, if you also provide products through e-commerce, limiting your pay-per-click ads to a local audience will only restrict sales.

Email advertising offers a cost-efficient delivery of personalized messages. Unlike print advertisements, emails may be lost in folders or blocked in delivery. However, small businesses often claim that email marketing delivers the highest ROI. If you opt for email marketing, working from a customer list will help your email delivery success.

Your website can and should also serve as a complement to mass-market advertising. Print, radio, or television ads could direct potential customers to your website for more information.

The key is understanding your customers and then choosing the proper means of reaching those customers. Traditional mass-market advertising can still be effective; choose the suitable medium for your message and audience.

References:

https://info.zimmermarketing.com/blog/7-powerful-stats-to-convince-you-to-try-radio-advertising

https://businessmarketingengine.com/5-reasons-why-small-businesses-needs-tv-ads/

https://www.conquestgraphics.com/blog/conquest-graphics/2022/06/16/print-advertising-statistics#:~:text=82%25%20of%20consumers%20trust%20print,the%20print%20advertisements%20they%20receive.

https://smallbusinessweb.co/small-business-digital-marketing-statistics/

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