What is advertising, and why do we need it? Even the most appealing product requires some form of promotion in order to maximise sales and financial return. It can help raise awareness about a product, create an appealing image and increase sales.
We can say advertising is the paid promotion of goods and services, or a means of developing a perceived want or need for a specific product or service additionally it can be a way of attracting potential customers to the point of sale or a means of informing and communicating essential Information about a product or service.
The purpose of advertising is often to introduce a particular product or service, or explain the product or service, but sometimes just want to demonstrate a product’s unique selling points or provide an indication of price or indicate where the product is available or distributed for sale.
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Creating effective advertising
Before spending any money on advertising, conduct research to ensure your advertising campaign will be effective and create a competitive edge. You will need to consider the following:
Objectives of advertising
What do you want to achieve through advertising – sales, awareness for your product or service, requests for information?
Target markets
- Who are the people that will find your product the most appealing?
- Consider demographic information, such as age, income, and geographic location.
- Identify the target market’s attitudes, and how they think and behave towards the product or service.
- What are the best ways to contact your target market? Are they heavy users of the internet, do they use social networking sites or read local papers?
Customer characteristics
- What are the customer’s desired experiences? This relates to how, when and where people make their purchasing choices.
Timing
- When is the best time to speak to these customers? This is affected by seasonality and identified through previous sales patterns
Competition
- What is the extent of product competition in the marketplace?
Value-adding
- What, if any, additional services can be offered to enhance the appeal of a product?
- What are your competitors doing in this area?
Price
- What are people prepared to pay for similar products?
Positioning
- How will your product be perceived in the marketplace by customers and by your competitors?
Unique selling points
- Understand how your product is unique and what it offers that is different from others in the market.
Advertising
- Understand the different methods and mediums available.
Budget
- How much money can you afford to spend on advertising?
- What is the most cost-effective method of advertising for your product?
Previous campaign experiences
- Have previous advertisements been successful?
- Did you achieve your objectives and reach your target markets?
