How to Start a First Advertising Campaign

No matter the size of your business, your first advertising campaign is a learning experience. The steps you go through to launch it will be useful in every marketing effort you make in the future. That's why it's important to start out on the right foot and cover all the bases.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Define your target audience as specifically as possible. Concentrate on the most likely segment of the population to buy your products or use your services. "Teenagers" is too broad to do you much good when it's time to place your advertising. "Teenagers 14 to 17" is a much better definition.
2. Identify the media you wish to use for your advertising campaign. This should be easier once you've defined your target market. For instance, teenagers 14 to 17 years old are best reached on the radio, during certain programs on TV and in shopping malls. Place your ads where your potential customers will see them and in the way that they will notice them.
3. Work with a professional advertising agency if you can afford one. They'll be able to target and negotiate the most effective media for your campaign. At the very least, work with a graphic designer and copywriter to produce the most powerful message you can with both images and words.
4. Get quotes from at least three agencies and be clear about what you're getting for your money. When placing your own ads, check out all media that reaches your target market. Set up a savings account where you transfer a certain amount towards your advertising campaign each month, even if it means you have to live on beans and rice for the next few months.
5. Track the results of your advertising campaign. For each ad you place, no matter the medium, key it with a distinctive identifier so you know where your customer heard of you. For example, give out a different email address for every online ad you place. Or ask listeners of each radio commercial to mention a particular product name when they call.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your message is simple. Focus on one concept such as low price, large selection, high quality or great service.
• Use the same look in your advertising campaign materials as you have on all your marketing materials. This creates recognition.
• Note the key code of the ad that brought in each customer on their invoices. This gives you a concrete dollar amount for each advertisement.