Advertising

Certain businesses choose to advertise when their target audience is most likely to buy their product or service.

• seasonal advertising - a toy retailer might focus much of its advertising efforts around the run-up to Christmas
• business-to-business advertising - if you sell to other businesses, you should work out when your customers will have the budget to spend

Other businesses focus on advertising during their quieter periods:

• there’s less competition, so your ads stand out more
• you can attract more customers during slower times, helping you build a customer base before your busier periods.
• it can improve cash flow and reduce your dependence on peak seasons.

The reasons behind a campaign

Before you launch an advertising campaign, set a clear objective. This could be to increase sales, raise awareness, generate enquiries or promote a new product.

You will need to step up your advertising for the launch of a new product.

New businesses will want to consider some form of advertising to let people know they exist. You could consider an introductory offer to give people an incentive to visit or call.

Can you plan the campaign yourself?

Think carefully about what you want to achieve and the message you want your audience to take away. Advertising is more effective when it reaches the right audience with a clear reason to buy or find out more.

You may be able to design and produce a straightforward advertisement for printed media yourself - see how to write an advertisement. 

However, most print advertising organisations have in-house services if you can't do it yourself.

If your advertising needs are more demanding than an occasional, low-priced local advertisement, it may be worth outsourcing to an advertising agency - see work with an advertising agency.

This is only suitable if you are prepared to pay the extra cost. It is always advisable to have your adverts professionally designed to ensure maximum impact.