Advertising 101: message first, then channel
To advertise is to make something publicly known. Simple enough. The hard part is knowing what to say and who to say it to.
Most business owners we know care about results first, and they should. But there's no silver bullet. Advertising takes time, close measurement and adjustment, and what works this quarter may not work next quarter. One thing hasn't changed since we first wrote this: start with a clear message.
Choose your message
Your message tells the market who you are and why to choose you over the competition. Start with what really sets you apart:
- If you're reliably the fastest, lead with speed.
- If quality is your standard, lead with quality.
- If you're the only one in town who does a certain thing, say so.
You can't know what sets you apart without knowing what your competitors say. Look at their sites and ads, then find the gap. What Makes You Unique? digs into this.
Know your market
Don't assume your market stops at the county line. If you offer something specialized, your customers could be anywhere.
The cheap ways to learn about your market still work:
- Ask current customers how they found you and where they're located.
- Look at your website analytics to see where visitors come from.
- Use your chamber and U.S. Census data for local demographics.
Then pick the channel
In 2008 the advice was to mix newspaper, radio and billboards. Today the channel is often a screen, and two options lead for most small businesses.
Paid search
Search ads show up when someone types a phrase into Google or Bing. That person is already looking, so your message has to answer their question right away.
Social ads
Social ads reach people based on who they are and what they're into, not what they just searched. They're good for building awareness and promoting offers. Your message has to stop the scroll.
Print, radio and local sponsorships still have a place, especially for local businesses. Use more than one channel when you can, and keep the message the same across all of them.
Match the landing page to the ad
This is where a lot of ad budgets disappear. Someone clicks an ad for "same-day AC repair in Dalton" and lands on a generic home page with a slideshow. They leave.
Send each ad to a landing page that:
- Uses the same words and offer as the ad
- Puts one clear next step near the top: call, book or request a quote
- Loads fast on a phone
- Has a form that actually works
If the message changes between the ad and the page, you've paid for a click and lost the customer.
Frequency and patience
One ad, run once, rarely works. People usually need to see a message several times before they act. Run campaigns long enough to learn something, then adjust based on what the numbers say.
If you're paying for ads and the phone isn't ringing, the problem may be your site. Check Signs Your Website Is Quietly Losing Leads.
Need a landing page that matches your ads? Call 678-379-9321 or email