Do you own or work at a small to midsize business, with a local customer base? Are you struggling to break through the noise and reach your target audience? Unsure of how to best invest your advertising budget to really move the needle and get the best return? You’re in luck, we wrote this blog just for you! Digital advertising is a great way to promote your business locally and if done right, will aid in the successful growth of your company.
Why is Digital Advertising Right for You?
You might be thinking “how is digital advertising going to benefit my local business?” E/Power Marketing has been in business since 1998, and over the last 23 years, we’ve seen first hand just how much a well-run digital advertising program can benefit a business like yours. Here are a few of our favorite reasons to invest in digital advertising…
You Can Compete with Larger Businesses
A big benefit in implementing digital advertising into your local business is that this allows you to compete with larger businesses in your area. As a small business, you’re easily able to change your digital advertising efforts and adjust your strategies as needed but larger organizations do not have that type of flexibility. You’re able to take more risks and easily adapt to what strategies work best for you locally!
More Affordable than Traditional Advertising
Yes, it’s hard to believe but digital advertising is actually more affordable than traditional advertising! The high costs from creating a campaign with traditional advertising efforts is no match to the simple and cost-effective ways of digital advertising. Even with the help of a digital marketing agency, digital advertising typically still comes out as a more budget-friendly option than traditional advertising.
Measurable ROI
As a local business, it’s important for you to be able to track and measure your investments so you know whether or not your money is being put to good use. With digital advertising, you’ll get just that! When you promote your business online, you can start off small and build your way up as you start seeing results. There’s no need to start off big, just worry about seeing your return on investment grow.
Tips & Techniques for Local Businesses
Ready to get started? Here are a couple tips and techniques to help you get going!
Talk to an Expert
We see way too many businesses out there wasting money on bad ad campaigns. If you’re going to invest in your digital advertising, do it wisely, with some expert help at your fingertips! Here at E/Power Marketing, we offer everything from free consults to digital marketing plans that will set you up for success to full-on advertising program management and implementation. Our ads team has years of experience and are up-to-date on the latest digital trends. This means you get cutting-edge strategies without investing your valuable time and effort.
Outline Your Goals
When you’re getting started with digital advertising, you need to be very clear about your goals for each campaign. Are you looking to generate brand awareness locally or get people to a specific sale or event? Do you want them to download a coupon and bring it in or call to book an appointment? Know exactly what you want to get out of your ad campaign first, then move on to planning the strategy.
Pick the Right Ad Channels
You’re going to want to pick the right ad channels for your business because different audiences use different social media platforms in varying ways. Matching your advertising channel to the behavior of your users is crucial. For example, you are unlikely to effectively reach a younger audience by just advertising on Facebook, just like you are unlikely to reach an older audience through TikTok. When you’re targeting your audience on the right advertising channels, you’ll be using your digital advertising strategies to their fullest potential.
Take Advantage of Platform Options
Once you know what you want your ad campaign to generate for you, you can focus on where you’re going to advertise. It’s important to understand the advantages and best practices of each channel, this is where a digital advertising pro really comes in handy! For example, Facebook Ads are a great way to generate brand awareness and more Likes to your page, while Google Ads helps people find your business through location extensions. Location extensions display your ads with your address, map location and distance. By displaying that extra information, you’re taking that extra step up from informing your customers.
Learn about Geofencing
Geofencing lets you target an audience based on their location. For example you can serve specific ads to people walking by your store (or your competitor’s store!), attending a trade show, or visiting a local attraction. If foot traffic to your store is the goal, geofencing can measure this for you as well!
Test, Test, Test
Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket, try multiple ways of promoting your business. Ideas like pay-per-click ads, social media ads, claiming your Google My Business listing and running Google Local Services ads are all great ways to begin promoting your business. Find which ideas work best for you and use them to their fullest potential!
Need help with digital advertising efforts? That’s what we’re here for! At E/Power, we keep our programs flexible to focus our efforts and your budgets on the advertising channels, targeting options, and campaigns that drive the best results. Contact us today and we’ll get to work!
