Despite the overwhelming preference for digital media among modern marketers, traditional advertising methods are still being implemented today and driving great results. Newspaper, TV and radio spots can offer tons of potential for businesses looking to reach a local market — if they’re used the right way.
Traditional Local Ad Campaign Tips
To help with your next traditional media campaign, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
“What is an important thing to remember when planning a radio, TV or newspaper ad specifically for your local market? Why should business leaders keep this element in mind?”
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Know Your Audience
“First, know your audience and prepare a script by keeping in mind the kind of audience you are reaching. Knowing your audience is the most important because this will determine the kind of topics, themes and language you use in your script.” ~ Patrick Barnhill, Specialist ID, Inc.
2. Focus on One Key Message
“A common local business mistake is to advertise everything that the business offers. But that much information ends up confusing people and leaving viewers with no strong impression. If you’re advertising locally, pick one ‘tip of the spear’ message and hammer it home with repetition. Even if you do a variety of things, your campaign will work best when viewers receive only one key message.” ~ Peter Kozodoy, GEM Advertising
3. Highlight the Local Benefits
“Focus on what your local community needs and looks for from companies. Highlight those benefits that you know your local audience wants.” ~ Angela Ruth, Calendar
4. Track Your Performance
“Create a custom call-to-action, clippable coupons, trackable phone number or vanity URL so that you can find ways to directly attribute your ad to sales. It’s easy to throw good money at bad marketing when you don’t have a strong attribution model in place. But when you pay close attention to how to track your performance, then you know which campaigns to reinvest in or pause.” ~ Firas Kittaneh, Zoma Mattress
5. Leverage Local Events and Holidays
“Many places have local traditions and even holidays unique to that place. It’s very impactful to create your marketing communication to reflect local features. You’ll build a sense of community that creates a positive impression. In this way, you’ll help develop a great brand image in your area.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress
6. Keep It Short and To-the-Point
“Radio and TV ads are time-sensitive, and newspapers only have so much space per advertisement. Consider the length of your promotion to make sure it is short and to-the-point. You don’t want to end up in a position where you’re making edits right before your ad goes live.” ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
7. Set Up Google My Business Before Creating Ads
“Have you set up a Google My Business account yet? If not, you need to before creating ads for your local market. When people see those ads, a lot of them will use Google to learn more about your business, but if you fail to show up in search, you’ll lose potential leads and customers.” ~ Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
8. Create Locally-Focused Content
“If you want to target your local market, then you need to create locally-focused content. It’ll speak directly to your local audience, who’s now interested in this new business catering to its community. You’ll establish your business’s trust with consumers and encourage them to invest in a company in their own town.” ~ Jared Atchison, WPForms
9. Invest Time and Money in Your Creative
“In this era where consumers are constantly overloaded with information and bombarded with advertisements, try to generate something eye-catching that stands out from the rest of the ads you can find on TV or in the newspapers. Invest the time and money necessary for the final result to be effective and to justify your investment in that ad.” ~ Kevin Leyes, Leyes Media & Team Leyes, by Leyes Enterprises
10. Test Your Ad With Local Focus Groups
“Just because it’s your local market, don’t make assumptions on your audience’s preferences or needs. Before spending on a local ad buy, focus-group the ad with actual community members from your area. A focus group will provide you a real-time response for how the community will perceive the ad and allows you to make any necessary adjustments before airing.” ~ Jordan Conrad, Writing Explained
11. Collaborate With Local Businesses
“Look for other local businesses that have been around for a while and that also complement your business or product. You can collaborate with them to leverage their presence while promoting your own business. You’ll boost trust and a positive relationship quickly by collaborating with a local partner for any marketing activity.” ~ Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
12. Give Your Ad a Broad Appeal
“A specific ad may be targeted based on the show, content or stats provided by the radio, newspaper or TV company, but there is really no assurance of the viewers’ or readers’ age, so it is a risk you have to take. The ad should be relatable to everyone, understandable and catch attention within 10 seconds. People should consider it a part of the whole entertainment, instead of an ad.” ~ Daisy Jing, Banish
13. Use Local Knowledge to Make it Memorable
“Advertising to a local audience should show local knowledge so it seems authentic to your audience. By hitting local trigger points, you make the ad personal to the viewer. Any ad needs to be memorable to get the most value out of it. A memorable ad stays in the mind, so essentially earns you more customer brain-space than a good but ultimately forgettable ad. Ads that are talked about reach even more ears.” ~ Yaniv Masjedi, Nextiva
14. Consider Better-Targeted Alternatives
“I’d suggest considering platforms where you can get a better ROI. Most TV, radio and print media ads aren’t well-targeted compared to modern platforms such as email and social media. If your message is truly local, find the medium where your audience is likely to see or hear your message. For example, promote a concert where customers are likely to listen to a certain radio station.” ~ Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
15. Bring In Help
“No matter how creative you think you may be, understand that there are likely far more creative people than you just an email away. If you are going to invest resources into a localized ad, hire a professional who can bring new ideas to the table. Having that extra creative assistance will make your ad that much more effective.” ~ Zach Binder, Bell + Ivy
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This article, “15 Tips for Running a Successful ‘Traditional’ Ad Campaign for Your Local Market” was first published on Small Business Trends