While word of mouth is a great way to gain customers, to significantly build your business and generate more revenue, most businesses need to advertise. Advertising helps to ensure that people know what products or services you are offering and how to find you. As a Palm Desert printer, we work closely with many small businesses to create marketing materials for advertising and promotional uses. Following are some advertising basics to keep in mind:
Benefits of Advertising
The benefits of advertising are that you have complete control over your message and when, where and how your message is presented. Consistency and repetitiveness are important to build awareness. You want people to recognize your brand and also understand the way you conduct your business. In addition to specific product promotion, advertising messages can subtly or directly convey your company culture and standards through the style and wording or brand guidelines. Messaging can be funny and casual or serious and formal or somewhere in between.
Planning Advertising
Your advertising will be more successful if you have a plan. You need to evaluate your budget and prioritize your goals to define your message. Do you need to create general awareness of your store, promote a specific product, differentiate yourself from your competition, or something else? Also consider who is your target audience and how to best reach them including both where to advertise and how to “speak” to them. Plan a timeline too. Thinking at least six months ahead helps to organize your messaging and is necessary to meet some publication and promotional deadlines.
Types of Advertising for Small Businesses
There is a vast range of places and ways to advertise with the most obvious being TV, newspaper and magazine, and now online. But don’t discount the various more affordable advertising methods, especially for small or new businesses. Business cards are still your first impression and signs and banners, flyers and even magnetic car signs can be an economical way to get your message seen.
At Xpress Graphics we have a full team of experts to help you create a range of printed materials for advertising and other small business printing necessities. We have three skilled, in-house graphic designers to help create everything from logos to brand guidelines, and can design all of your printed materials including letterhead, brochures, menus and so much more. Our facility can accommodate all printing jobs in house, even large format banners. We don’t send any job out, which saves you time and money. As you plan your advertising strategy, contact your Palm Desert printing partner – Xpress Graphics.
