Select the right media to advertise your company, products

I frequently consult with business owners on marketing issues and no issue is more important or more confusing than the selection of appropriate advertising media.

Effectiveness of advertising and promotion can make or break a business - you can't sell what your customers don't know you have.

When reviewing advertising options, consider what primary market you want to reach. Do you sell products and/or services business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C)? The best advertising media for you depends on your market.

If your business sells to other businesses, advertising and promotion tools can be tightly focused. Advertisements in trade publications will place your business information in front of readers within targeted industries.

Seek out trade publications directed to narrow market segments if you want to connect with a specific niche. B2B marketing may also employ newspapers, radio, television, and billboards, but generally speaking these are less productive in the B2B market than they are in the B2C arena.

The same is true for telemarketing, which in my experience generates more annoyance than sales.

Some advertising methods - including direct mail, Internet presence and yellow pages listings - work well for B2C and B2B marketing.

For decades, businesses have utilized direct mail to reach targeted customers, and this method still generates results when done well.

To identify potential customers well-suited to your business, consider purchasing a mailing list with a local, regional, national or international scope. Once you have the list, determine the content of your mailing.

Direct-mail content ranges from a simple postcard to an extensive catalog. Consider distributing a CD or DVD to help tell your story. If you create a mini-CD or DVD, approximately the size of a business card, mailing costs may be lower, and it is easier for in-person recipients to place the device in a shirt pocket for safekeeping.

Ads on the Internet

Internet advertising encompasses a wide range of ways to reach customers. Banner ads on industry-related Web sites may generate traffic to your home page, as may pay-per-click ads placed with search engines.

Some businesses have utilized e-mail to distribute sales notices, announcements of new products/services, or to deliver a company newsletter.

Keep in mind that the volume of e-mail activity has increased dramatically, reducing its effectiveness due to the clutter filling inboxes daily. To optimize Internet presence, you may need to work with a specialist in the field.

Both the B2B and B2C markets use the yellow pages to attract customers. The number of categories, type face choices, formal ads in addition to line listings, and the competition from other "yellow" books has made this a real adventure. Determining the right book for your business can be a challenge, but for many it is worth the effort.

Endless ad options

The B2C market is more diverse than that of the B2B world. Advertising options are almost endless. In addition to direct mail, Internet and yellow pages, obvious media channels for B2C advertising are radio, television (broadcast and cable), newspapers (local, regional, national, shopper-type publications), and magazines.

When placing advertising in magazines, look for publishers that offer regional distribution with advertising space made available for just that region.

Also, consider the following potentially effective advertising venues: billboards, ads placed in school program materials (sporting events, graduation activities, fundraising efforts, etc.), ads or sponsorship credit in bulletins from religious and other nonprofit organizations and flyers.

Issue press releases to present new information about the company or to report on the company's involvement in a community initiative.

You may also want to create promotional items such as baseball caps, shirts, jackets, pens, pencils, coffee cups, post-it notes, note pads, key chains - you get the picture.

At times it appears that your media choices are as plentiful as grains of sand on the beach. How does a prudent business person make an informed choice about which tools to use?

Consult other businesses

Talk to other business owners and ask what media they use and why.

Gather input from a variety of sources and collect information on what advertising will cost if you select print (magazines, newspaper, direct mail, billboards, flyers, etc.), broadcast (radio, broadcast television or cable), Internet or other vehicles.

Make sure your budget can support your selections. If your business has a physical presence (building or storefront) don't overlook the necessity of good signage to identify your space to customers.

It does little good to promote the business if customers cannot find your location. Zooming in on the advertising media that fits your market promotes increased sales and business success.