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Keep your website running smooth with regular web maintenance

Posted on by Phil

Website or web maintenance is key to longevity for your website – Just like with a car. If you let your car sit without doing any work on it, eventually it starts to act up. It might start drifting in one direction, take longer to start-up in the morning, or make weird sounds. You wouldn’t want to go years without getting an oil change, rotating the tyres, or changing the fluids.

And you shouldn’t do it for your website either.

Website Design or Website development doesn’t end when the site is launched. After the site is done, you need to keep your site maintained. Web maintenance means regularly check it for issues and errors, such as links to pages that no longer exist. Doing check-ups regularly helps keep it running strong, which can increase your Google rankings and encourage more visitors to come to your site.

Do websites need maintenance?

Website Maintenance_

It’s true, that a website doesn’t have mechanical parts like a car, but that doesn’t mean its structure is immune to degradation either. but there are still constant changes in technology and some website maintenance tips that can keep it running smoothly.

While the physical parts rarely break down (servers or cables can go down) the structure can become obsolete. Think of it like apps on your smartphone; occasionally, you have to update the apps. Some of them need updating every few weeks, whether it’s addressing a bug or some vulnerability or adding new sections.

The same is true for websites, except that they’re updated without visitors having to authorise the changes. It’s all done by the site administrator instead. Changes for platforms like WordPress are rolled out constantly, and it’s important that the administrator stays up to date to keep site data safe. There’s also occasional glitches and hiccups. One example is that some products might disappear from your online store due to a bug and it’s important to be able to fix the problem quickly.

How do I maintain my website?

The best way to stay up-to-date on your website is to be aware of when critical updates happen, the check engine light of the digital world. This could be on your CMS system (WordPress, etc.) any plug-ins your site uses, or integrated software. Any security patches should be installed immediately, as not doing so can put your site or data at risk.

Checking for broken links periodically is helpful too, especially when you link to an external site or have made changes to your site like updating or adding new pages. A broken link pulls visitors out of the experience because the related content they wanted to visit doesn’t exist. And having multiple broken links can cause visitors to lose trust and abandon your site for someone else’s, and also weaken your SEO for Google searches.

Toxic Backlinks can also be harmful and are a little harder to spot. A “backlink” is when another site links to your website. Like it sounds, a toxic backlink is when a bad or harmful site links to your site. This can be a spam site, a site that has malware, or simply a link-building site that offers no value except for linking to other sites. Whereas a normal backlink is helpful and can increase your ranking on search results,  a toxic backlink has the opposite effect and harms SEO. Since you can’t go to the site and remove the backlink without administrative access, your only options are to ask the site owner to remove the link, or to use Google’s disavow tool to tell Google you don’t want that link counted. 

Free-Ebook-Download-WebSite-Maintenance-Back9-Creative

Regular “tune-ups” help your site stay secured and optimised

Just like a vehicle, a website needs different things checked at different times. But unlike a car, instead of checking things every few months and a few thousand km, we recommend a monthly plan to address and stay on top of all of these potential issues such as some of the examples below

  • Making sure all of your pages load properly
  • Having no 404 redirects (page does not exist), especially when the link is to a page on your own site
  • Checking for broken links
  • Doing any updates for plugins marked as urgent or important
  • Checking page load speed to make sure pages load quickly and as expected.
  • Testing the site on multiple browsers and devices, such as a desktop, tablet, and mobile device.
  • Making sure that your website backups are working properly.
  • Making sure all email addresses mentioned are still active
  • Checking that forms still work as expected.
  • Confirming that your domain name will be renewed without lapsing.
  • Changing any references to the previous year on prominent pages such as the home page.

Like your car, it’s important to keep up on web maintenance. And also like your car, if you aren’t comfortable with doing it yourself, there are qualified professionals right here in town who understand Website Design and the importance of building and growing your website for you and who are more than capable of handling it for you. Get in touch with us today to get started.

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Lead Generation: How Do I Turn Strangers Into Leads?

Posted on by Phil

If you’re looking for practical tips to help you get more leads, download our new eBook. The Beginner’s Guide to Generating Inbound Leads for free by completing the form at the bottom of the page!

How do I turn strangers into leads?

One of the biggest advantages of the digital age is that it’s easier than ever for companies to learn more about customers to give them what they want. But it’s also made it so that you get a lot more virtual “window shoppers”. People will stop by your website for a quick look to see what you have without buying anything. These people will usually have some interest in what you have. But for many, once they leave they’re gone for good. Unlike a physical store, there’s no one to stop and ask if they’ve found everything they’re looking for.

Or is there?

Lead capture and lead generation are designed to do just that. To generate more leads, you have to offer these people. Something of value – or at least perceived value. The journey to capturing the information and turning a site visitor into a lead is known as a conversion path. Simply put this is the path your visitor will take in order for you to capture their infomation. Then they become a lead.

How do you get information from page visitors?

Some websites get thousands if not hundreds of thousands of visitors each day. Most people won’t end up buying or booking anything right away, but if they’re in the research phase of the Buyer’s Journey, it can be helpful to make sure they don’t forget about you. But how can you get any information from someone just visiting?

This is where lead capture comes in. Lead capture is any method you use to get information about potential leads. It can be done in several methods. One way is to use a form on the sidebar with an offer or a quick contact form. Another way is a popup form that appears when someone visits a page and then goes to leave. It only appears when they go to hit the x or the back button at the top of the screen and asks a quick question like if they want to be subscribed for newsletters or emails with exclusive sales.

 

Captured but not captive

Effective lead capture isn’t the same as those websites that put a giant form over the page when you’re in the middle of reading it. “Oh cool, 6 reasons images are important…” And then in the middle of that sentence your screen is filled with a giant picture asking for your information, and then another popup on top of that one trying to connect to your Facebook account… And it shows your name.

Sure, this sort of intrusive interruption gives a better chance of getting a name than having no form at all, but it’s also much more likely to get frustrated users to never come back… Or to get a whole bunch of Henry Sewell’s with bogus email addresses. Blocking off the information visitors want and holding them captive and forcing them to click out of your whole-screen form or ad is a great way to make sure they hit the X on your site for good.

 

Build interest through Lead Generation Campaigns

Lead capture is a great way to get information about customers who visit your site, but how do you get them there in the first place? That’s where lead generation campaigns come in. A lead generation campaign is any method to get people interested in your company or a specific product or service. And there are limitless things you could try.

But all of them come back to providing something of value to people. And that doesn’t necessarily have to cost you a small fortune. Software makers for instance will give out free trials, usually for one or two weeks or a Trial Version that has limited features so that people can test it out before deciding to purchase or commit to a paid subscription. It doesn’t have to be giving out a full wardrobe or a month-long cruise in a luxury yacht, but it does need to be enticing enough for people to put in some effort or give out their contact details.

 

Get those creative juices flowing for lead generation!

It’s important to offer something of value for a lead generation campaign. But that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. You can team up with other companies and offer free tickets to events to people who like and comment on a Facebook post. You can build a giant prize wheel and let anyone who comes into your shop give it a spin for a chance to win 15% off or a company-branded water bottle. Or you could even give a free jar of your mum’s famous Chilli Powder Marmite with a $50-dollar purchase.

With lead generation campaigns, you have a chance to showcase your brand’s personality. And they’re a fantastic way to have a little bit of fun. However, be sure to be conscious of your brand positioning—the way that you want your brand to be perceived—especially when doing a campaign a little out of the ordinary. This will be the first exposure to your brand for many people, and you want to make sure they understand your company and what you stand for.

 

How do I get help with lead capture and lead generation?

If you’re having trouble creating effective lead capture methods or coming up with creative lead generation campaigns, our eBook The Beginner’s Guide to Generating Inbound Leads has helpful tips for attracting leads, creating useful offers, and tips on lead generation campaigns. Download it now for free by filling out the form below!

Or if you’d rather try handing off lead generation to the pros, our team at Back9 is happy to give it a go for you. We’ve had a lot of fun, creative, and effective campaigns in the past, and we love coming up with new ideas!

Is Professional Photography Really Worth It?

Posted on by Phil

Getting work done by the professionals means that you get top-quality results. But it also means that you pay top-quality prices. With the ability to find free use images online and to purchase high-quality stock images, is there still a good reason to hire a professional photographer? Stock images are helpful in a pinch or in certain situations. But using them to save money can actually cost you more in the long run. We go into detail about this in our blog post about Stock vs Original Photos.  So is professional photography for your business really worth it? The short answer is yes.

And the long answer? Yeeeesssssss.

 

Quality over Velocity 

Everyone knows the phrase quality over quantity. It’s better to get a few of something good than a bunch of something not good. But quality over velocity is just as important; it’s important to get something high-quality that takes time than something inferior right now. Getting something now is the business model that stock image sites rely on. For a few dollars each, you can get high-resolution images that you’re allowed to use commercially. Sounds good, right?

That is, until you notice that a lot of other people had the same idea. Stock images run the risk of you and a rival using the same picture to represent something, which takes away credibility from your brand if potential customers find out. And even though the images are of good quality, people tend to recognise when an image is a stock photo. So if you want to seem genuine, original photos are best.

 

Original Vs Professional Original 

You might be thinking “I have a decent camera, I’ll take the original pictures myself!” And if you have the skills and the equipment, it’s a great way to cut costs. However, a flip-phone camera in a 20 -year-old phone isn’t going to represent your products well. Many modern-day smartphones have decent cameras for everyday use, but still pale in comparison to a trained eye using top-notch gear.

For a professional photographer, there’s more thought that goes into an image than deciding whether it should be portrait or landscape. Ideal dpi, focal length, lens type, light and shadow, distance and angles, modelling and more are considered before a photo shoot. You’ll also get unmatched consistency in style which brings an air of cohesiveness and unity to your brand.

 

Does professional photography REALLY make a difference?

It’s true that a lot of thought goes into staging a shot. A professional photographer considers dozens of variables before they press the shutter button. However, sometimes pro shots are overkill. You don’t actually need a 195 gigapixel image that lets you zoom in from a mile away for anything you sell. But there’s a difference between getting the best picture money can buy and the best picture for your specific goods and services.

Photographers have more skills than pointing and shooting, especially when people are involved. Take this experiment for example, where a real photographer and an actor took pictures of people and the difference in results. Getting the subject comfortable and in a good position can be tough. A good photographer is also well-versed in editing to make the end result look even better. Going through the results, choosing the best one, and modifying them without taking away the “realness” is a complicated task. But makes for a better final product.

 

Should I have ALL of my pictures done by a professional then?

That depends on your specific industry and business. Using professional pictures for your products or for something that represents the services you offer is the best option. For example, photos for a website banner. But if you have literally thousands of products, that can a little hard to get them all. Even some of the big box stores don’t go into that much detail. With that many products, we recommend breaking them down by category (especially if you have/want to have an online store) and using one professional image to represent each category at a minimum.

Corkier CaseBut candid photos and in-the-moment pictures help give your personality too. You don’t need to call in a pro to take a picture of accidentally matching outfits two team members wore or crazy moments like when a cork shoots out of a champagne bottle and lands neatly in a partially-open glasses case (Try that again, Phil!). Pictures for social media and quick shots are fine to be done with what you have on hand. There’s no reason to wait to try and stage everything for a professional arrive when you’re just going to stick it up on Facebook or Instagram!

When thinking about paying for a photographer, just keep this mantra in mind: For your site they delight, and for social you don’t shell.

 

What kind of professional photos do you take?

With a photographer on staff, we can include photo shoots as part of a marketing package or do them as a standalone service. Along with product photos, we’re also able to do scenery shots, event shoots, and most anything that you need. We can even do your staff photos and help your team members take a picture they’ll be pleased with and proud to display on your website.

With our help, you can have original, high-quality, professional pictures that will entice customers to your company and keep them interested and in awe when they see the fantastic way your images represent the actual product.

How much does a good logo cost? [VIDEO]

Posted on by Phil

Logo Cost will vary, but what should it be?

How much will your logo cost? This is one of the most common questions we get here at Back9 Creative. The short answer is, it depends on a lot of factors.

So what about the long answer? What does it depend on? Some of the variables that can change your final logo cost include:

  • Your industry,
  • Brand colours (if you’ve established them),
  • Your current online presence,
  • Your existing logo (if you have one),
  • The size of your business,
  • The amount of revenue you bring through,
  • The logo styles you like,
  • Whether or not you have font styles in mind,
  • How many draft concepts you’d like to pick through,
  • How particular you are—how often you go back to the designer with changes,
  • Your business values and the feelings you want your logo to inspire
  • And more!

At the low end, you can expect to pay about $2000 for a logo. That price can increase depending on the specific variables involved. In this article, we’ll aim to give you an idea of the process for creating a logo. Furthermore, we’ll explain the things that we look at during the process, and why it costs what it does.

Why do logos cost what they do?

In the design industry, logos are perhaps the most important part of your Brand Identity–the collective way to identify your brand that includes your logo, your business style, your values, and even what you and your team wear–because the logo is literally the way that many people will recognise a brand. Connecting a quality product to a brand establishes an emotional attachment. In turn, can lead to loyalty. And loyal customers can even become promoters who tell others how great you are. Customers connect that image to your products, services, and what you stand for. This can be extremely important if you have a name that’s similar to someone else’s—especially if you’re in the same industry.

Some companies design their business models entirely around riding the coattails of another successful business. They’ll create a similar name in the same industry and can even swipe some customers from their competitor merely through mistaken identity; someone thought they were going to the other place instead. A memorable logo that stands out greatly reduces this chance.

No matter what graphic design agency you choose to go with, any reputable business will carefully create your logo using design and colour science combined with your own input to make a logo that is memorable, relatable, and something you’ll be proud to call your own.

Can’t I just make my logo myself?

If you trust in your artistic ability and only plan to use your logo for a few small, limited projects, there’s no reason why you can’t. But if you want to treat it as an investment and use it as the face of your company for the long haul, we highly recommend working with a skilled and experienced graphic designer.

Visual communication, which includes digital graphic design, is a prestigious field in many NZ universities that requires several years of study. Designers learn not only about the fundamentals of art and imagery, but also various pieces of complex software for digital production. An important part is being able to move from abstract ideas to completed projects that make use of colour theory, human psychology, and much more. When you use a professional designer, you get a lot more than a little picture!

While the exact steps can vary, generally, the logo creation process will follow this general outline:

Ideation

The first part of the process involves coming up with ideas for the logo.

  1. The designer compiles the research and information you give them. As this logo is for your company, it needs to be something you can stand behind. The more information you can provide about your business, the better. For example, who your target audience is, your values and your style, all go into the design. The more information your designer has, the better they will be able to craft a solid brief. The quality of the understanding will lead to better concepts.
  2. Information you provide is supplemented by further research. Remember that logo design isn’t just about art… It’s science too! Your designer will look at industry trends. They’ll be taking notes and saving that information to use later to ensure they stick to the brief!
  3. The designer comes up with ideas and makes rough sketches. It’s not uncommon for more than 100 sketches to be made. These might be hand-drawn with slight variations so the designer can try out a lot of different options and see what ideas work and what don’t. Many of these concept groups will be discarded entirely as the final, best options are narrowed down.

Logo concepts made up

  1. Drafts are narrowed down to a few top choices. A few of the designs will stand out among the rest. Here at Back9, we typically try to get it down to 3 final concepts to work with, but it could be more or less depending on what we’re working with.
  2. A detailed version of each top concept is created. One version of each of the concepts is fleshed out in further detail. If you don’t have a tagline already, the logos may include a couple of ideas if adding a tagline is an important part of the design.
  3. You review these conceptual versions with the designer. Remember that this is your logo, so choose the version that fits your business, target market and personality best. Most of the time, at least one of the versions will stand out. If none do for some reason, your designer will find out your thoughts and why none appeal to you. It’s important to go over the designs in detail, so that you’ll be satisfied with the final product. The designer will take note of your thoughts for revisions. Your designer might have a favourite, but will try to stay impartial during this process so you pick the one that’s right for you.
  4. Revisions There may be a couple of rounds of revisions where the designer meets with you, you give feedback, and that feedback is used to create a new version. Keep in mind that the revision process is a collaborative effort; your designer will be using all of the best practices they’ve learned through their studies and experience to give you an effective, versatile logo. The goal is to find something that everyone is happy with, which may or may not take a few phases of back and forth to narrow down.
  1. The logo is finalised. Once everyone is happy with the logo, it gets finalised and saved out in a few versions such as a version to use for Print and another for Digital. You might also get a few slightly different versions of your logo so that it works in more situations in both print and digital, like one you can use as a profile picture for a Facebook Business page and one ideal for signage and flyers.
  2. Replacing your old logo with the new. This final step is only done if you a) already have an existing logo in use and b) don’t know how to replace the logo yourself (such as replacing it in the backend of your website). It’s crucial to have consistency across platforms, so replacing every possible instance of your logo with the updated version is very important. If you use the logo on signage and print materials, you’ll also need to replace those with the updated version.

As you can see, there’s a lot of time and effort that goes into creating your logo, but by doing all these steps you’ll get a logo that you’ll be happy with and gives off the right impression of you and your business.

Why would my company’s revenue change the logo cost?

If you read that list above closely, you may have noticed that a couple of factors that determine the cost of your logo are how much money your business makes. But why would that make a difference? Why don’t all logos cost in the same general range?

The main reason is that a larger, more prolific business will likely have a bigger budget. The other reasons are that they tend to have a larger more comprehensive review team and tend to need more variations. And if the business is replacing an existing logo, it will have more versions across print and digital that need to be replaced.

Marketing budget and review time

So how does a bigger budget and more review time change the process? Larger businesses tend to have more people that need to agree on the final version. And the more people that get involved, the harder it is to come to an agreement! More people means more than the standard number of concepts, and multiple developed versions for each one. Overall, many of the main steps will be the same. However, the designer can invest more time in each step; more time spent on research, more iterations can be made, and you can have more fleshed out versions to choose from.

Consequently, this also means that larger businesses also require a longer timeframe than smaller businesses. Sometimes the design has to be approved by multiple levels before being finalised.

A bigger investment with more risk

The bigger and more established the business is, the more important it is to make sure the logo is right. A national or multinational brand has its logo on all kinds of merchandise and branding, and replacing it everywhere is a monumental task. Think about all the work that would go into McDonald’s replacing their logo. With over 30,000 restaurants throughout 120 countries, the logo is on storefronts, food, products, commercials, websites, and so on. With the millions of dollars, it would cost to replace the existing logo, they’d definitely want to make sure they got it right!

This is why logo cost should be proportional to the amount of risk for the company and how many mediums will be using a logo and how many versions it needs:

  1. Print
  2. Social media
  3. Website
  4. Signage
  5. And more…

Each version has to be developed for these requirements. Alternative colours can also be important depending on where the logo will be used.

If the logo uses a black font for instance, it could be completely invisible on a black background! Wider distribution for the logo means more of these versions are needed, which require time, research, and testing to make, ultimately meaning a higher cost for the logo.

How much do corporations pay for their logos?

Generally, the bigger the company, the more money they put into logo design. Take Invercargill City, for example. In 2017, they rebranded with a new logo. The cost for the design and consultation was around $80,000! Then around $70,000 more going towards replacing the old logo and adding the new one to permanent infrastructures and new signage. So the total investment was around $150,000 for the rebrand in total.

For multinational corporations, that cost is even higher. Petrol pumper BP was estimated to have spent $211 million USD (300 million NZD) on their most recent green, yellow, and white logo. That’s as much as the GDP of the entire country of Kiribati in 2019. As much as an entire country. And that’s only the 2nd most expensive logo. Symantec spent a staggering 1.28 billion dollars for branding and logo acquisition!

Symantec Logo

No, we don’t expect you to spend as much money as an entire country on your logo. This is why we say that logo cost is proportional to business size, revenue, and outreach. It’s important to remember everything that goes into making a logo. It’s complex and time-consuming to do it properly.  Instead of comprising on important parts of the logo design process, some agencies will let you pay in installments. At Back9 Creative, we include a logo as part of our package for a new start-up. That package starts at $350+GST a month with a 6-month commitment. Monthly payments are an option at Back9 not only for your logo, but for website design and development too. This can mean a more cohesive look across your brand. And that will ultimately be an investment in your brand’s equity in the long run.

Your logo is a worthwhile investment

As the face of your business 24/7, your logo is one of the core assets of your business.  As such it should be researched and developed by a professional designer. Because of the hours of work that goes into getting the logo just right, costs start in the low thousands. But considering that it’s the way people recognise your brand, it’s an investment to get it done right. And it will almost certainly pay you back its cost and much more.

Need a new or redesigned logo for your business? Let’s Chat…

Book a FREE Discovery Call

The CRM of the Crop

Posted on by Allison Robinson

Everyone knows getting the cream is better than getting the… Not cream.

And for databases, that cream is a Client Relationship Management system, which is literally CRM. Programs like Excel are great for organising data into columns and rows so you can find it later, but what about when you want to pull out specific bits like which customers live in Winton and have a first name starting with J? Okay, that may be too specific, but a CRM like Hubspot, can help you segment your database into useful groups. That helps you send the messages to the right people at the right time.

What is CRM?

Cream with fewer letters. It’s also a piece of software that helps you build a comprehensive customer database. A good CRM does more than just store names and phone numbers. There are many benefits to building a good customer database. You can make separate lists based on what type of customer someone is. Are they a subscriber who’s a big spender who camps out on your front door every time you have a new product so they can be the first to have it? What about ones that only resurface for big sales? You can connect your lists to buyer personas to reach them in the way that best suits them.

 

Big CRMy Bytes of Data

If you’re hungry for data on your potential customers, a CRM will give you more bytes than you can crunch. Wondering who opened your last email? There’s data on that, hard data that your best friend who “reads all your emails” can’t deny. Data like that is useful on an individual level, but it can also help see what type of messages get a better response.

Take this as an example; you wrote several emails and decided to do A/B testing—an option with CRMs where you can test two versions of a message—and then look at the detailed results a week later. Instantly, you see the one titled “Buy a new white shirt, get a pizza to dirty it up” had an open rate of 75% and dozens of people clicked your “Free pizza please” button at the bottom. And your other email, “Buy one new white shirt, get a second at double price”, also had a decent open rate of 50%… With nearly everyone clicking on that little unsubscribe link at the bottom.

“Wow, maybe I should give people stuff instead of charging them extra!” You say afterwards when you analyse the results. It’s brilliant ideas like that you can get through the use of CRM data.

CRM your opponents in the sales game

Effective Inbound marketing is a marathon, and using CRM is like taking a secret shortcut to finish faster.

While your opponents take the long way—sending dozens of emails and making blogs and social media posts based on trial and error with a lot of guesswork—you can skip some of those steps and figure out what’s working faster, letting you CRM your opponents by getting to the same point quicker and with less effort and fatigue. Be the CRM of your crop by rising to the top and see how a CRM can help you now!

Ad-hoc one-off advertising seldom bears fruit

Posted on by John Tatu

Advertising in isolation is unlikely to lead to results

Putting all of your advertising budget into a single campaign on one platform is a lot like playing the stock market. If you put everything into a single stock, there’s a chance that it will boom and you’ll have huge returns. But there’s a larger chance that you’ll have small gains or even losses. Instead, most financial experts suggest diversifying and putting smaller amounts of money into several places or choosing a stable mutual fund.

Advertising works in the same way. There are tons of places you can put your ad these days. You can put it on Google and target a specific audience. You can sponsor a social media post for better exposure. You can buy a short spot on the radio. Make a video ad on YouTube. Reserve a small column in a newspaper. Take a page in a local magazine. You can even have a large billboard with your company name on the side of a building or on the wall of a gym. But no matter the case, one-off advertising rarely works. With so many options, how do you know where to invest your limited budget to maximise you return?

I tried ______ advertising once; it didn’t work

Ads have a lot of power, especially when done right. They’re the reason we buy diamond engagement rings, use mouthwash, and shower every day, sometimes more than once. And the campaigns that made these cultural norms weren’t just one and done; they were hammered down far and wide until people accepted them as normal and expected.

Because of this, you can’t measure the effectiveness of advertising from a single one-off experiment. “I tried a radio ad once. I spent $300 and got nothing back.” It’s something that we hear a lot. And we don’t disagree that your experience is true. But there are a lot of variables that could have made it ineffective, such as:

  • Does your target audience typically listen to the radio?
    • And if they do, are they listening at the times your ad ran?
      • What about the specific station?
    • Did you run your ad by people outside of your company before it went live?
    • Was there an offer or promotion included?
    • Did you make it clear how your product would benefit the listener?

There are a lot more factors that could explain why the ad could have failed. And that’s just for radio ads. What about all the other mediums out there?

Exposure is a key element for effective marketing

A recent study by Nielsen suggests that it takes a person 5-9 exposures to a brand to resonate. At this point, most people become aware of your brand and what you offer. An ad campaign that launches on multiple platforms is more effective, but be careful—Too much exposure is bad too and can make people sick to death of hearing about you and swear off doing business with you for good.

A strategic, targeted approach is best

So, if one-off advertising is likely to fail, how do you succeed? Choosing the right platforms for your ad campaign is crucial, as well as appropriate distribution of your budget. But which platforms specifically?

The hard truth is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. Just like your business is unique, you advertising should be customised just for you as well. Maybe your audience doesn’t listen to the radio because you sell shoes to teenagers who prefer a music subscription service, people who think AM somehow stands for breakfast. Or maybe Snapchat is ineffective because you offer mould inspections to homeowners. Focusing on the right platforms is much more efficient than the shotgun approach where you try to hit everything with a small piece of spending.

What if I don’t know my market for sure?

When you have a specialised product—something like men’s fireproof overalls—you already know who your market is; men who at risk of being on fire often (so most men). But knowing your target audience isn’t always so straightforward. Your target market and your target audience may not even be the same. Sometimes, who you think buys your products and services and who actually uses them aren’t the same group. And focusing on the wrong group might mean you’re missing out on a good amount of potential revenue.

Failure to find the right audience is a major reason why a lot of new, smaller businesses fail. Connected to that, Investopedia and many other financial outlets agree that not investigating the market is the number one reason why businesses fail. But that doesn’t mean going into a competitive industry means you’re destined for failure, not when you have something special that the competition doesn’t. Letting people know that you have something different and better is the hard part. And how can you do that? Through proper advertising.

Proper advertising can make all the difference

If you’re thinking of concentrating all of your advertising money into a single channel or have tried it before and think it’s pointless, you may want to reconsider. Especially if you have local competition, the difference between success and failure can come down to simply letting them know you exist and have something good to offer.

Proper advertising is a lot more complicated than talking into a microphone for a few minutes and sending the slightly edited product to the local radio station to put on when they please. And it’s possible even with a small budget. It’s about having your money work smarter and harder, like building a website to be a productive employee instead of napping half the day away.

What makes an effective ad campaign then? Know who your audience is and how they make purchase decisions. Focus on the right part of The Buyer’s Journey. Create relevant ads that provide useful information—and discounts don’t hurt either!

What if I don’t have time for all this advertising?

If you’re a business owner, you probably don’t have much time for sleep, let alone taking the time to learn about the right way to advertise on all of the different platforms that can help you. If that’s the case, we’re happy to help.

We believe that even small businesses should have the opportunity to do big marketing and can take over your advertising efforts to maximise your budget usage. That way, you can focus on what your business—what you do best—while we do what we do best, helping businesses like yours grow and expand.