Advertising

A traditional and effective way to gain awareness for your business and attract the customer segments you’ve identified is to advertise. Consider placing ads in local newspapers, community newsletters and other publications that your potential and existing customers are likely to see. Additionally, think about advertising online. It’s a rapidly growing way to communicate with a target audience and promote your products or services to new customers.

Key message

Focus on one key message that you want people to know about your business and make that point. Ads that are cluttered or wordy, or have too many different design elements, can obscure your message. And don’t forget to include a “call to action” — why and how someone should respond to your ad and how they can do it, including your address, phone or fax number or your website address.

Also be sure to take advantage of your location. You can list special prices or sales in store windows, on walls or counters in your shop, on vehicles you use for business, and on signs where you’re delivering a service. And if you’re participating in a community event or sponsoring youth athletics, see if there’s an opportunity to display a sign or poster with your company name on it.

And don’t forget basics like the local telephone book or yellow pages. They’re still often the first places that people look when they need a service or want to buy something.

Waste not

Remember that when you advertise, you’ll want to be sure that your advertising dollars are targeted to the right audience — not only in your message and how you say it, but also by the advertising method you choose. You want to make sure you are not wasting money promoting your business to consumers who are not interested in your products or services.