Most companies engage in some form of advertising so that people are aware of the services or items that they sell, even if it is something as simple as word-of-mouth publicity. In addition to goods and services, companies might promote special prices for their products, special events, a new store location, and other things of interest to potential customers.
People who work to help businesses succeed, such as Howard Mittman, know the importance of companies using various types of advertising to reach different audiences. Companies are particularly trending towards advertising online. Unlike print advertising, it is easy to track the number of clicks and overall engagement with online ads. Here are four types of advertising.
1. Social Media Advertising
The majority of internet users engage with a social media platform, whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or something else. Social media advertising has the benefit of customers being able to interact with the company’s posts, which differs from most forms of traditional advertising. On these platforms, customers can reply to posts and comments made by the company, post their own pictures, write reviews, and chat with other customers. Often, customers do the promoting for the company, for example, in the case of a happy customer posting a picture of their new item.
2. Video Advertising
Video advertising is another promotional tool that uses the internet to reach an audience. These ads are usually around 30 seconds to a minute long and play before, in between, or after online streaming content. One advantage of going this route is that you can target your ads to a particular audience. For example, suppose you sell electric cars. In that case, you might choose to advertise on videos about the environment, since many people purchase electric vehicles out of concern for the environment, or on videos about cars in general. Video advertisements particularly appeal to people who are visual learners.
3. Broadcast Advertising
Broadcast advertising involves using radio and television to promote a company and allow people to become familiar with the company. Businesses can target these ads to certain audiences too. For example, on television channels that play Saturday morning cartoons, companies can advertise products geared toward children at these times. Broadcast advertising allows businesses to reach a wide audience, but they tend to be rather expensive.
4. Mobile Advertising
Mobile ads include the banners and pop-ups that you see when visiting a website or app on a mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone. It can also include text messages sent out to customers who have given a company their mobile phone number. Through mobile advertising, a company can very easily collect data on things such as the number of times customers click on certain ads, as well as the times of day and days of the week they are most likely to click on an advertisement.
A company knowing its audience is a crucial factor in deciding which type or types of advertising to use. Making a smart decision about this can boost sales and increase profits.
