Hi Rioters
I’m looking to do some local press advertising for my business. Before I spend a small fortune on advertising, I’d love to hear your views on where my advertising dollar is best spent eg:
– City News
– Canberra Weekly
– Canberra Times
– Chronicle
– Other
Please help…
[ED – And let us not forget RiotACT]
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try Bus or Taxi Wrap Advertising. I’ve seen taxi wrap advertisements around in Canberra and they seem fairly cool and eye-catching. Here’s their website: http://www.cabads.net.au
Mysteryman said :
Visitors using ad blockers aren’t an issue for an online advertising campaign on CPM or CPC basis as the advertiser is only paying for either those ads that do appear or those that have been clicked on. Ad blockers just reduce the overall inventory for the website owner
Blingiton said :
Misconception #1 is that you believe you need a visual medium to advertise your business.
Thanks rioters:) Will look into the Google Ad Words – I definitely have to get with the times as far as technology goes! I’m not sure radio is a good fit for my business due to the visual aspect.
Are you using Google Adwords? If not, I’d look into it. It seems to me that the area you’re in would be something that people would do research online on, and if your ad is showing up regularly on the first page or two of Google, you’re going to get some people checking out your web page. You’re only paying for click-throughs, and you can set yourself a budget so that you’re not hit with a huge advertising bill.
Baldy said :
Not those mentioned. JJJ all the way but they can’t have ads.
Melrose Crace…:P
dpm said :
I’ve noticed that ad too. I suspect with that ad they are targeting women in particular, as a pathway into getting the discussion going with their partners. Or maybe they just want a suburb full of young, pretty, vista-appreciated lasses . (Relationship) Problem being they have to take a hell of a cab ride into town to find their long term light-bulb changer.
Bennop said :
This makes me think again about the advertising for ‘Hilltops at Crace’. I’m guessing they are targeting women? If you check their ads (TV and print/billboard etc), you’ll only see women – not a guy in sight! It’s going to be some sort of girl-only utopia up there! Hmm, then again, maybe they are targeting guys with that angle! Hahahaha! 🙂
Valid points re: tightening up the target market.
It also sounds as though I need to embrace social media. Apart from RiotACT, I’ve been resisting the social media – Facebook is way out of my comfort zone, let alone Twitter and Linked In etc. If I have a more traditional form of advertising which directs people to a website which is constantly updated, do you think that would still be effective? Sorry – I’m a bit lost with this side of things. If only I could just focus on interior decorating…
Blingiton said :
I would recommend still finding out more about your target market. It seems kinda vague, as if you want to target whole spectrum of people…..which if that is the case, I suggest a glossy “advertorial” or some such piece in a Canberra Times magazine/lift out/ lifestyle section.
Also, I understand word of mouth is stupidly effective. If you look into some referral programs you might get good results for a lot less than traditional advertising.
But like I said, I would find more out about your market. Who your clients have been in the past might be an accident, or part of your strategy. But do you want this to be the case in the future? I would spend my time deciding who I am targeting, cause otherwise how will you know if you succeed?
cbjcurtin’s info is excellent. You should have a think about marketing mix, how to get the best bang for your buck but also how to keep it going. How to find your market, and how to appeal to them.
If you’re up for social media, that’s a great way to go as you engage with your customers and potential customers AND many you engage with become advertisor proxies for you. It’s not for everyone but for those who can grapple with it, it cuts through a lot of the resistance people have to advertising.
If you want to showcase your projects, then things like the TV deal, and the free colour local mag/papers would enable that. Coupled with an on-going social media presence, you should see an increase in interest and awareness.
Thanks for the encouragement and detailed response cbjcurtin. The SC10 advertising sounds fairly reasonable. I had considered the letterbox drop but I think you’ve made a good point re: the ‘no junk’ crowd and getting lost in between all the other flyers and fan mail that land in letterboxes every day .
Good luck with your business too:)
Billington,
Canberra Weekly is great, cheaper rates than city news
Southern Cross Ten have deal on now where for $4000 you get an ad filmed and 60 spots mixed over a month on ten tv.
2cc and 2ca am radio are cheaper than fm, but have a different market, a lot of tradies listen to 2cc for example.
The Canberra Times is expencive, but if you can get a feature or advertorial in a relevent section I think you will do ok.
Facebook can be great for online ads, if you have a page online or on facebook you can really target your advertising so it hits the mark.
The Riot-act is great, we have only just started using it, but I know a lot of people who read here everyday. If you seach anything Canberra related you are sure to find a riot act article on it.
Direct Mailing might work for you, but we find that if your media does get delivered it is usually in with a large bunch of others. Also your target audience may be the same people who have NO JUNK Mail stickers.
Good luck with it all, Canberra needs good local small business, the way we are heading it wont supprise me if in ten years we have; woolies, coles, costco, aldi and jerry harvey owning everything.
Hi all
Thank you for your suggestions and feedback so far. It’s a great help!
I’m an interior decorator so I need a visual advertising medium to showcase my projects. My business challenges the misconception that interior decorating is only for those with fat wallets. If anything, I save my clients a huge amount of money by passing on my trade discounts, usually equating to 25-50% off full retail for everything from tiling to furnishings.
My clients include first home buyers right through to high-end clients. I’m open to any ideas you might have for spreading the word.
Keen to hear more thoughts 🙂
Malteser said :
Do people still listen to radio?
Riotact of course! Why would you read one source with only one opinion? I read it first then see what was in the tabloids.
+1 for Radio.
If I hear a radio add and it’s remotely close to something I want/need/like to have/sounds fun/ sounds interesting I’ll probably act upon the add.
I like using local business so using local adds is always my first option.
Though in my hobby magazines I read them cover to cover including all the adds and will act upon the adds if it’s a) a Canberra/Queanbeyan Region add or b) I’m conviently close (Within a few suburbs)to the physical location of the shop (Syd/Melb/Adelaide)
What demagraphic are you looking to target?
I personally would highly recommend online advertising, though the OP didn’t mention the business segment, product or service they’re wishing to advertise so I would caution that online isn’t best for everything.
The advantage of online is it allows for sophisticated targeting the results measurement. Google, Facebook and similar services allow you to drill down by geography, even to city level. Facebook lets you customise by factors such as gender, age and so on.
You can fix budgets carefully, scale up or down the reach with an easy click depending on your circumstances.
The one thing I would caution is to choose carefully between impression advertising and click advertising.