Promoting Your Business on a Tight Budget – Part 1: Proper Medium

To make every investment in promoting your business pay off, make smart marketing decisions. Three keys to success are:

1. Using Proper Medium
2. Choosing Correct Creative
3. Proper Frequency

Here, we’ll discuss Proper Medium

Establish a marketing goal. Ånalyze who your prospective customers are and which are your most profitable customers. Decide whether broad exposure or focused exposure is needed.

Broad exposure is used to target a wide variety of people in the most cost-effective method. Use newspaper, cable and radio and the channel, station or section that draws your desired demographic. For example, to advertise an upscale restaurant, consider the History and Golf channels, WFMT radio, FirstLook and At Play newspaper positioning. Distribute press releases, post on community websites, and send email blasts as well.

Focused, narrow exposure is used when your ideal customer is clearly defined. Precise data collection enables one to identify and advertise directly to almost any demographic. One can find, for example, women over the age of 30 experiencing incontinence, families buying gourmet dog food, and southwest suburban serious golfers.

If your ideal prospect is the office manager at medical facilities with 10-50 employees, in business 5 years or more and located within a 15 mile radius of Silver Lake Country Club, invest directly, and wisely, in this target.

Target your timing. Consider seasons, holidays and market need. For example, when seeking charitable contributions, soliciting in late November is perfect while January is a disaster.

Determining your most profitable customer and the best way to reach them is the first step to successful marketing.

Next Time: Part 2 Using Correct Creative

Rebecca Palumbo is Principal/Creative Director of Rollins Palumbo Creative, a full service advertising and design agency. Contact her at 708-614-9766 or www.rollinspalumbo.com.