The Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Advertising

There are many different ways to advertise your business, brand, and products. However, knowing how to divide up your budget on each of these types can be challenging. What is going to be the most beneficial, and how can you target your specific audience? It certainly can be an overwhelming process, but it is possible by understanding the various options.

Below, we are going to go over the ultimate guide to different advertising methods so that you can develop a strong marketing plan for your business.

Want to learn more? Then keep on reading!

Print Advertising

Print advertising focuses on distributing physically printed media to a large audience. While it is not as big as it once was, since the improvements with digital marketing, it is still effective and used by many businesses today. Some of the main types include:

Newspaper/Magazine: One of the main benefits of newspaper and magazine articles is that they stay around for long periods of time. They can be as small or as complex as you want, and there is plenty of room for creativity. You can find some examples here.

Direct mail: Direct mail involves delivering your advertisement straight to the consumer’s doorstep. It is cost-effective and can even be done yourself on a small local scale. It does, however, need to be unique and eye-catching to avoid being classified as “junk.” 

Brochures: Brochures are a great way to give lots of information about your business. Alongside describing your services, you can list contact information and showcase your credibility with reviews. Once designed, they are affordable to print and can be placed in various locations. 

Business Cards: Business cards may be small, but they do have a significant impact. They can quickly be passed out to customers and are little enough to keep with you at all times. While they can’t contain much information, they are also extremely useful when meeting potential clients.

Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising is also known as out-of-home advertising and does precisely as the name suggests. It reaches consumers outside of their homes in a variety of different locations. This could include while they are driving, shopping, or walking around the streets. Some of the different types include:

Billboards: Billboards are one of the most well-known outdoor advertisements. They are what you see on large buildings and on the roadside of high traffic locations. This type of advertisement is best suited to large companies due to its significant expense.

Point of Sale Displays: Point of sale displays are placed near the queue and checkout of a store as a way to promote and encourage a sale to the consumer. An example would be the adverts you see above the chocolates near the front counter. 

Guerrilla Advertising: Guerrilla advertising is a method of adding something to an urban environment. They are unconventional campaigns that you wouldn’t normally expect to see. Some examples include chalk art, statues, flash mobs, treasure hunts, and sponsored events.

Mobile Trucks: Mobile truck advertising works similar to billboards, except they are portable. You can park them at a particular location or have them drive around the neighborhood. They are an eye-catching and unique way to display your brand. Are you interested in learning more? Offered in 360+ cities, mobile truck advertising featured here is a great place to get started.

Street Furniture: Advertisements on newsstands, bus shelters, poles, and information pillars all fall under street furniture. They are popular in urban areas and can reach a vast audience. One downfall is that there is often a lot of surrounding competition nearby, which can cause your media to be overlooked.

Online Advertising

Online, digital, and internet advertising reaches users that are on the world wide web. Today it is one of the most popular types due to its reach and affordability. Some of the different types include but are not limited to:

Social Media: Social media advertising comes in many different shapes and forms. While most people associate paid and sponsored posts with it, influencer marketing can also fall under the same category. This refers to paying a particular “influencer/famous individual” to promote your brand using their existing following. 

Search Engine Optimisation: SEO is considered one of the most vital online marketing tools. It involves the process of optimizing your content to appear first on the search engine result pages. This is done by using keywords and creating relevant content that people are searching for.

Display Ads: Display ads are the banners that appear on websites that take you to an alternative link. By using the right network like Google Display Network, you can reach a specific target audience across a variety of publishers.

Content marketing: Content marketing refers to the content you produce for all of your different online channels. This includes social media, blogs, video channels, and emails. From photos, quizzes, contests, and informative posts, there are many ways to create engagement. The key is to follow what is trending while still remaining unique and exciting.

Emails: Email marketing is another popular online advertising method that allows the business to send messages regarding their products, services, and promotions. Compared to some other types, it allows you to share quite a bit of information, rather than picking just one image or slogan.

Broadcast Advertising

Broadcast advertising focuses on reaching out to a vast group via radio and television. These are two of the most expensive methods, but since they reach such a large audience, they can be worth the cost. The difference between the two is the visual aspect. However, they both can have jingles and catchphrases. Using a brand mascot is a popular choice here as the character can become memorable and help others identify your business. 

And that’s it! This was the ultimate guide to different advertising methods. By reading through the above, you should now have a better understanding of what will benefit your brand. However, always remember to keep in mind these three factors. 

• Target Audience
• Location
• Budget

Good luck!

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