You have a talent, you use it. How? Simply let the concerned know what you can do and they will make use of your services in exchange for a benefit. Believe it or not, you just marketed yourself. And if you do a good response, you strategy did work for you. In the same way, a business cannot survive without any form of publicity. Many companies merely advertise to keep their market strength intact. Thus affordability of placing an advertisement is not the issue, you just have to go for it if you want to progress effectively.

The basic questions normally asked when considering the placement of an ad:

1. Which media should be used?

2. Should the ad be creative?

3. How to maximise output in a limited budget?

Many a times advertisers themselves are unaware of what they want and how to go about making an ad. First of all what you should know is what you intend to sell, the investment that you are ready to make for the job to be done, and the geographic and demographic compositions you intend to attract. Another thing needs to be understood: there is a difference between "selling" and "marketing". You sell when you are trying to get rid of something that you are not interested in. You market something if you are interested in something and you want others to get hold of it too, this way you also make a profit. Both terms are distinct in relation to the intention and the meaning for the person holding the product.

Advertising should be considered as an investment in the future of the business. Like any appropriately managed long-term investment, it reaps the fruits for those who wait patiently. Here, we have attempted to assist in deciding the best media for placing your advertisement.

NEWSPAPER

Many businesses advertise regularly in newspapers, depending on the product and services offered and their market reach. You need to see what they offer, what is their potential market, and the exact position where their ad is placed. If the business is successful, the advertisement must be working.

Advantages:

Almost every household and office receives a newspaper daily, either from the newsstand or directly delivered. Every reader has a different taste and surely searches for his/her specific choice in the paper first. This obviously means that you can place your ad where you can be sure that it will attract the target market; eg children's products in the kids section, and mens goods in the sports or business section. Of course, the ad should not look out of place when presented to the potential customer. Do remember, however, that many people simply go through the host of advertisements that are printed all over the newspapers.

Unlke TV and Radio, the advertisement can be viewed by readers in leisure time and can contain details of the products and services offered, such as pricing and features, addresses and phone numbers etc.

From the advertiser's point-of-view, newspaper advertising can be convenient because production changes can be made quickly, if necessary, and you can often insert a new advertisement on short notice. Another advantage is the large variety of ad sizes newspaper advertising offers. Even though you may not have a lot of money in your budget, you can still place a series of small ads, without making a sacrifice.

Disadvantages:

• Newspapers usually are read once and stay in the house for just a day.

• The print quality of newspapers isn't always the best, especially for photographs. So use simple artwork and line drawings for best results.

• The page size of a newspaper is fairly large and small ads can look minuscule.

• Your ad has to compete with other ads for the reader's attention.

• You're not assured that every person who gets the newspaper will read your ad. They may not read the section you advertised in, or they may simply have skipped the page because there wasn't any interesting news on it.

How Should I Work with my Newspaper Representative?

Usually a newspaper appoints a representative for a client advertising in the newspaper. They can help you in posting your advertisement in the appropriate position, in special sections or promotional editions that may beneficial to your business. It is the sales representative who will actually sell your advertisement.

Points to remember:

• Newspapers are read throughout the week thoroughly, except for Saturdays when the circulation is low demand. Sunday papers are read the most and generally consist of magazines and additional supplements that are read by various demographic groups.

• The position of your ad is important, and sometimes there may be a higher charge for getting the exact position you want, such as the centre of the page.

• Many newspapers offer special pricing for more than one issues in a day. Usually the morning and evening issues each have different audiences, thus increasing the chance of touching your customers.

Before you advertise, make sure you have a proper plan and how you wish to execute it. Descriptive notes and a copy of your ad should help you discuss your plan with the sales representative. You should contact the newspaper's copywriter or advertsing agency for their assistance (sometimes provided free of cost).

Make efficient use of the space you get, but avoid cluttering too much information to strain the eyes of the reader. Normally people don't freeze their eyes on an ad until something, ie a picture or a set of words, really appeals to them. Be sure to view the final look of the ad before it goes to print. You should always have an ad that satisfies you and not something that you have to literally shove down your throat.

MAGAZINE

Almost all the advantages associated with newspapers can be summarised for magazines, with a few additoonal ones. These can be associated with the principle of a standard size and higher quality of paper.

Most magazines are published weekly, fortnightly or monthly and are mostly image-oriented compared to newspapers. Usually costing higher than newspapers to advertise, the quality of paper and superior output results, including the effect of colour, are to be considered.

Magazines target a varying number of audience, but not all as many are published for specific people, such as a women's or kid's magazine.

To enhance the appeal of your advertisement in this medium, we recommend the assistance of a graphic designer and copywriter - more appropriately an advertising agency - to get the best possible results. Often magazines require negatives instead of prints of the advertisement. Being in the business gives the ad agnecy a broader view and interaction with clients and the publication, thus they can also assist you in designing an ad that will actually be worth the expenditure, and the location in the magazine. Most magazines offer readership statistics on demand if you intend to place the advertisement directly with the magazine.

Because ads in magazines are not immediate, they take more planning. Often, an ad for a monthly magazine must be prepared at least a month in advance of publication, so ads detailing prices and items have to be carefully crafted to insure accuracy.

Magazines are either national or limited to certain areas, and some issuing separate issues for each geographical region they cover. This beneficial for those businesses who only have presence in a few regions and need to advertise accordingly.

RADIO

Radio has become an integral part of daily life, with listeners enjoying their favourite programming throughout the day. An advertisement placed on Radio does not have to be geographically limited and the message can contain pieces of information for everybody. Further, some contain "conversation" as part of the advertisement, which sometimes strengthens the plot. People can easily listen to the radio and be entertained or informed while driving, cooking in the kitchen or just sitting and enjoying the evening.

Advantages:

• Information can be readily updated because almost all programmes are broadcast live.

• Radio presenters announcing or advertising for you can be added advantage as they have a link with listeners.

• It can be used to supported some other form of advertisement to attract listeners for seeking additional detail.

Limitations:

• Radio commercials cannot be reviewed once they have been aired, and neither can listeners rewind it to listen again unless it's aired a second time.

• Not all your prospective customers may be tuned into a specific radio channel, thus it cannot be told what is listened to when and where.

• Not all people listen to the radio all the time, therefore it cannot be expected that it reaches the entire target market.

• Radio stations are well aware of when their listenership increases, thus they have varying rates for each hourly slot in the day. These may haveincreased or reduced rates according to the statistics received.

Although radio broadcasts carry an effective message and practically sell the image of the products or services, they however are limited in their approach as they are not visual and the advertisement is short-lived. It cannot carry much detail, and is definitely a poor choice to give addresses and telephone numbers.

Buying time on Radio

Radio stations also have Sales Representatives, similar to newspapers, each promoting their station and why they are the best choice. However,if you've done your homework, you should know better where to go and why. You should be on the look out for important factors such as advertising at various times throughout the day or sponsoring an entire show; prices are worth considering in each case. Each show and timing have different audiences, and quite obviously you would want to advertise at a time when your expected target audience is listening. But, you should never underestimate the power of verbal communication between people who may be able to inadvertantly market your products for you.

There are usually ratings for each show that is aired on each radio station, indicating the audience listening rate and the types of people that are listening. You should also be able to get a good deal if you plan to advertise or publicise your product more than once in a day. Resultingly, you should be in a position to calculate the cost of advertising over the number of people listening, ie the cost per thousand listeners.

Successful Scripting

Always remember, the better your advertising script the higher the chances of attraction. Follow these simple copywriting rules to get you a started on the right foot.

• The script should be expressive and powerful to grab the attention of the audience immediately.

• Write in a conversational style, this will help your audience to absorb the ad quicker.

• Do not use any tough words or jargons, keep it simple.

• Important words or points should be repeated.

• The closure should be strong and effective, should make the customer come to you to know what else is in store for him/her.

TELEVISION

Television is rightfully termed as advertising's premium offer, the "king" of advertising media. A vast majority of the country's population spend at least a few hours in front of the TV everyday, they are more attracted to the combination of audio and visual form of entertainment than any other. Of course, advertising on a medium that influences human behaviour to a great extent does have a higher cost attached - in fact, the highest.

Advantages:

• The visual form of advertising gives the product or service instant recognition from its viewers.

• The target audience is easily and promptly reached.

• It offers immense scope for exposing your product in the most creative manner possible for the target audience with your camera and/or graphical innovative skills.

• The introduction of newer and target oriented television channels has increased the possibilty of capturing the right market at the right spot whenever possible, making it possible to devise a single plan to hit and capture.

Disadvantages:

• The costs of advertising are comparatively higher due to their market coverage and viewership statistical figures.

• Much more expensive than advertising on any other medium.

• The pricing differs tremendously throughout the day; prime times cost the highest while other timings vary according to the audience strength.

Compared to the newspapers or magazines, which normally cover certain areas across the country, an advertisement on the television reaches a larger portion of the population, including those who may not be interested in ads in the paper. You should be able to analyse if your intended market lies in a wide stretched area or a smaller region, thus determining which medium is better for your business.

A commercial is not easily produced, and usually involves a lengthy process of production to meet the demonstrative requirements for the product or service. You will need quality and substance in the ad that is being produced; the effectiveness of the message put forward is the key to capturing the market. Advertising agencies and other production houses churn up creative and innovative ideas and they are the best support that you can get to make sure that your placement is worth every penny spent. Keep in mind that ads created by agencies or productions houses can be quite expensive.

Remember, like radio, the message comes and goes ... and that's it. The viewer doesn't see your commercial again unless you have more placements.

Creativity

A creative advertisement reaches much farther and wider than perceived; the more the substance and style the higher the attraction level. Competition is at its highest limits when it comes to television, and mostly you will see a lot of advertisements for similar products.

The viewer may choose to get a snack during the commercial break, go to the bathroom or have a conversation about what they just saw on the show they were viewing. Even if your commercial is being aired, viewers may never see it unless it is creative enough to capture their attention. That's why it's so important to consider the kind of commercial you are going to create...and how you want your audience to be affected. Spending money on a good commercial in the beginning will pay dividends in the end.

Television advertising is the most effective medium; but it is big league advertising ... and you shouldn't attempt it unless you have enough money in your budget to do it right.

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

When people think of Outdoor Advertising, they usually think of the colorful billboards along our streets and highways. Included in the "outdoor" classification, however, are benches, posters, signs and transit advertising (the advertising on buses, subways, taxicabs and trains). They are all share similar advertising rules and methods.

Outdoor advertising reaches its audience as an element of the environment. Unlike newspaper, radio or TV, it doesn't have to be invited into the home. And it doesn't provide entertainment to sustain its audience.

Advantages:

• These advertisements are a definite view for many passer-bys throughout the period that the ad is placed in the open. It cannot be turned off like as on Radio or TV. In true fashion, it has a captured audience.

• The advertising works on the number of people viewing the advertisement may either live in the same locality or anywhere across the city, but generally get to view it at least once as they pass by.

• Most locations of prominence make it ads work really well. A billboard at a popular entertainment area in the city will attract on-lookers.

• It works best when used in conjunction with advertisement in another medium.

Disadvantages:

• Outdoor advertising is a glance medium. At best, it only draws 2-3 seconds of a reader's time, unless it is an absolute art work.

• Messages must be brief to fit in that 2-3 second time frame. Ninety-five percent of the time, either the message or the audience is in motion.

• Some contracts require a longer time committment, which is not helpful for campaigns which last only a week or two to the most.

CONCLUSION

Since not all fingers on the hand are equal, neither are any of the people around you. Therefore, there is no one way to advertise, and there is nothing called "the best way". Perceptions and opnions will differ, and what may appeal to one, may not have any effect on the other. It would be very unwise to term any particular method as the best or the right one. An advertisement, should be designed to carry the message that it was intended to carry in the most efficient manner possible.

Don't expect it to work instantly. Remember, advertising is an investment for the future and not for the present or past.

Related Material:
Brand building
Customer loyalty
Logos and branding
The 4 elements of marketing