The To-Do List

Let’s spend your whole budget on digital!

If someone tells you to spend your entire budget on digital advertising, fi re them now because they are either biased or simply not fully educated on how to conduct a well-rounded marketing campaign.

STORY: KENDRA AKERS

Think about it. It boils down to two things: budget and communication. The goal of every marketing and advertising campaign is to put your company’s message in front of potential clients. So, wouldn’t it make sense to advertise where the consumers are? Forget about labels like traditional media, digital media, etc. Look at who the audience is for the medium you are considering. Are your clients there? If so, look at your budget and see how you can reach more of them in the most costeffective manner. You have everything from signage to social media, mailers to billboards, print ads and broadcasts on radio and TV to choose from. Don’t judge whether it is viable or not just because of what type of medium it is.

For example, if you are a construction company trying to reach clients wanting to remodel their homes, is social media the only way to reach them? Absolutely not! Sure, many people who are looking to remodel their homes are checking out Pinterest, Houzz, and even Zillow. But reaching them through social media is only one piece of the marketing pie. There is a whole world out there.

A reliable advertising agency looks at all the opportunities available within your target-market area and fi nds ways to get your message out to as much of your target audience as possible with a cohesive, consistent, integrated, wellrounded campaign.

Well-rounded means a strategic mix of branding, call-to-action, and direct marketing messages across a variety of media. Why? Because your message is going to reach people at different stages in their decision-making process. Not everyone will be ready to buy or hire you the moment they see your message.

I once had a fi shing buddy tell me, “Don’t leave fi sh to fi nd fi sh.” This relates to your marketing as well. If traditional advertising has worked for you in the past, don’t stop using it. If you want to expand your reach and try other methods, simply add digital to the mix. If you want to catch more fi sh, add more lines

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in the water. If budget constraints are holding you back, work with your media companies to reduce what you are spending with them to free up additional funds to put into digital.

Take a cue from industry leaders across the board. There is a reason big-name companies such as McDonald’s, Nike, Apple, Macy’s and others still use traditional media. It’s because these companies understand effective branding.

Your advertising message must be where your potential clients are. Very seldom can you fully reach them through one advertising medium. To be successful, put more lines in the water behind a strong marketing strategy. If anyone tells you differently, they are not looking out for your company’s best interest.

Or they just don’t understand marketing. A reliable advertising agency looks at all the opportunities available within your target-market area and fi nds ways to get your message out to as much of your target audience as possible with a cohesive, consistent, integrated, well-rounded campaign.

How a well-rounded campaign works:

1. Your customer is reading a local magazine, he sees your ad, and continues his day.

2. Later, your customer is driving to work and notices a billboard with your message. He moves on.

3. That evening, your customer is surfi ng the net on his iPad and notices an ad with your message in his Facebook feed.

He takes note, doesn’t react, and moves on.

4. Several days or weeks later, your customer decides he needs to start looking for a company to remodel his bathroom. He does a Google search, and your business name comes up in the search along with eight other companies. Your customer clicks on your website and calls you for a quote. Why choose you over the other eight companies? Digital marketing companies will tell you it was because of a good SEO or SEM campaign. But the reality is, he chose your company because of human nature. Mr. Customer was familiar with your brand because he has seen your advertisements and your messaging in other places—he may not even remember where. But he certainly did not recognize the names of those other companies. So, he chose you because your well-rounded campaign made him comfortable with your brand.

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AKERS CREATIVE 352.787.4112 akersmediagroup.com