“But when should I advertise?” seems to be a common question among businesses we speak to.
They know they need to advertise and market their business to grow, but aren’t sure when to approach this.
As well as social media training and social media management, Altrincham HQ offers advertising opportunities to our community of 90,000+ local people in South Manchester.
Our posts have reached over 1 million people a month for the last few months.
Before we delve into 10 Key Advertising Opportunities for Your Business lets answer these questions
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
If we don’t advertise or market our business, how do we expect people to buy from us?
If our competitors advertise and market themselves, and we don’t, who do they spend with?
Outside of our own social media, who can we tap into?
How do we reach a bigger, relevant audience and who has that audience?
What is the key message we wish to convey?
10 Key Advertising Opportunities for Your Business
Opening
Launch with a bang, not a whimper.
One of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make is not investing in marketing from the outset.
They launch without any impact, and the only people who turn up in the first three months are supportive friends and family members.
If you look at how a chain launches, this is how much marketing they’ll do to have a successful launch:
Social Media Marketing, Influencer Invites, Local Business Invites, Launch Event, Giveaways, PR, Email List… and advertising.
Invest the money upfront because three months later, with rent, rates, and staff costs, the marketing budget isn’t going to magically appear if sales aren’t coming in.
Anniversary
Are you celebrating a big anniversary?
1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years.
An anniversary is a perfect opportunity to get the word out in front of a wider audience.
You’ve done the social media post to your own audience and it’s proved to be one of your most popular posts ever.
Now the next step is getting in front of a new audience to discover you for the first time.
You’d be surprised at how many people haven’t heard of a business that’s been open for three years and then, after advertising, end up becoming loyal customers.
Expansion
For all the negativity on social media, people love to see local businesses doing well.
Have you doubled the size of your unit?
Have you tripled the number of staff?
Have you opened a second store?
All these are very, very advertising-friendly stories.
Often, the scenarios above have required huge investment, so why not let the world know?
Award Win
Winning an award is a big deal.
Over the years, I’ve won a number of them: “Best Social Media Company in Manchester”, “Small Business of the Year”, “Digital Company of the Year” and have been runners-up in a number of others.
It’s one of the best feelings in the world being recognised by your peers and the 100-300 people in the room.
You want to take that to the next level, where those 100-300 can go to several thousand people.
National Awareness Days / National Awareness Weeks
I have a real love/hate relationship with National Awareness Days.
And, if I’m honest, it’s mainly hate.
Usually because most of them are irrelevant, and even when they are relevant, it’s usually a lazy throwaway social media post at 8 am on the day itself.
If the National Awareness Day is relevant, you want to go bigger, bolder, and more in your face than the competition.
This works particularly well for hospitality businesses, where there’s a whole National Awareness Week to focus on.
Open Day
Nurseries, schools, office spaces, gyms, spas, galleries.
All businesses and organisations that regularly host open days.
And why? Nothing beats seeing something with your own eyes.
A real-life tour beats a Google tour or photos.
Getting people through the door is your biggest challenge. Once people are through the door, you should be confident you’ll blow them away.
Educational Pieces
Absolutely perfect for professional services and B2B businesses.
Could you run a monthly advice column with us?
Solicitors, accountants, financial advisors, estate agents, interior designers, HR & recruitment, health, business coaches, and more.
People often go on social media for entertaining or educational content.
If you can be seen to answer your customers’ problems on a regular basis, you’ll be seen as the go-to expert.
New Product/Service Launch
We recently saw a business launch a new product.
I say launch – it was one post on Instagram to 140 followers, where the post got 2 likes and 1 comment.
They paid for a poster in the window.
If you have a new product or service, then you want the world to know.
Our advertising service is now a year old, and some aspects of our advertising are booked up six months in advance. Yet, in our heads, it’s still in the new service launch phase, compared to Social Media Training and Social Media Management. We’re all in on marketing and advertising on multiple channels.
Customer Testimonials or Success Stories
Collaboration posts on success stories are a great way to get the word out there.
And particularly for professional services like accountants, card payment suppliers, graphic designers, and many more.
Use a client success story to help showcase the great work you do.
Relatable. Real. Social Proof.
Employee Spotlight or Milestones
Care homes, schools, and more.
People love human stories, and if you can showcase someone who has worked for the business for 20/30/40 years, it’s a great tool to win customers and future employees.
A double win here.
There are countless stories involving your team in well-established businesses.
How do you hero those that have grown with you over the years?
NEXT STEPS
There are 10 key advertising opportunities for your business above – which are the most relevant 3 for your business right now
- Find our advertising rates here https://www.altrinchamhq.co.uk/advertise-with-altrincham-hq-in-altrincham/
- Email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk with a timeline / 1 paragraph on what you wish to advertise / contact number
- Alex will get back in touch within 24-48 hours (Mon-Frid)
