Tourism marketing advice, tips and ideas
  • Ideas & how to...
  • Susan Briggs
  • Workshops
  • Nurture and Grow
  • Sign up
  • Ideas & how to...
  • Susan Briggs
  • Workshops
  • Nurture and Grow
  • Sign up

Should you spend money on advertising to promote your business?

1/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I've been asked this question several times lately, so let's take a more in-depth look at what advertising is and what it can achieve.

This article could save you a lot of money!

​Just to be clear: 'advertising' is sometimes used interchangeably with the term 'marketing', which isn't correct.  Advertising is paying to promote a specific message in a specific way, whether it's an ad in a newspaper or a big budget commercial before the main film at a cinema. 

​Advertising can be very powerful but can also be an expensive mistake. Maybe you need to consider other options first? How good is your website? Your social media? Your PR? Do you blog regularly? Use direct mail consistently?

If you're uncertain about any of these it pays to get them right before you start to advertise. When some one sees your ad they may well come to your website and if that's rubbish... And you'd ideally want to capture their details for follow up, and continue to raise awareness via social media. 

Read on to find out more about advertising and for some tips to avoid wasting money

Advertising is good for creating and building 'awareness' but this is not necessarily the same as building sales. Back in 1925, Daniel Starch said ”to be successful, it must be seen, must be read, must be believed, must be remembered and must be acted upon”. The same is still true today.  

Before you spend, think...

Why are you advertising? What are you main reasons? For example: 
  • to develop a new market, and create awareness (and potentially sales) among customers/visitors who have never tried your product;
  • to remind previous customers to use your product or service again, or to try another aspect of it.

Consider:  
  • the role advertising will play in your overall marketing plan; 
  • the characteristics of your target markets - will they respond to advertising? 
  • the type of response you are likely to achieve from your target markets

Advertising has either tactical or strategic objectives. Strategic advertising is concerned with creating an awareness of products, of developing an organisation's identity and image. Strategic advertising takes a longer term view, having a wider impact than tactical advertising – but it will cost more.

Tactical advertising is aimed at specific market segments and persuading them to go to a particular place or buy a certain service, sometimes at a particular time.  Tactical advertising takes a more short to medium term view.

Target markets

Target markets must be clearly defined. Don't be reactive and simply advertise where a sales person asks you. Think about your markets and what they read/see. 

One strong, clear message

Most advertising works best with just one key message. This is especially important if you can only afford to buy a few lines or small space. Faced with a small budget and only a couple of centimetres to fill, it can be tempting to get the greatest value for money. Don't cram a small space with loads of detail. It won't have any impact. It's more likely to confuse. 

Choosing one main message will help give even the smallest company a stronger identity. This comes back once again to selling benefits rather than features, and stressing what makes you better or different. 

How to handle those random advertising sales phone calls 

For more tips on how to negotiate brilliant advertising rates, what to say to pushy telephone sales people, and advice on how to make advertising work for you, please see the full version of this article in the Tourism Network online community (free to join). 
0 Comments
    Sign up to receive weekly Tourism Knowhow in your inbox every Tuesday
    Please note: all articles are copyright Susan Briggs 2021

    Ideas

    All
    3 Things Every Visitor Wants
    5 Ideas For Good Tourism
    5 Must-do Activities For A Quicker Post-Covid Bounce Back
    6 Mistakes You Can Fix Now
    6 Ways To Use Trends To Benefit Your Business
    9 Easy Tips For Photography That Sells
    About Pages
    Advertising - Is It Worth The Money?
    Advice - Coronavirus
    Advice From My Mum And Isaac Newton
    Are You Saying The Wrong Things
    A Single Solution To Many Different Marketing Issues
    Ask For The Sale
    Bad Reviews - Good For Business?
    Bad Weather? No Problem!
    Better?
    Better Times - Beyond Covid
    Bigger Bolder Braver
    Brushing Teeth & Tourism Marketing
    Building Anticipation
    Build Trust To Generate Revenue
    Chrysalis Or Butterfly?
    Colour Counts
    Colour Psychology
    Copywriting Counts
    Design Tips
    Direct Mail
    Down With Discounts!
    Duvet Days?
    Easy Targeting
    Easy Ways To Use An Emotional Appeal
    Easy Way To Get Media Coverage
    Encourage Recommendations And Repeat Visitors
    Essential Marketing Tips
    How To Be An Expert & Benefit Your Tourism Business
    How To Use Local Distinctiveness
    How To Use Optimism & Positivity To Boost Your Business
    Is Social Media Effective?
    Keep Going
    Last Impressions
    Lessons From Low Cost Airlines
    Lessons From My Window Cleaner
    Maintenance Marketing
    Make Money While You Sleep
    Making Progress In Your Business
    Marketing Collaborations
    Marketing Mind-reading
    Membership?
    Millennials
    Niche Marketing
    Not For Everyone
    No Time For Tourism Marketing?
    Off Peak Marketing
    One Simple Way To Make Your Business Better
    Pictures For Better Marketing
    Piggyback Marketing
    Planning For A Better Future
    Power Of Three
    PR Coverage For Your Business
    PR: Don't Upset Journalists
    Profit Through Generosity
    Promote Off-season
    Questions To Help Build Your Business
    Quick & Easy Marketing Tip
    Reassurance - An Essential Marketing Tactic
    Restorative Tourism
    Safe Won't Sell
    Say The Right Thing
    Scarcity Marketing
    Scared Of Selling?
    Share Your Small Successes
    Simple Idea For Immediate Impact
    Small Steps Make The Most Difference
    Smile!
    Social Media Engagement
    Social Media For Direct Bookings
    Some Positive News
    Spring Clean Your Marketing
    Status Stories
    Stop 2-1 Discounts
    Targets & Witchcraft
    Telling A Good Story
    The Hole In Your Marketing
    Toilet Twinning
    Too Ambitious?
    Trends & Business Opportunities For 2020
    Using Local Pride As A Marketing Super Power
    Walking A Dog
    Word Of Mouth Publicity


Build your business, using my tourism expertise, energy & enthusiasm 

  • practical tourism marketing advice to raise your profile and increase your revenue
  • creation and implementation of marketing campaigns
  • public relations activities and copywriting, including content for websites
  • developing and using local distinctiveness
  • digital marketing, and help to understand search engine optimisation and social media
  • advice and support for visitor attractions, accommodation, food and drink producers, artists, craftspeople and small specialist tour operators

All articles on this site are copyright Susan Briggs, The Tourism Network Ltd 2021
Picture
Email Susan Briggs 

The Tourism Network Ltd, The Old Mill, Millgate, Masham, HG4 4EZ 
Tel: 07768 365591    
​​