Gas Station Advertising

Visibility is the most important part of a successful small business. While consumers don’t know that a business exists, it’s impossible for them to want the products or services that business offers. There are numerous ways to become more visible in the business world. There’s advertising, marketing, word of mouth, promotions, and of course promotional products. If it’s within your budget consider Brite Media or another established group. Depending on the size of the business, significant advertising and marketing might be out of the question due to expense restrictions. The best way to promote a small business is through word of mouth and through promotional products. Whether it’s pens, totes, or towels, promotional products can go a long way towards promoting a business; provided the products are distributed to the right people.  Passing out promotional products at conferences, events, and fairs is an excellent method to increase visibility of a business.

You can purchase promotional products featuring a business logo or even phrase from numerous manufacturers online. Be sure to choose promotional products the target audience will enjoy for the best results.

One of the biggest reasons that small business owners have to call it quits is because they enter into a new business believing they will start pulling in revenue right away. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually the case. Depending on the market that you’re looking to enter, you might be spending money or simply breaking even for the first few months (or even years) of business. That’s why it’s a good idea to have another dependable source of income at the same time, or at the very least, some expendable income that you’re willing to spend in order to get the business off the ground.

There’s nothing easy about starting a business, but if done correctly, it can allow people the freedom of being self-employed while making enough money to support themselves. It just requires some realistic expectations and a sound business plan before jumping into the deep end. Every one has heard the old adage “you have to spend money to make money,” but there are several reasonably-priced small business advertising solutions available. It also requires a great deal of patience while you’re first learning the ropes and building your network of clients or customers.

For years the staples of advertising remained stagnate in the media. Commercials and print ads were an effective and cost-efficient way to get your message across. With the advent of the internet, DVR, satellite radio and iPods, these time-tested types of advertising strategies can now be easily circumvented by consumers.

Today it takes creativity and innovation to get your message heard. As is evident by the constant closing of print media publications, print ads have in large part been killed by sites such as eBay and Craig’s List. In order to keep your business visible, you need to pursue non-traditional strategies that can’t be avoided by the public.

In the last blog, we discussed how you can reach your target market by advertising inside nightlife hotspots. You can easily target a certain demographic by carefully choosing which bars and clubs to advertise in, and a captive audience is more likely to view your ad several times throughout the night. Dartboard advertisements are unique forms of nightlife advertising. Whether they’re print advertisements or full motion ads on color LCD screens, dartboard advertisements easily catch the attention of dart players in bars and taverns.

Not only are they eye-catching, but they ensure that a consumer is exposed to the advertisement for however long they play darts – up to 30 minutes, on average. Dartboard advertisements can also increase word-of-mouth advertising, since people waiting for their turn to throw darts may discuss the ad and tell their friends about it later. It can also help you reach another niche market within the nightlife market: people between the ages of 21-50 who have disposable income and like to play competitive games. For example, if you’re a company that sells energy drinks or video games, this is an especially great form of advertising for you!

The most powerful tool in a business’s advertisement repertoire is word of mouth. When information about a business, large or small, passes from consumer to consumer, the consumer is far more likely to inquire about the business at a later date. After all, who would we trust more, our friend talking to us, or a billboard downtown? Word of mouth is one of the more powerful small business promoting techniques. There are a lot of ways to get consumers to start talking about a business, however, just ‘existing’ often doesn’t cut it. One of the best promotion tools is to offer a discount on products, have a sale, or even offer free products or services for a limited time. It’s also important that consumers have good vibes about the business, after all, no one is going to recommend the business to the friend if it’s no good.

Be sure to target the right consumers for word of mouth advertisement, always play to the target audience for a product or service, and don’t bother going after those who might just have a fleeting interest.

Within the first year of operation, it’s essential for small businesses to get the word out. The truth is, most small businesses fail because consumers aren’t aware that the business exists. Thus, exposure is the most essential aspect of small business success; at least within the first couple years. Exposure isn’t as complicated as it might seem, though it is important to be smart about small business advertisement. For example, for a small business that sells homemade soap, it would be unwise to try to compete with Oil of Olay and Dove, thus the small business needs to advertise in ways that these industry titans do not. Innovative small business advertisement might include posters at night clubs, signs at gas pumps, or even decals on sidewalks. It doesn’t matter how word gets out about the business, just that word gets out.

Not all public exposure is good so to speak, it’s important that small businesses don’t generate controversy or cast themselves in what could be perceived as a negative light. However, thinking of creative means to reach consumers is always a good business practice.

The Power of Word of MouthWord of mouth advertising is one of the most powerful tools a small business can possess.  When the person talking to you about a particular product or service is a trusted friend, you’re much more likely to listen than if it were some stranger, television set, or radio persona.  One great strategy for small business promotion is to get people talking about your business.  Now this is harder than one might think; but for example, if you offer products or services at a discount, or even free for a time, this will increase the likelihood that others will talk about your business. 

You can also offer promotional products or services, and think of creative advertising techniques to make your business visible to your target audience.  Every business should have some kind of The Power of Word of Mouthonline component, even if you’re just a local dry cleaning operation with a simple website.  People start their search for a dry cleaner online, not in the phonebook as they used to.  You might even start a forum or blog for questions and comments about your products and services.  All practices that generate positive conversation about your business are great for sales. 

Most businesses start out small, and let’s face it, even when a business starts out with big funding there is no guarantee that it will succeed.  The key to small business success is getting noticed, but because you can’t afford Super Bowl advertisements, you have to think outside of the box.  Advertise your business in places your customers frequent, but don’t think this just means billboards, posters, and people waving cardboard signs.  Be creative when advertising a small business, think about sidewalk art, gas pumps, dartboards; these advertisements are noticed, while more conventional advertising is often ignored. 

It’s also a great idea to think about advertising online on websites your target customers frequent.  You can have great visibility and in turn, great sales by using contemporary advertising techniques.  If you’re not the advertising type, consider hiring an advertising company to do it for you; the return is often much greater than the initial investment!

How many times have you said, “What a great idea!  I wish I had thought of it!”  Advertising methods are getting more and more innovative these days, and with the rising numbers of people going into business for themselves, no potential location for an advertisement can be ignored.

From gas pumps to automatic teller or tavern gaming machines, there are many nontraditional venues with a captive audience for your business message to be shared.  People will see your contact information over and over again!

There are so many ways to advertise your business that it would be impossible to list them all. Traditional forms of advertising may include purchase of advertising space community coupon packets such as Val-Pak, telephone directories, city maps and local tourist guides, and local area magazines and newspapers.   State fairs, community or church events, or job fairs often have reasonable table or booth rental; if you organize some kind of prize drawing or raffle, you will have contact information for many potential customers.  Donations of your products or services is also an excellent way to get exposure for your business–try local radio stations, TV local information channels, or bingo halls. Ask local restaurants and bars if advertising space is available for purchase on their placemats or beverage coasters.    Have a few T-shirts and tote bags with your business logo on them and hand them out to people you know.  Put a vehicle banner, window cling, or license plate holder on your vehicle that advertises your business name.  Business cards, business card magnets, window clings, and promotional flyers or coupons can be left with any business who gives you permission—some ideas are hairdressers, coffee stands, offices for any medical health provider you might know, banks, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, daycare centers, college campus or trade school student information centers, car dealerships, housing rental offices, and gyms.   

Pacific Media expands on the above-listed possibilities by offering advertising space on gas pumps, dartboards, nightclubs, concert and sporting event venues, movie theaters, and department stores, not just in the form of posters, but on the sidewalk, glass doors, and many more.  When it comes to making your business succeed, marketing and visibility is everything!