Normalcy, at least a version of it, is here. For now.
Businesses have reopened, people are out and about, and the economy is picking back up. In other words, people are out there searching and buying. There’s no better time to get in front of potential customers.
I remember one day walking into a local business that I knew and striking up a chat with the owner.
This was a niche business with a specific audience. Through the course of our conversation, I learned the owner didn’t think about new customers; didn’t even care. He had a basic website, but no social media, and never ran ads of any kind.
“So where do you get your customers from?” I asked.
“I hang signs in the window,” he said with a shrug.
Not long after that conversation, the business shut its doors for good.
I didn’t ask him at the time, but if I did, his response probably would’ve been “I can’t afford to advertise.”
The truth is, as a business, you can’t afford not to.
No matter if you’re a global B2B company, or a Mom and Pop retailer on Main St., consistently running ads – whether on Google, social media, display, print, or event – is the time-tested way to get the word out about your brand, and special offers.
But with any ad rollout, you must switch them up accordingly from time to time – and even season to season. Summer can be an opportune time of year to fine-tune your advertising, so here are some ways to improve your strategy right now, before summer ends.
Holidays and “Holidays”
Holiday advertising may feel cliché, but it’s also effective. It’s also a great time to do a deeper dive and align your external communications with holidays – and not just the big ones. There are dozens of less-known summer “holidays” that you can have a lot of fun pairing your ads with – like National Intern Day or National Bourbon Day that will resonate, in a playful way, with your audience. You can do this with any type of digital or print ads too, allowing for a lot of mileage on your message.
Summer and fall events
Another part of the return to normal is the return of events. For businesses, sponsoring or participating in community/local gatherings, festivals, seminars or trade shows all provide a great opportunity to get in front of new audiences and extend your brand and messaging in direct ways. For businesses that emphasize advertising in, and supporting their local community, summer and fall events are important.
Refresh your design and strategy
In order for your ads to help turn clicks into sales, you must first get eyes on them. So perhaps the best way to up your ante when it comes to ads is to give them a redo.
If it’s been a minute since you’ve ran an ad campaign, or if the last few you tried didn’t produce the ROI you were hoping for, this is an opportune time to change up your ad design, write fresh copy, and adjust the overall shape of your messaging. Keep your designs simple, but attractive and your copy clean and concise.
And always remember when it comes to ads: If at first you don’t succeed…
For more advertising tips and tricks, check out this INSPIRE Webinar: