An Entrepreneur's Guide to Advertising A Small Business

Advertising is a subpart of marketing that has been used since the system of selling goods and services originated. Businesses cannot survive without this process, which helps them gain recognition and find buyers for their offerings. Promoting a business begins right from the establishment of the venture and continues through its life cycle. The ongoing activity helps inform the target audience about the brand's existence and develops differentiation in the competitive marketplace. Advertising has been evolving since its inception and has drastically transformed in the past few years.

With the advent of digital technology and the popularity of social media, it has become imperative for businesses to take charge of their advertising. They have to present on multiple platforms and create content that grabs the attention of their target audience. The strong competition in the industry and customers' limited attention spans make the pursuit challenging. So, here is an entrepreneur's guide to advertising a small business that can help achieve business goals.

1. Radio and TV Commercials

Since small businesses have a limited marketing budget, they cannot afford to advertise themselves through national broadcasting. However, they can use city-based and community TV channels that cover metropolitan areas in Canada, such as AccessNow TV, MAtv, PersonaTV, YourTV, etc. These air local programs are focused on communities and are perfect for advertising small businesses. They offer a wide reach and grab attention quickly. Similarly, entrepreneurs can use community radio stations to send messages to their target audience in a specific geographic area. These channels are affordable and help amplify brand recall value.

2. Print and Outdoor Advertising

Print and outdoor media include newspapers, magazines, and billboards. They are still relevant because customers cannot ignore them when reading, walking on the road, or driving to work. Small businesses can opt for local magazines and newspapers that are read by communities to get noticed and become a part of local life. These ads are more riveting because they are not found online and cannot be skipped by the audience. They increase brand awareness and establish the credibility of the small business.

3. Business Website and Local Listings

Every business should have a website in the digital age where customers search for products and services online. Most Canadians have smartphones that are used for finding businesses in the vicinity. If a small business does not have a web presence, it will not get the desired recognition. A website helps to build an online reputation and direct customers to the physical stores. Aspiring entrepreneurs looking for businesses for sale Canada must opt for entities with a user-friendly and attractive site. They must also be present on local listings like Google My Business, Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc.

4. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become highly prominent because of the country's large number of active users of these channels. Posting images, videos, and text on popular channels like YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram helps to reach the target audience directly and increase visibility. Running social media ads is another way of diverting traffic to the website and generating conversions. It can also be used for social commerce, which allows buyers to purchase products directly from the platform. These ads are highly affordable and targeted to the audience. They can even be personalised for specific segments to resonate with them and evoke a response.

5. Email Marketing

Personalisation is the key to building long term relationships with customers. Email marketing helps in this endeavour by offering a cost-effective way of advertising through emails. Entrepreneurs can use email marketing while maintaining compliance with Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) to reach the inboxes of potential and existing customers. It allows direct messaging with customised information that profoundly impacts the reader. The call-to-action buttons in the email can help generate sales and leads. New entrepreneurs who have purchased a Canadian business for sale should leverage this tool to boost revenue.

6. SEO and Paid Ads

Search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are the most effective ways of reaching the target audience using digital marketing techniques. While SEO helps to find customers organically, PPC requires paying for ads that the users click. Using these tactics is much more pocket-friendly for a small business and helps expand the business's reach. Being found through organic search increases the brand's trustworthiness, and ads help grab attention quickly. The PPC ads can be tailored to meet customers' needs with specific characteristics, interests and buying behaviour. They can be optimised to increase click-through rate and return on ad spent.

7. Direct Mail and Networking

Direct mail may seem outdated to reach customers in the digital age but the practice continues and can help small businesses maintain relations. Since direct mail is a tangible item, its recall value is higher. It can be customised for individuals, has a higher response rate and helps build emotional connections. It increases brand loyalty and should be used by budding entrepreneurs searching for business opportunities in Canada to persuade their audience. Networking is another tool used by business owners to promote their brands among peers, associates, industry veterans, investors and other people in their contact list. They can use this database to enhance their reputation and ask for co-branding and marketing partnerships that boost sales.

8. Content Marketing

Content marketing has become prevalent in the digitally connected world where everyone consumes and shares a large volume of content daily. It requires creating and distributing different types of content, including blogs, infographics, videos, podcasts, webinars, case studies, presentations, etc., to promote the brand. Valuable and entertaining content gets shared widely and has the potential of going viral, which can be highly beneficial for a small business. Content marketing helps generate website traffic, increase brand advocacy and position the business as a thought leader.

9. Events and Charities

Another type of advertising that can result in the widespread popularity of the brand is participating in community events and organising charitable events. The community based events and road shows can be purely marketing based initiatives, or they can be development endeavours. The community development programs effectively improve the local groups' standard of living. The charitable events are also organised for social good and help build a positive reputation and image of the brand. Young entrepreneurs looking for a business for sale in Canada must purchase ventures that invest in such activities to give back to their communities. It helps in the collective development of the geographical region and the business.

Wrapping Up

Advertising is the support system of every business. Small entities may not be able to spend millions on this activity, but they can achieve success by opting for affordable techniques. The methods mentioned above can help with low budget advertising to generate significant sales.