The nature of advertising is that it is always a gamble; no matter how and where you advertise your business, you can never be certain that anyone will actually buy anything from it. Therefore, the trick is to utilize advertising methods that should tip the scales more in your favor.

Your first instinct might be to consider mediums like print, television, radio and, of course, online. However, it would be more effective for you to start with the question of where your brand should advertise…

Where are your customers?

More to the point, where are they likely to be when they want to purchase something your company offers? The answer could well be ‘at home’ — especially if your business makes its money mainly or exclusively online.

However, depending on your business, it might be more accurate to say ‘at home’, ‘at work’ or ‘in the car’. As ToughNickel explains, “P.O.P. (point of purchase) marketing is entirely based on the where question.”

Be strategic about where you place your advertising

If you’ve ever wondered why sweets and batteries tend to be on display near retail checkouts, one reason why is that shoppers are more likely to consider buying such items while waiting in a queue at a checkout.

Similarly, it’s when someone is driving that they can be especially open to the idea of stopping by a drive-through restaurant. Hence, fast-food chains often advertise on roadside billboards.

Generally, if your business is geared towards face-to-face, in-person meetings between workers and customers, you should particularly contemplate investing in ‘out of home’ (OOH) advertising.

All the same, you don’t want any of your OOH ads to be displayed too far from where your business has physical premises — as, otherwise, even many people who do see the ad could be disinclined to take in its message. Fortunately, Clear Channel enables advertisers to rent ad spaces scattered across the UK, making it easier for companies to secure spaces suitable for their needs.

From the ‘where’ to the ‘how’…

That is, how you should advertise once you have decided roughly where to do so. Naturally, you might now wonder if some kinds of advertising work better than others — but Entrepreneur contributor Kathy J. Kobliski addresses this question by insisting: “All types will work if they’re used properly and not just ‘tried’.”

Nonetheless, she cites — in addition to ‘location’ — three other factors that must be taken into account for an advertising campaign: ‘demographics’, ‘message’ and ‘frequency’.

The first of those is about knowing what segments of the population make up your customer base. As for your ‘message’, it should be carefully streamlined, as you are likely to get only a few seconds at most in which to tell your story to a prospective customer or client.

Then there’s ‘frequency’, which touches on the fact that, if members of your target audience aren’t exposed often enough to your message, you can’t expect it to become firmly imprinted in their minds. So, you should try to avoid spreading your brand’s advertising efforts too thinly.