Advertising Costs, Advertising Prices, Advertising Rates, Cost Of Advertising
When you are looking to implement your small business marketing plan, the cost of advertising media plays an important role. But, it’s important to realize that being a smaller business opens up a world of advertising possibilities based on a wide variety of traditional, and not so traditional, advertising techniques.
Print Advertising – Newspaper and magazine advertisements run by size, from whole pages down to quarter pages and can cost a lot depending on circulation or, in magazines, how popular a particular issue might be forecasted to be. Advertising in the classified section can be a big money saver, as can ads in college newspapers, high school newspapers and weekly community newspapers that are distributed for free.
Television Advertising – TV ad prices are quoted by time; a 30-second spot is usually the minimum, although sometimes it can be as low as 15 seconds. However, it’s not just the airtime you’re paying for – the production costs might be prohibitive for small to medium businesses.
Outdoor Advertising – This means billboards, the side of a prominent building, overpass banners and any other sanctioned advertising that can be seen while people are driving or walking outside. These are usually priced by the length of time the ad stays in place. Better prices are quoted for longer times – but you run the risk of bad weather or vandalism ruining your signage.
Mobile Advertising – This can encompass everything from mounted trucks with large billboard-type advertising to taxicab roof signs to someone riding around town on a bicycle with a sandwich board. Prices are quoted by time, meaning that you can rent the advertising space by the hour, the day or the week.
Direct Mail Advertising – By far the most popular route for small to medium brick-and-mortar businesses, an advertising agency can develop a lengthy campaign and do all the work of distribution, brand consistency and printing – or, if you prefer a more localized approach, you can design the ads yourself, find a local printer to do the job and either work with the USPS for direct mail rates, or have people distribute the advertising by hand.
Internet Advertising – You can buy banner ads, work with Google AdWords or develop your own web presence and do a more viral marketing campaign approach. Some of this can be done at no cost, or very low fees.
Creative Advertising – This has more to do with branding, and the costs depend on what you decide – whether it’s sponsoring a local event, having a t-shirt giveaway or holding a raffle, you are limited only by your imagination.
