The Truth About Advertising: How Should Brands Market Themselves?

In previous generations, the concept of television advertising was simple and relatively easy to execute. Prior to the last decade, advertisements were extremely product or service-centric, as prominent placement and obvious story boards negated the need for creative thinking. While it may not have required much intellectual horsepower or financial resource to execute a vision, however, the cost sourcing air time has always been prohibitive and difficult to justify in terms of measurable results.

Technological advancement has changed the landscape considerably; however, specifically by creating additional, lower-cost mediums through which brands can advertise their products and services. The real-time and audio-visual nature of these platforms has also encouraged brands to think more creatively when developing adverts, which is crucial in an age where consumers are increasingly motivated by social and ecological issues.

3 Advertising Tips for Modern Brands

With the world of advertising now having changed beyond all recognition, it is crucial that brands revise their advertising strategies to minimize costs, influence consumer behavior and drive profitability. Consider the following steps towards achieving this: –

Accept YouTube as the new Face of Audio Visual Advertising

While revenue statistics suggest that it is unfair to categorize television advertising as moribund, it is certainly losing ground to alternative audio visual mediums. Take video sharing website YouTube, for example, which is now more popular than a number of television channels and has seen its viewing figures rise by 50% during 2014. In total, an estimated 6 billion hours of YouTube content is viewed each month, and it is logical to believe that at least some of this time was once allocated to watching television. When you also consider the free to access nature of YouTube and the fact that customers have the option to select content that most appeals to them as individuals, it is clear that this medium offers you access to a larger and more targeted audience of consumers.

Create an Integrated Paid and Unpaid Advertising Campaign through Social Media

On a similar note, social media also offers your brand access to a global and increasingly active marketplace. Social media platforms also feature a combination of paid and unpaid advertising opportunities, so it is highly beneficial to create an integrated strategy across that includes multiple platforms and techniques. So as a starting point, consider investing in a paid advertising trial through Facebook, where your brand will receive huge global exposure and benefit from an increased ROI (Return on Investment). By combining this with organic, real-time consumer interaction through Twitter, you can minimize the cost of advertising while driving a higher rate of customer engagement. On a final note, you should consider using image-led websites such as Instagram and Pinterest, which enable you to market and advertise products through relevant and high quality graphics.

Use Great Content to become an Influential Thought Leader

During the last eighteen months, content marketing has emerged as the single most important aspect of brand promotion. This is thanks largely to the efforts of Google and the changing outlook of consumers, who according to the Custom Content Council are 61% more likely to buy from companies that publish original, insightful and informative copy. This instantly offers you the chance to boost your rate of sales conversions, as the publication of engaging and thought provoking copy that is relevant to your brand will serve as a natural entry point into a long-term relationship. This will ultimately help you to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry of choice, while also influencing the future behavior of targeted consumers.

The Truth About Advertising: How Should Brands Market Themselves?