Television & Radio

Television

Television advertising will be your most expensive option. The cost of producing a television commercial and then airing it during peak times can be very prohibitive to the small business. If you decide to go this route, remember that your ad will be quite short – usually 60 seconds and people can generally only remember what they've seen for an average of 3 minutes after it is aired.

Repetition is the way to make your name stand out and stay in the minds of your potential customers. However, this can be quite expensive, so choose wisely.

Radio

Finally, radio advertising, we've found, is the type of advertising that truly works. It can be a little expensive, but your returns are likely to be much more tangible. People listen to the radio everywhere. They listen at home, in their cars, and at work.

You need to go with the radio station that fits your demographic if there are multiple stations in your area. Ask around and see what station most people are listening to. Keep in mind that if the majority of people are listening to country music, but you hate country music yourself, this doesn't mean you shouldn't advertise on there. You want to reach the most amount of people with your ads and your personal opinions should stay out of making smart business decisions.

Just as with television advertising, repetition is the key here. As with TV ads, your commercials are going to be short – usually 30 seconds, so the more times your commercial airs, the more exposure you're going to get and the better the chance that people will remember your company name.

Many radio stations also sponsor various events and promotions. If you can afford it, get in on these specials. They're a great way to piggyback along with the station's promotion of these events and you will likely get mentions to go with your advertising.

Ask for packages. All stations have them and you can save a lot of money by going this route.

Ideally, you should combine a couple of these types of traditional advertising together to get maximum exposure, but we know that's not always possible. Take a look at your advertising budget – as a business, you should always have one – and decide what you can spend then choose which route meets your needs the best.