Four States Small Business Blog

Advertising is a critical business process and a major investment for businesses of any size. Most businesses understand that an ad campaign will help promote products, raise awareness for special offers and events, and hopefully influence shoppers to choose their brand. However, it’s also critical for both the products and services as well as the brand in terms of differentiation and staying top of mind, influencing consumer perception, and improving retention and recall.

Branding is what helps distinguish your company, products, and services from your competitors. It’s a way to create a connection between your company and your consumers in a visual, emotional, and cultural way.

If you think branding doesn't really matter that much (you've got a great logo, right?), consider that when choosing between two similar products at similar price points, consumers will probably select the brand they recognize.

Some other points to think about:

Thanks to ever-evolving technology, the path to purchase has changed, and the advertising world is always adapting to keep up with it. New channels, platforms, and tools are constantly being developed, giving marketers a truly vast array of options, including some unique ones, like interactive quizzes. These quizzes may not be new, per se, but they’re vastly underrated by most brands as a legitimate way to build engagement and develop leads.

As human beings, we tend to jump to conclusions. If we see an uptick in sales, we may assume it’s the result of our advertising. Likewise, if sales are flat or declining, we may conclude that our marketing campaign isn’t working. But in neither case is your marketing necessarily the reason for the results you’re seeing. Here are five ways to know if your advertising is effective.

Whether your target audience is nationwide or just in Joplin, MO, advertising is always stronger when you have a marketing partner. These are experts who are up to date on the latest trends, technologies, and best practices, and who understand how to identify and communicate with not just audiences in general but the best audience for your business. They should be invested in the success of your business as much as you are — that’s what makes them a partner.

Growing your dental practice can be challenging. The American Dental Association notes that, in the last 15 years, the number of adults seeking dental care has dropped. But bringing new patients through the door is essential to increasing production and replacing patients who, for whatever reason, have left your practice. We’ve put together 9 tips to attract new dental patients.

When warm weather hits and people’s activities change, radio listening habits change, too. Overall, this change manifests itself by boosting listening share for certain formats. For example, the summer of 2016 saw an increase of more than 5% for the classic rock format, while the two previous summers saw increases of approximately 10% for the classic hits format. However, increases in particular formats vary by audience segment. For the 25 to 54 age group, country is a summer preference.

When it comes to successfully promoting your casino through radio advertising, you’ll need more than a stroke of luck to beat the house and hit the jackpot. Here are six tips you can follow to ensure your casino marketing is effective, reaches your target audience, and increases your sales.

Solid frequency is a marketing imperative, especially if you’re trying to build brand awareness. Unfortunately, nailing down an advertising plan with the right frequency is difficult, especially if you’re not leveraging a media partner. At Zimmer Radio, we believe that the best advertising frequency requires a 21/52 plan that will create consistency alongside frequency for your radio advertising campaign.

Your sales cycle is the period of time from the identification of a lead until you close the sale. Sales cycles vary considerably among different types of businesses, products, and services. Understanding your sales cycle provides a view of the customer’s journey, or buying funnel, and can help you plan your marketing in a way that is both effective and realistic.