4 common advertising myths debunked

Using advertising to boost your business outreach is an excellent way to promote your product or service. Whether your business is just starting out or it’s already established as a successful company, advertising can only aid in your organization’s growth. However, many businesses may be asking - where do I start? It’s important to first understand the ins and outs of advertising and some of the common myths that can lead your marketing efforts astray. 

1. I should advertise to as many people as possible

   Wrong. Narrowing down your target audience is key - and it’s unlikely that your target market includes everyone in the world. Defining who your target market is should be one of the very first steps when building your brand, value proposition, and marketing outreach goals. Imagine trying to advertise your brand new hand-crafted, gourmet beef jerky business on Instagram, only to have a majority of your advertising efforts viewed by the local vegan community. All your efforts would have been for nothing. It’s crucial that you understand who your target audience is, especially if that is a niche market, and how you can relate to them when building your advertising campaign rather than trying to advertise to the general public.

2. My product/service will sell itself

   No matter how wonderful, useful, delightful, and unique your product or service is, there’s no way for people to use it unless they know about it! Expecting your product or service to sell itself is like hanging a beautiful painting on the wall of your home and expecting millions of people to flock to your door to see it - how could they know its beauty if they don’t even know it exists? Using advertising to promote your business to your target market is the best way to reach people that will use your product or service. When promoting your product or service, be sure to include images relevant to your industry and quick explanations or bullet points to explain what you are offering so viewers can get an easy and fast understanding without having to take too much time to research. You don’t know what you don’t know - so teach through advertising!

3. If it works for them, it’ll work for me

   Depending on your business, product, or service, there are different routes you should take to advertise to your target market for effective outreach. For example, a business that offers an educational app for children under the age of 10 might use Facebook to advertise their product to parents who frequent this social media website rather than a less-used social media website like LinkedIn. However, a company that offers business-to-business services can better reach their target market via LinkedIn, a platform built to connect professionals and businesses. Looking into your competitor's advertising and marketing campaigns can be a great way to gain inspiration and ideas on how to promote your business, but remember to keep your content and efforts original and relevant to your exact business by keeping your brand and value proposition in mind.

4. Advertising is too expensive

   The cost of advertising can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. There are plenty of affordable options for advertising available for you, especially on social media. Using these advertising opportunities may be an excellent place to start to help you gauge what works and what does not work to reach your business’s target audience. On platforms like Facebook, for example, you can control your budget and your outreach when you decide to boost your posts. If you do decide to work with an advertising agency, cost may rise quite a bit - however, it’s important to consider the return on investment that comes with professional advertising efforts. The price you pay for an advertising campaign could easily be returned double or triple as profit. 

These myths are pretty easy to debunk so that you can generate the best advertising plan for your business. Start promoting your product or service and reach your perfect audience to grow your business today.