Steve Strauss outlines six steps you can take to insure that your small business ad is both effective and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

First up, brainstorm the type of ad campaign you want to run:

There are two types of ad campaigns, and the first thing to do is decide what type you need.

The first is a campaign intended more to build your brand than make an immediate sale, such as the ad in the newspaper that says “Divorce for Fathers.” By being in the newspaper again and again, this ad is designed to infiltrate people’s subconscious. Sure, one purpose is to get customers now, but an equal purpose is to build awareness of the business so that one day down the road, a father who is getting divorced will know whom to call.

The second type of ad and campaign is intended to create business now. This ad often uses one or both of the most powerful words in advertising – “sale” and “free.”

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Six steps to an affordable, winning ad campaign