Marketing encompasses many things. Essentially, though, it has to do with two things:

• The formulation of a message.
• Delivery of that message.

It goes without saying that the message must be delivered in the most attention-grabbing manner possible. But where should you advertise to deliver your message to the widest possible audience? Here are some questions to consider, that could help you make an informed decision:

1. Clearly, you need to know who you’re talking to, otherwise, how could you deliver — let alone formulate — a message to them?
2. If you are addressing multiple audiences, you need to decide which of these audiences represents the most lucrative market with the most potential for increased business.
3. Does this potential audience need what you have to offer or will you first have to educate and inform them?
4. If they need what you have to offer, where are they most likely to look for information about it? For instance: would they look in the Yellow Pages, would they Google it or would they go ask their doctor about it?
5. If they don’t need or don’t know that they need what you have to offer, how best can you get information in front of them? For instance: through magazine advertising, radio or outdoor media?
6. If they are already using another solution to their problem — i.e. a competitor or they are doing it themselves — what can you do to convince them to switch to what you have to offer? (Come and do our advertising workshop if you don’t know the answer to this one.)
7. Do you need to reach a large, nationwide audience or only a small group of potential consumers in a defined geographic region? National media will be fine for a large audience, but regional outdoor media or a precisely targeted direct mail campaign will be far more effective for a smaller, regional audience.
8. How often would your audience buy your product or service?
9. What do you hope to achieve with your advertising? Do you want to build a database of potential customers, create brand awareness or generate immediate sales? Your answers to this will have a definite impact on the formulation of your message.
10. What is your available budget to get the message to your potential target audiences? If you need to reach a national audience, but have a limited budget, then you clearly should not make use of above the line advertising media, such as magazines, radio or television. You simply will not be able to afford the repetition that is required for success. Going under the radar with email, search engine optimisation, online advertising and social media links may not be as satisfying, (because it is not as visible) but it will cost a lot less and may deliver results that are just as good.

Read more about media planning here.