An effective advertising campaign will bring positive attention to the products and services you offer, and this will, in turn, attract customers and produce sales.  Whether you are launching a new service or trying to persuade new customers to purchase an existing product, there are a number of advertising tools from which to choose.  

According to Promotions Warehouse, the most fitting advertising opportunity for your business will largely depend on the target audience and the most cost-effective method of reaching as many of those audience members as possible, as frequently as possible.  Additionally, the advertising option used should reflect the correct environment for the product or service on offer. For instance, if your target audience reads a certain magazine, you should definitely place an advertisement in that publication.  Below are some advertising tools you can used to sell your business:

Digital

These days, most individuals get at least some of their purchasing information from the Internet via mobile devices.  As such, advertising on websites and using social media and email is a no-brainer. Digital media are even more effective as they have the capacity to track traffic.  Twitter, Facebook, SurveyMonkey and other social media tools cost nothing and can be used to effectively advertise your products and services.  Constant Contact and other pay sites allow you to use email lists to generate and send out newsletters and other business-related information. 

For some websites, traffic information can be researched at Quantcast, Alexa and other sites that provide free reports.  Pay-per-click advertising provide the opportunity to set a daily budget to generate traffic or leads to your website to test-market campaigns.  You can contract a company to show your ad on various websites, paying an established amount every time someone clicks your link or banner ad.  Test-market the pay sites before committing your budget and ensure that you track visitor stats to figure out where the traffic originates from.

Television

With television, you will have an extensive reach.  Therefore, this advertising tool is ideal if you operate in a large area and cater to a large market.  Television ads have the benefit of sound, sight, movement, and color to encourage a potential customer to make a purchase.  These ads are especially useful if you need to show how the product or service works.   However, it is typically expensive to produce a TV ad and then buy an advertising slot.   Advertising is sold in units, for example, 60, 30 or 60 seconds units and costs differ based on:

• The television programs

• The time slots

• Whether you wish to purchase spots on multiple networks 

• Whether it is regional or metro 

Newspaper

Your business can be promoted to a broad range of customers via newspaper.  Classified advertisements are listed under subject headings in a particular section, while display ads are placed throughout the newspaper.  You might find that a mixture of advertising in your local paper and your metropolitan or state newspaper will provide the best results.

Radio

This advertising tool provides a remarkable method of reaching your target audience.  If this audience listens to a specific station, then frequent advertising could attract new customers.  However, there are limitations to sound.  Some listeners have difficulty in remembering what they heard and the impact of advertising on radio is sometimes lost.  The best technique for overcoming this is to regularly repeat your message, which significantly increases your costs.  If your budget does not allow for regular playing, you might find that this advertising tool does not produce strong outcomes.

Directories

Businesses are listed by name or category in directories.  Typically, the customers who use these directories have already made up their mind to make a purchase; they merely need to decide which vendor to use.

The major benefit of online directories compared to print directories is that if your business name, phone number or address is changed, the info can be easily updated in the directory.  Additionally, you can add new information or services about your business.  If online and print directories are used by your target market, it may be helpful to promote your business in both, even though print directories are used less frequently.

Direct Mail, Leaflets and Catalogues

Direct mailing involves directly writing to customers.  The more precise your distribution area or mailing list, the wider will be the reach to your target audience.  Direct mail provides a more personal touch, as your audience can be selected, and the timing planned to suit your business.  A cost-effective type of direct mail is electronically sending out flyers or newsletters to an email database.  

Outdoor and Transit Tools

There are different methods of advertising outside and on-the-go.  Outdoor billboards can be used as hoardings at sport stadiums or signs by the roadside.  Posters on taxis, buses and bicycles can be used for transit advertising.  Using large billboards can be impactful in getting your message across.  If the billboard is passed by the same customers every day during their commute, it is likely you will be the first business that comes to mind when they want to purchase a related product.

Typically, even the biggest of billboards provide a controlled amount of information or it becomes difficult to read them.  Including a phone number or website address makes it easy for customers to find out more about the company.  Outdoor advertising can be quite costly particularly for supersite billboards and prime locations.