Why Multiple Platform Advertising Works Better

When a client asks where they should advertise their business, unsurprisingly, there isn’t usually a straightforward answer. It might be tempting to take a simple approach, and go with the advertising platform most commonly used in their industry, or the trendiest, newest option available. But if you want to get the best results possible (who doesn’t?), it is best to take an approach that integrates multiple advertising platforms.

Allow me to explain why…

Business Advertising Options

There are overwhelming options when it comes to advertising these days, with both online and offline platforms. Just some of these include:

• Newspaper ads
• Magazine ads
• TV ads
• Radio ads
• Cinema Advertising
• Billboards
• Bus-stop / Car ads
• Brochures
• Other signage
• Mailouts / Letterbox Drops
• Email newsletters
• Website
• Guest blogs
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• YouTube
• Google AdWords
• Banner Advertising

You could go with any one of these platforms, and there is a chance that it would work great for your business. But a smart business owner avoids putting all their eggs in one basket. Why choose just one advertising platform when you could utilise many for your campaign?

Why Multiple Platform Advertising Works Best

Less than 10 years go, most advertising campaigns were designed for one specific platform, such as T.V. or a magazine ad. Times have changed, though, and these days, it’s much rarer to focus on a single platform for advertising. There are lots of reasons why businesses are leaning towards cross-platform advertising, but here are just some of them…

More Options Than Ever

Not long ago, your options for media consumption (and therefore business advertising) were considerably more limited. In the days of print (newspaper, magazine, letters, signage, etc.), radio, and T.V., you could generally run an ad and know that a large portion of your audience will see it. These days, your audience is spoilt for choice when it comes to media. They can gain entertainment, news, and information from T.V., their computer, the radio, magazines, social media, mobile apps, and the list could go on…

While more choice for consumers is great, it also means that the advertising options are broader and more diluted than ever before. You can’t run an ad on one platform and know for sure that it will reach a sizeable audience. In order to get the same reach as before, you will almost always need to advertise across multiple platforms.

Reach Multiple Audience Types

Unless you have one very specific type of person in your audience, you probably need to target a variety of groups of people, all of whom use different platforms, devices, and media in their daily lives. If your campaigns include a wider range of platforms, you’ll naturally ensure that you reach a wider range of people.

For example, if your advertising campaign aims to promote your new coffee shop to coffee drinkers in a particular suburb, you might want to reach the following groups of people with these types of ads:

• Students (mobile ads, social media ads, public transport signage, Google AdWords, etc.)
• Mums with young kids or kids at school (mobile ads, social media ads, road signage, sports group sponsorship, Google AdWords, online reviews, vouchers, etc.)
• Retirees (newspaper ads, vouchers, printed menu, road signage, radio ads, letterbox drops, etc.)

Of course, not all people fit into these categories, but if you do the research, and actually ask (survey) your target audience about their media usage and the kind of advertising they prefer, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what your campaign should look like.

Target, Target, Target

One of the most exciting things about the different advertising platforms out there is the specific audience types each one attracts. Instead of targeting 5 unique types of customers with just one ad, you can target them all with individual ads on different platforms. This means that you can deliver your message to them in the way that is most acceptable and appealing.

For example, if you were a shoe shop and wanted to sell more shoes, you might run the following ads to reach these audiences.

The more targeted the ad, the more effective it will be, and the better your use of advertising dollars.

Integrated Approach Shows Consistency

When it comes to your brand, few things build trust like consistency. People appreciate knowing that your business is predictable and consistent – this translates through to their experience with your products and services. When you have a campaign that is visible and consistent to your audience across more than one platform, it demonstrates this predictability and trust to them in a very tangible way.

On the other hand, if you have a different message for every platform, you risk confusing your audience and appearing disjointed in your efforts as a brand.

Increase Legitimacy and Perceived Size

One of the fastest ways to make your business look bigger is to scale up your advertising. This doesn’t have to mean putting more dollars into your existing ads. Simply spreading your message across a few more platforms can ensure that your audience really gets to know your business. When they see your branding regularly, they are more likely to remember you. And then when they make a choice about whether to buy from you or a competitor, your business is going to be their #1 pick. Why? They are familiar with your brand because you took the time to build their trust.

How to Integrate Platforms

So, you want to start integrating some more platforms for your campaign? Great! Here’s some ways you can make a start:

• Include QR codes with your print advertising. Not everyone uses smart phones, but for many people, it is their preferred platform. Ensuring they can easily get your details onto their phone will increase your conversion from a print ad that they may otherwise have ignored.
• Use Landing Pages. Consider using a landing page on your website as part of your advertising. For example, if you advertise a coupon, your call to action (regardless of your advertising platform) would be to click on the link or visit the url to claim your downloadable coupon. This also cuts down on your costs and efforts involved in running ads across multiple campaigns – by driving traffic to a single location.
• Re-marketing. One of the most exciting recent developments in advertising is re-marketing. This enables advertisers to reach audience members who have been on their website, through advertising on other platforms. This includes social media ads, Google AdWords, and more. This is the perfect way to ensure multiple touch points with your audience, across multiple platforms.

For more reading on cross-platform advertising (including examples and ideas), check out the following articles:

• Cross Platform Campaigns
• Five Tips for Cross-Platform Advertising Success
• Why Multi-Platform Advertising is Key in Local Business Search

Over to you…

What platforms do you currently use in your advertising campaigns? Would you say that your approach is integrated, or do you prefer to focus your campaigns on a single platform at a time?

If you’d like help with setting up an advertising campaign, integrating your current approach, or have any questions about this article, please get in touch with our team at Fuse Agency. We’d love to chat. Give us a call today on (07) 3198 4980.