Member Article

Open thinking: how SMEs can communicate their message to an even wider audience

With 5.4 million SMEs in the UK making up 99% of all businesses, communicating your message to the right people can be challenging. No matter what sector you’re in, the marketplace can be crowded, so standing out is crucial to success.

From SEO and PPC, to advertising and PR, understanding the media your audience consumes is key to ensuring your time and money is spent wisely. At Ticketmedia, we support small businesses in reaching their target audiences by providing streamlined, out-of-home advertising solutions.

Targeted campaigns are excellent at driving awareness for key events and promotions, our work with Absolutely Ten Pin proved just that. The team saw an increase in footfall and revenue during what is usually a quieter month for the business. The bus ticket advertising campaign had an estimated reach of 300,000 across four weeks and delivered 191% return on investment (ROI). The great thing about bus tickets is that they are fully measurable, so we can be completely transparent with our clients. It gives them real peace of mind because they can track their investment and see tangible results.

We understand the need for data driven insight and with 48.5% of SMEs not knowing if their marketing is effective, we’ve put together our thoughts on how you can communicate your message to the right audience:

Understanding your target audience Understanding the problem to solve means you can work out who is most likely to need your product or service. We live in a world of niche and so it’s often more effective to build your reputation around this, focusing on your core consumers. Gathering data from consumers, accessing market research and understanding traits and habits will help you meet their needs and therefore, communicate with them effectively.

Navigating the world (wide web) So, you’ve got to grips with your audience, now you need to understand where they go, what they do and the best way to talk to them! By using a combination of formats including online, print and outdoor advertising, you can create maximum impact with your message. Integrating your efforts like this means that you’ll raise your profile quickly and effectively.

The right hands at the right time You may have nailed your audience and think you’re communicating with them, but if you’re sharing your message at the wrong time, there’s a good chance it’s falling on deaf ears. The world we live in moves at an incredible pace and now, more than ever, we’re surrounded by competing advertising messages. People have a 33% heightened alertness when they’re out of home, making outdoor advertising ideal for reaching consumers when they are most receptive.[3] Fifty-four per cent of online adverts are not viewed, opening up huge opportunity for targeted out-of-home advertising, like bus ticket campaigns. With visiting the shops being the main journey purpose for bus passengers, ticket advertising presents an excellent opportunity to put your message into the hands of consumers in the last window of influence. With more than 5.2 billion passenger journeys on local bus services in 2015 and with a 17 minute average journey time, research shows that passengers welcome a distraction – it could be a great place to share your message!

Making the most of marketing on a shoe-string budget You don’t have to have a huge budget to communicate your message effectively. Creating a message that is clear and concise will enable you to deliver a strong campaign. If you have limited budget, it is important to focus on doing one or two things really well. Keep your message single minded and consistent across channels in order to make the most impact.

Looking at a range of advertising, marketing and PR methods will help ensure your business stands out from the crowd but there will be some highs and lows along the way. You may pick a message that really resonates with your business to find that it doesn’t resonate with your customers. That’s ok, don’t be afraid of making mistakes because they will happen! What’s important is that you learn from them and build on your experience next time.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jeremy Burbidge .