Coupon Clippers

Wednesday’s newspapers historically continue to be thick but that may change. Wednesday used to be when a lot of supermarkets advertise because the local food section also features delectable recipes. But as society evolved and more stores opened on Sunday, many food stores began running Sunday ads. Many now advertise on both Wednesday and Sunday and throw in tons of coupons to further entice shoppers.

The New Shopping Paradigm

The latest data now suggests that Saturday is the busiest shopping day for supermarkets. Whatever the case, the landscape is ever changing, except it changes faster these days.

Digital advertising took a 41% share of the market and surpassed television in 2017. After hitting $209 billion, it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Here are some tips if you presently use digital ads or are planning to do so.

Which Way To Go?

In the constantly changing landscape of social media, keep on top of things. Facebook, with 2.2 billion active monthly users, is still the leader. Until that changes (and it could), it would be the most likely platform on which to run digital ads. But before you go there, consider these other factors.

Who is your target audience? What are your customers’ top one or two social media sites?

Consider the goal of your campaign and how you’ll be pitching to customers. If it’s conversational, Facebook lends itself more to that while LinkedIn can help generate awareness and Instagram is useful for any influencers you have.

YouTube happens to currently be the second most visited site with 1.9 billion viewers. If you have products that have more appeal visually, that could be the way to go. Consider all these things before deciding on the one or two social media platforms you select to advertise on.

And with the mobility of our younger generation if they’re a target, don’t forget social apps as well. WhatsApp, with nearly 1.5 billion monthly users and Facebook Messenger with 1.3 billion, are forces to consider. Both happen to be owned by Facebook.

What Else?

As you employ ads on social media, stay with some of the normal strategies as well. Continue to nurture your present customers and let them know how valued they are. The goal is to create loyal customers.

Customer referrals remain the best source of leads.  The key is to convert your followers into digital advocates. Facebook and Twitter are presently the top resources for this.

How Do We Stand Out?

This is the biggest challenge in a crowded field. Challenge your team to come up with novel, but relevant ideas for a logo, mascot or theme that will stand out and be memorable to your brand. Think about some of the past ones that stood out to you.

Last But Not Least

Put together a realistic budget and fight for it. Change is often difficult, but you need to convince others in senior leadership that this kind of change is critical to your company’s success.

To maintain their confidence, set timelines and goals. Measure and report periodically to keep everyone up to date and adjust, where warranted.