Maybe you’re a NYC-based realtor but you also serve buyers and sellers in surrounding areas like Long Island and Westchester. Maybe you own a restaurant in Montclair and you’re opening up a second location somewhere along the Jersey Shore. Unlike your own community where you have friends and neighbors and baristas who will speak highly of you, you might not have a significant natural presence in other communities. Advertising to new communities is a great way to grow your business. But you have to be careful. Too many small-business owners make the following mistakes:
Relying Too Heavily on What Has Worked in the Past
Your ad in the local paper might have been a huge hit in your own neighborhood. But what if you want to market to a neighborhood that has a much younger demographic? The people in this new neighborhood will be a lot less likely to read the local paper. And it’s not just demographics like age, gender, and income that you need to take into consideration. Different communities foster different lifestyles, which can influence the way they consume media. For example, I live in Hoboken where most people take public transit frequently. Some of my clients are real estate brokers, who are based in Hoboken but also serve surrounding communities in North Jersey. I recommended PATH station advertising as a way to gain more local awareness in Hoboken and Jersey City but I did not recommend NJ Transit advertising as a way to build their presence in the more suburban areas where more people commute by car.
Advertising to the Wrong Communities
Not every community that you technically serve is worth spending ad dollars on. The demographics of some communities will not match the demographics you’re trying to reach. One Monmouth County-based garage door installation business made this kind of mistake when advertising with a Hoboken publication. Most Hoboken residents live in apartments and would not be in the market for a new garage door. Therefore, the vast majority of the impressions generated by this ad were wasted impressions. If this business wanted to build a stronger presence in North Jersey, a publication in a more suburban area like Bergen or Morris County, where most people live in houses, would have been a better fit.
At JS Media, we help you avoid making these costly mistakes. With our knowledge of the demographics and media consumption habits of the various communities you serve, we help you strategically determine which communities are best to advertise to and which advertising opportunities work best in those communities.
