Small Business Now
  Your site for small business success

By: Kim T. Gordon

    Put your marketing message where your best prospects can't miss it. From posters in college campus laundry rooms and major health clubs, to ads on hospitality carts that cruise golf courses, you can choose the right place and context for your advertising. Place-based advertising, or what the industry calls "alternative out-of-home," allows you to reach prospects wherever they happen to be and when they’re in a receptive frame of mind.

    There are numerous options to fit any goal and budget. And that can make choosing just the right ones a tricky job. When evaluating a place-based advertising opportunity, be sure you can answer "Yes" to one or more of these five important questions:

    What makes place-based ads so attractive is that they can literally go wherever your prospects do. Are your best prospects tennis players? You can advertise on scoreboards at public tennis courts. Do you want to reach boaters? You can place ads and informational materials at their favorite marinas. There are posters above diaper-changing stations that target parents and on phone kiosks located near street ball courts and urban parks that reach teenage boys. Where will your best prospects be when they see your ad?

    An ad for sports apparel on a phone kiosk near an urban ball court grabs the attention of the teens because it reaches them when they're in exactly the right state of mind. Ads that reach prospects in the wrong context may fall flat. When would you be more receptive to the marketing for a new diet plan -- while having pizza and beer for dinner, or the next morning while working off those extra calories at the gym? It's no wonder that major gyms now accommodate video and other advertising featuring fitness and health-related products.

    Often, the best place-based media reach your prospects when they're in a position to buy what you sell. Ads and coupons on grocery store receipts can entice customers to come back for special promotions on products they might never have tried. And they can also result in immediate sales for nearby retailers, such as coffee shops and ice cream parlors. Determine where your customers will be when they're deciding to buy what you sell, and then look for place-based media opportunities there.

    When evaluating an out-of-home advertising venue or tactic, consider whether it matches the tone and themes of your company’s overall marketing campaign. For example, dogs wearing advertising messages, called K9 Billboards, are available to walk city streets. But an upscale, gourmet restaurant would do well to avoid this tactic – even if the dogs stroll past the homes and businesses of its targeted patrons – lest the impression conveyed is that the restaurant’s food is going to the dogs.

    Some types of place-based media can do wonders for your company image. Naming rights are now available for many local parks and nature trails. Sponsoring these public areas can boost your company image as a good citizen of the community. You can even put your company logo at the bottom of your local swimming pool and on the scoreboard of your neighborhood ballpark. It's a great way to show your support for everything from the local swim team to Little League, all the while building name recognition for your business.

    With the proliferation of compelling opportunities like these, you can choose just one -- or a mix of several -- to achieve your marketing goals.