The Internet Advertising Bureau (www.iabuk.com) released news today that advertising spend online ‘nears £1 billion for the first six months of 2006′. Wow, that’s a lot of money!. It represents just over 10% of total spending on advertising in the UK from January to June 2006. The IAB goes on to compare that to the market shares of the other advertising mediums:
- outdoor advertising 5.1%
- consumer magazines 4.6%
- radio advertising 3.4%
- TV advertising 22.7%
- national press 11.4%
So what does this mean for you, the small business owner?
Well, it means your competitors are heading online to get new business. They’re advertising on the internet for the simple reason that it works and you need to make sure you don’t miss out. You need to think seriously about paid for search, or Payperclick advertising. Then there are online display ads, such as banners, pop ups and others. And of course there’s your website. Make sure you know what you want your website to achieve so it communicates clearly with your customers. For example, is it designed to sell, or to collect customer contact details?
One thing is clear. If you’re a business owner and you aren’t currently taking the internet seriously, it’s time to think again. This is one of the key areas of marketing you need to master.
