The Queensland Business Guide To Regional Media Buying And Advertising
When you started your business, you were clear on where you were headed and you knew your target audience inside out. It’s been a few years and business is plodding along nicely, but things have changed. You’re at the top of your game, but the bottom line isn’t quite reflecting it.
So what’s changed?
As with all good things, your business has not only improved with age; it’s evolved. But that’s not all. The way the market views your brand has changed. This shift is being felt throughout marketplaces around the world and it’s because advertising itself is shifting! With the ever-increasing push to remain constantly connected, how will you ensure your business advertising is ahead of the game?
Broaden your horizons
You’ve been marketing through the same media outlets for a few years now, pumping out online, radio and print advertising to hundreds and thousands of potential urban residents, but the hit rate isn’t what it should be: you need to re-evaluate your advertising and marketing strategy.
Regional media. It’s a term you’ve heard, but never really paid much attention to. It brings to mind checked shirts, moleskin pants and R.M. Williams® boots and, really, what does that have to do with your urban brand? Probably more than you think. The Regional Australia Institute defines regional Australia as including ‘all of the towns, small cities and areas that lie beyond the major capital cities.’ Let’s put that into perspective: we are talking about any space in Australia outside Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth! That word ‘regional’ defines a big area and a lot of people. Potential-customer people. If you have been restricting your business advertising to metropolitan markets, you have been missing out … It’s time to consider regional media buying and advertising as part of your marketing strategy.
What’s so good about regional media anyway?
When you consider the regional media outlets available to your brand, the options may not seem as widespread as metropolitan media opportunities, but this is where we should turn that thinking on its head. A large town may only have two print papers and a couple of radio stations, but instead of viewing this as a limitation, consider how much of that regional audience is likely to respond to your advertising. Don’t forget that with fewer media options in regional centres compared with metropolitan centres, you’ll be reaching a higher percentage of that population, increasing the probability that your advertising will be viewed by the very people you are targeting, and you’ll be paying less to do it.
Regional media is far cheaper than metro media buying. For around $10 000 you might get a week’s worth of advertising in a city-based radio. Compare that with regional radio stations and, on average, your advertising campaign will double in duration. That’s a whole lot of bang for your business buck.
Regional news goes back to the most basic foundation of journalism: recording history. In many cases, that regional media source is the only source. And if you’re a local and you’re not reading the local newspaper or listening to the local radio station, you are simply not getting that information. So utilising regional media to insert your brand into the regional communities around Australia makes sense. If you buy the advertising space, your brand will reach a captive audience.
So what if you’re new to this media-buying gig? Why is regional media a good place to start for national brands wanting to take their first steps towards a large-scale advertising campaign?
One step at a time
It can seem daunting to think you need radio ads, billboards and newspaper ads all in the one campaign. Undertake a Media Strategy Review with ADFX and you’ll receive the right advice on strategic media buying for your business. Armed with new knowledge and backed by an astute advertising plan, you’ll choose your first medium wisely, reduce ad wastage and minimise careless spending.
Suit your business budget
You can set your advertising costs to suit your budget. Metropolitan media purchasing can seem out of reach when you haven’t previously launched an advertising campaign on any scale. Regional media purchasing allows you to set a reasonable advertising budget—one that’s within your means—and you can review and revise this as your advertising takes hold. When you begin to see results, you can purchase additional radio or television slots or add to your print advertising.
Brand clarity
Running ads in regional Australian media can also allow you to clarify what you want from your ad campaign before launching in major cities. By targeting just one or two regional centres at the outset, you’ll receive valuable feedback that can help to identify any problems. Consider this the ‘training wheels campaign’ and use this as an opportunity to improve your advertising and to solidify your brand’s position in the regional community before moving towards a national campaign.
It’s a numbers game
When you think about your target audience, it can be easy to think of the person down the road, especially if your business is based in a capital city, but overlooking the regional market is an oversight you don’t want to make. By the end of March this year, the Australian population had almost hit 25 million. Admittedly, two thirds of the population inhabits greater capital cities, but that leaves a staggering figure of over eight million people living in regional areas. And according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the regional population increased by 0.9% from 2016 to 2017. That’s not a captive market you want to miss out on.
Take a quick look at a map and you’ll see the medium-sized names and dots of regional towns and small cities. Now consider that each of those dots has a captive audience ready to be contacted through television, radio and print. With most major towns or small cities producing a newspaper and broadcasting one or two radio stations, your options have suddenly multiplied.
Convinced yet?
Now that you know regional media isn’t as scary as it sounded, how do you tap into that captive audience? ADFX is a nationally accredited media planning and media buying agency. Based in Queensland, we partner with reputable research agencies to provide you with data-based advice and up-to-date knowledge that will inform your successful media planning and media buying strategy.
We work with you to understand your business and determine the best regional media strategy for your brand. Our experienced team has worked with both national and local brands and understands all forms of media: television, cinema, radio, newspapers, magazines, out of home and digital. We want the best for our clients, so we choose not to outsource our media buying, which means we have contacts across all regional media platforms.