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Most local businesses treat advertisements like a slot machine, throwing in money and hoping for results.
Sure, people win slots but advertisements with a strategy can lead to massive results.
Advertising is simply paying to get attention. Whether it’s online or offline, on a billboard or in someone’s Facebook feed, you’re buying a chance to deliver a message. That message should lead someone to take action: call you, visit your store, fill out a form, book a job.
A good ad has concise language that your audience synergizes with.
The message should appeal to their emotions. A desire they have that your product can fulfill. A pain in their life your services can ease.
In the example above notice the second message is a much clearer version of the first with a tag line, simple pain point, and a CTA.
Who is your audience? Are they young? Old? On social media? Which platform? Why would they want your product or service? Does it fulfill their needs? Does it fix a problem?
These questions and more like it are the golden ticket of making successful ads. Understand your audience and cater the creative to them.
Your ad should have a clear call to action. Something that clearly explains what they can do next.
This CTA should be easy for them to navigate through.
Most ads don't convert first time viewers. You need a strategy for retargeting people who are: new to your brand, have bought before, have looked at your website but not purchased, who have watched your ad videos all the way through but not purchased, and more.
Retargeting ads are spending more money to nurture the leads you've already paid to gather.
There’s two types of ads: offline and online. Both have their place in a successful marketing strategy. Let’s discuss each and their best use cases.
Mail, postcards, flyers, billboards, etc.
These are great for awareness, older people, and saturating your local market.
Offline ads are opportunistic. They work great with person to person interaction, at events, and with older folks. So print some flyers, cards, or coupons to drive local traffic opportunistically.
Google ads, facebook ads, contractor platforms, etc.
These types of ads are more systematic, scalable, and cheap. You can retarget, track, and funnel people much easier with digital ads.
Digital ads are some of the quickest ways to get lots of results quickly in local markets.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to advertising. The best method depends on what you’re trying to achieve, who your audience is, and how fast you need results.
Here’s how to decide:
Choose offline ads when:
- You’re targeting a specific local area or zip code
- You’re in an industry where personal trust matters (contractors, legal, real estate, etc.)
- Your audience skews older or is less active online
- You want to build brand recognition over time
- You’re sponsoring or partnering with local events (brand positioning)
Choose online ads when:
- You need leads quickly
- Your audience is online daily (basically everyone)
- You want to track your ROI clearly
- You already have a site, landing page, and Google Business Profile
No matter where you run an ad the core principals remain the same.
These are great for restaurants & brand awareness. Think about your audience, if you're a roofing contractor odds are this platform isn't where people will look for your services. If you sell bread however... Just seeing a loaf on Facebook can drive results.
On the flip side running google ads is great for contractors & high ticket services while restaurants, photographers, and other non-urgent business models are better off just doing SEO.
There's plenty of other niche platforms out there that offer online ads. From TV ads, to nextdoor and yelp.
While Google and Facebook Ads tend to cover what most small businesses need...Supplementing your strategy with more industry specific or niche platforms can be a beneficial practice.
Bonus Tip: If you haven’t already, create a Google Ads account so you can use Google Keyword Planner. This tool will allow you to see actual traffic for search terms relevant to your brand.
If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur reading this blog we’d recommend getting an audit video.
If you’re another agency…. Quit spying on us! (JK).
If you’re just perusing to peruse – then check out our other blogs.
Not always. Online ads are great for targeting and tracking. Offline ads are better for brand visibility and trust in small communities. The best strategy usually combines both.
There is no right answer or perfect budget when it comes to ads. Each industry and business requires a different amount of ad spend
For most online ads yes. It gives people a place to land, learn more, and take action. For offline ads, a phone number or GBP can work, but a good site still boosts conversions.
If people are already searching for your service, start with Google Search Ads. If you’re building awareness or retargeting website visitors, Facebook or Instagram are good next steps.
At Wisfig, we exist because something is broken.
The world is full of businesses cutting corners, chasing profit, and deceiving customers—selling cheap products wrapped in pretty lies. Most agencies are no different. They don’t care if you succeed. They care that you sign the check.
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We believe business should be built on something stronger: truth, service, and doing what’s right—whether it’s profitable or not. Our approach is simple. We deliver high-quality work, we charge fair prices, and we don’t inflate costs or cut corners to pad our pockets.
Why?
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