What is the best way to advertise a small business – Google, Facebook, Instagram, local magazines or something else?
The answer depends on the business and the customer. There is no single advertising channel that is best for every local business. The right choice depends on what you sell, where your customers live, who they are, how they make purchasing decisions and whether they are already looking for what you offer.
Google: reach people who are already looking
Google can be extremely valuable because people often search when they already have a need. Someone searching for a ‘plumber near me’ is demonstrating very different intent from somebody casually scrolling through social media. That is why your website, Google Business Profile and reviews are important components of local marketing. But people cannot search specifically for your business if they do not yet know it exists. That is where awareness becomes important.
Social media: show people who you are
Facebook and Instagram can help a business demonstrate its personality, work and expertise. A kitchen company can show completed installations. A restaurant can showcase dishes. An estate agent can feature properties and local knowledge. A tradesperson can show before-and-after projects. A professional adviser can answer frequently asked questions. Social media can gradually turn an unknown name into a familiar one.
Local magazines: reach a defined local audience
Local magazines perform a different role. They put businesses in front of people in a particular geographic community, including people who are not currently searching for the product or service. Geography, however, is only part of the equation. The profile of the reader matters too.
Why audience profile matters
Links Magazines are consciously produced for a predominantly 40-plus readership. That is particularly relevant to advertisers selling higher-value products and services such as kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, flooring, carpets, beds, property, home improvements, cars and professional services. These are often considered purchases rather than impulse purchases. Familiarity, trust and repeated exposure can therefore be especially valuable. Our 2024 reader survey also found that 97% of respondents use Links Magazines to find businesses and 81% keep their copy for more than a month.
Your website: turn interest into enquiries
Your website is not necessarily where somebody first discovers you, but it can determine whether they contact you. Once someone becomes interested, they may visit your website looking for reassurance. Do you look established? Can they see examples of your work? Are there testimonials? Do you explain your services clearly? Can they easily contact you? A business can spend considerable amounts generating attention and then lose potential customers because its website does not give them confidence to take the next step.
Reviews: provide reassurance
Reviews have become an important part of the decision-making process for many consumers. Someone may hear about you through word of mouth, see an advertisement or find you on Google – and still check what other customers say before contacting you. Reputation is part of your marketing.
Which advertising should my business choose?
Start with the buying behaviour of your customer. If you provide an urgent service, being visible when somebody searches can be extremely important. If you sell a considered purchase such as a kitchen, property, financial service, furniture or major home improvement, familiarity, trust and repeated exposure can become particularly valuable. If you are in hospitality or retail, visual social media content may play an important role. If your market is strongly geographic, local advertising can help concentrate your budget on the communities most likely to buy from you. Most businesses will benefit from a combination.
Think about the customer journey, not individual channels
A potential customer sees your advertisement in a community magazine. Later, they see one of your Facebook posts. Three months afterwards, they need your service. They Google your company, read several reviews, visit your website and finally call. Which piece of marketing worked? They may all have contributed. At Links Publishing, this is increasingly how we look at marketing: through the eyes of the potential customer.
Five questions every local business should ask
Can customers find you? Do they understand what you offer? Do they trust you? Can they see a reason to choose you? Is it easy to contact you? These questions are more useful than simply asking whether Google, social media or print is ‘best’.
What is the best advertising for your small business?
Do not start with ‘Should I advertise on Facebook, Google or in print?’ Start with ‘Who is my ideal customer, and what journey are they likely to take before choosing a business like mine?’ Once you understand that, deciding where to spend your marketing budget becomes considerably easier. In many cases, the answer is not Google or social media or print. It is finding the right way for them to work together.
