32 Effective Advertising Tactics

Advertising and marketing professionals use a series of strategies to achieve the objectives of brands and businesses. Advertising tactics are a successful way to attract customers, boost profits and establish credibility. Understanding some of the most effective and commonly used advertising tactics may help you be more successful in your promotional efforts. In this article, we define advertising tactics, talk about their importance and offer a list of 32 impactful advertising tactics.

Related: 14 Types of Advertising

What is an advertising tactic?

Advertising tactics are strategic actions that promote a product or service. Advertising tactics are often high-level ideas designed, implemented and adjusted by marketing and advertising professionals to achieve specific objectives. These objectives may include:

• Increasing revenue

• Expanding customer base

• Targeting a specific audience

• Informing customers of new products or services

• Promoting brand awareness

• Encouraging brand loyalty

Related: How To Write an Effective Advertisement

Why are advertising tactics important?

There are several reasons advertising tactics are important to the success of marketing and sales efforts. These methods can help brands and businesses:

Attract customers

Organizations often use advertising tactics to target new, specific audiences. These tactics have the potential to be extremely effective in attracting new customers and may result in an increased customer base and revenue.

Organizations may also use advertising tactics to target existing audiences to maintain high-value relationships and to increase brand loyalty and customer retention.

Entice investors

Investors are often interested in partnering with brands and businesses that have a proven record of success and profitability. Advertising tactics may help to improve an organization's perception among investors by increasing revenue, establishing credibility and promoting brand awareness. This may result in opportunities to secure important financial resources.

Differentiate from the competition

Advertising tactics that are unique and memorable may help brands and businesses differentiate themselves from the competition. The more memorable a brand or business, the more likely their customers will think of them first when contemplating their buying options.

Related: What Is Persuasive Advertising?

32 advertising tactics

Below is a list of 32 effective advertising tactics to consider implementing in your current strategies:

1. Print ads

Brands and businesses have used print ads to promote their products and services for many years and it is still a commonly used tactic today. Print materials that may include advertisements include:

• Newspapers

• Magazines

• Billboards

• Directories

2. Digital ads

Digital advertising has increased in popularity with the rise of technology's influence on our daily lives. You may use the following digital channels for your advertisement needs:

• Online newspapers

• Online magazines

• Blogs

• Contextual ads

• Webpages

3. Social media ads

Social media has become a powerful marketing and advertising tool for brands and businesses to incorporate into their strategies. You may use social media platforms in conjunction with other advertising tactics to connect with your target audience through strategic ad campaigns and promoted posts.

4. Television ads

Television ads have existed for many years and remain an effective tactic today. You may use television ads to promote products and services through:

• Network programming

• Cable and satellite programming

• Public broadcasting

• Streaming services

5. Radio ads

Radio ads are a great way to target specific audiences based on their listening habits and geographic location. You may use radio ads to supplement your advertising efforts by placing ads in:

• Local programming

• Music stations

• News and talk shows

For example, a country music festival may advertise their tickets and showtimes on a country music radio station.

6. Email newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to maintain relationships with your existing customers. You may use newsletters to send regular updates and promotions to your subscribers to remain relevant and memorable among their buying options. You may also use newsletters to send brand updates and promote new products or services.

7. Direct mail

Direct mail involves sending print materials directly to your target audience. It functions similarly to newsletters, but because the advertisements reach customers through traditional mail, there is no chance of your information getting lost in an influx of emails and it could more effective at differentiating your brand from the competition.

8. Cold calls

Cold calling involves directly contacting new customers who have no prior interaction with your brand or business to inform them of your products and services.

Related: 17 Tips for Effective Cold Calling (With Scripts)

9. Vehicle ads

Vehicle ads are a tactic that involves displaying your advertisements on public vehicles such as buses, taxis, and trains. This technique is a great way to promote brand awareness, memorability and to reach a large audience.

10. Pay-per-click

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements involve partnering with ad placement agencies to insert digital ads on various web pages. You then pay the agency each time a customer clicks on your ad. This advertising tactic is effective in targeting specific audiences based on their internet browsing habits.

For example, a pet food company may partner with an ad placement agency to insert their ads on pet blogs and pet owner discussion boards.

11. Sponsorships

You may partner with other brands and businesses to engage in a sponsorship. This tactic is a great way to promote brand awareness and establish a consistent brand identity by partnering with similar companies. A sponsorship involves paying a brand or business to feature your products and services through public platforms such as:

• Festivals

• Concerts

• Seminars

• Podcasts

• Webinars

12. Endorsements

Endorsements are a great way to improve your brand's perception, credibility and memorability. In an endorsement deal, an individual of fame and influence positively reviews your products and services to your target audience by:

• Talking about your brand, product or service on a public platform

• Appearing in your radio or television ads

• Featuring on your brand website

• Discussing your brand, products or services on their social media pages

13. Testimonials and reviews

Testimonials and customer reviews are an effective tactic that may help you establish trust with your target audience. Many customers rely on public opinion to help them make their buying decisions, and including positive reviews and testimonials in your advertising materials may persuade customers to choose your brand, product or service over the competition.

14. Case studies

A case study is similar to a product review or testimonial, but it involves further analysis from the customer's perspective. They often include:

• A description of the customer's problem

• How your product or service solved the customer's problem

• The results produced from your product or service

Case studies provide an opportunity for your customers to more easily visualize the value your product or service could bring to their lives and how it could apply to their own problems.

15. Referral programs

Referral programs reward customers for referring your brand, product to service to someone they know in exchange for a benefit. They're a great way to show your existing customers your appreciation and connect with new customers. Examples of benefits you may use to reward your customers for their referrals include:

• Free products or services

• Discounted products or services

• Free shipping

• Giftcards

16. Customer engagements

Customer engagement encourages participation from your target audience. By providing an opportunity for interaction, you may create more personal relationships with your customers and foster a sense of trust. Customer engagement is also a great way to conduct market research by analyzing which customers take part in your offers and how they interact with your brand. To encourage customer engagement you may:

• Offer surveys

• Provide quizzes

• Create contests

• Request comments on social media posts

17. Community events

Community events may be effective in helping you promote brand awareness, announce important brand updates, launch new products or services and form long-lasting relationships with your target audience. Community events such as conferences, seminars, meetups, fairs, festivals and markets are a great way to directly connect with your target audience and promote your brand or business.

18. Live streaming

Similar to community events, live streaming can help you engage directly with a larger target audience because your geographic location doesn't limit your outreach. Consider digital forms of community events such as webinars, podcasts and live social media platforms to connect with a larger target audience.

19. Emotional appeals

Appealing to the emotions of your target audience is a powerful tactic that can increase the probability of your customers completing your call to action. Most commonly, brands or businesses use emotional appeal to target their customer's needs. These needs may include:

• New product or service

• Security

• Health and fitness

• Beauty

• Convenience

20. Complements

Complementing your target audience is an advertising tactic you may use to appeal to your customers' emotions and establish positive relationships. Often, brands and business may implement their customers using taglines and slogans. For example, a book publisher may say, "Smart kids choose our books."

21. Bandwagon ads

Bandwagon advertisements portray the use of a product or service as a social norm and can encourage your target audience to complete your call to action in order to meet societal standards.

22. Facts and statistics

Including facts and statistics in your advertising efforts can help to establish credibility and build trust with your target audience. Including specific, measurable data to provide proof of your brand, product or service value can help persuade your customers to complete your call to action.

For example, a toothpaste brand may say something like, "99% of dentists prefer our products."

23. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (A.I.) is an advertising tactic that uses behavior-driven data to recommend products and services online to your target audience. AI is a great way to more accurately target your customers based on their interests and internet habits.

24. Partnerships

Partnerships and co-branding are advertising tactics that involve joining a similar brand or business in your advertising efforts to create content that attracts a mutually beneficial target audience. This is a great way to expand your customer outreach and establish credibility among other audiences.

25. Gamification

Gamification is an advertising tactic that associates a psychological reward system with your brand, product or service through game-playing techniques. Common gamification tools include:

• Quizzes

• Apps

• Puzzles

26. Tools

Tools are a form of customer engagement that helps your target audience solve a problem. You may use tools in your advertising efforts to encourage customers to complete a call to action.

For example, an online resume optimization company may include a resume analyzer in their system to persuade users to purchase their resume improvement services.

27. Repurposed materials

Repurposed advertisement materials are existing content that you transform into new material. This can help maximize your existing efforts and maintain consistency across your advertising efforts.

28. Media outreach

Media outreach includes providing information about your brand, product or service to news outlets so that they will create content about your brand that reaches their audiences. This is a great way to expand your customer outreach and promote brand awareness.

29. Guest appearances

This advertising tactic involves providing information about your products and services to be featured on other brand and businesses' advertising efforts, such as webpages, television or radio ads and newsletters.

30. Augmented reality

Augmented and virtual reality are quickly becoming popular tactics used by advertising and marketing professionals. You may use augmented reality software to create virtual customer experiences, like revealing hidden messages in your billboards and product packaging.

31. Clothing

You may design and manufacture clothing as an advertising tactic by including images of your brand's logo on your items to promote brand awareness, memorability and to reach a large audience.

32. Retargeting

Retargeting is an advertising tactic that directly connects with customers who have visited a brand's website but did not complete a call to action. For example, if a customer leaves items in their online shopping cart, you may send an email reminding them to complete their purchase.