The United States has a reputation as one of the most lucrative places to do business, with the massive country ranking at #10 in the world ($55,200 per-capita income). Both domestic businesses and foreign entrepreneurs are keen to get a piece of the action, which requires savvy advertising and putting your brand in front of as many US residents as possible.
In this article, we will take a look at a number of ideas for advertising effectively in the United States.
Social Media
According to 2018 usage statistics of social media in the United States, Americans use the following platforms to stay in touch with friends, family, and businesses (ranked in order of popularity and usage):
- Facebook Messenger
- Snapchat
- Tumblr
- Google Hangouts
- GroupMe
- Discord
- Kik
- Skype
On each of these platforms, you’ll be able to connect your business to their channels. Some have advertisement channels, where you can pay for clicks or impressions, while others can simply give your business a presence to get in front of the most eyes as possible. The best point of paying for advertisements on Facebook, for example, is that you can target specific demographics instead of the “spray and pray” method that many advertisers use, which can be ineffective and time-consuming.
There are many ways to build a presence on social media, such as acting as a brand ambassador, as a curator of industry-related content, generating viral content, direct outreach, and so forth. Ultimately, social media is only limited to the creativity of your marketing department and your imagination.
Be sure to find the appropriate outlet that corresponds to your business model. For instance, if you run a product-based business, then a visual medium like Instagram can entice customers to check out your business. For services, you may want to use eye-catching content to guide customers to your services or other media content so they can self-select down your sales funnels.
Billboards
The United States is very much a driving-based culture, with 222 million drivers on the road (as of 2016). This means that using billboards placed along strategic stretches of roads can help get your business in front of as many people as possible.
The cost of billboards is variable based on where the stretch is located. Figures for rural areas traditionally run on average $250 per month, whereas mid-sized areas can see costs around $1500 to $4000, and larger markets have upwards of these figures. Further, digital billboards that use video and digital effects can tack on $10,000 or more onto this price.
And just to emphasize our above point, you can integrate your social media presence on billboards to tie in your entire marketing efforts for greater brand awareness.
[Follow this link for more information on the cost of billboards in the United States. ]
Radio Advertisements
According to the latest stats on the radio industry, radio is still a big factor in how Americans learn about new products and services. By creating a catchy or informative radio ad, you can gain access to many new customers who may be actively or passively listening to their favorite channel.
The cost of a radio ad is variable depending on the market and length of the ad, but prices at $200 to $5000 tend to be the median.
[Follow this link for a complete guide to the cost and implementation of radio advertisements in the United States.]
US Virtual Phone Numbers
One key method of advertising doesn’t include the actual advertising medium, but rather how customers can reach your business once you’ve gotten their attention and interest. That’s where US virtual phone numbers can come in, especially if your business is located outside of the United States. Simply put, when a US-based customer or business dials your virtual phone number, the call is routed instantly to your business’ phone number, no matter where in the world you happen to be headquartered.
Furthermore, virtual phone numbers are available in a variety of options, such as US toll free numbers, that can give you the instant connection of virtual phone numbers while offering a toll-free way for customers to contact your business. Of course, it is important to use a trusted service provider, like Global Call Forwarding, to ensure that you have the widest available number of options and the best service for your business.
Author’s Bio: Tom Senkus is a US-based writer that seeks to share his knowledge with startups and small businesses looking to expand to the United States. For a full list of his writing services and published output (including 9 books), visit www.tomsenkuswriter.com
