Media advertising

The basics you need to know about raising your business profile through advertising, and how to make sure your campaigns are successful.

Newspapers, magazines and directories reach a targeted audience, and advertising could reap rewards. Our introduction to what you need to know.

Our guide to the basics of writing a successful advert, from grabbing attention to getting your message across and encouraging a response.

Outdoor advertising puts your message in front of a big audience in a non-intrusive way. Start here and find out how it could help you.

Radio ads are a tried and tested way to reach a local audience, but you might not have even considered cinema or TV. Our overview of the benefits.

Corporate sponsorship can position your business as an expert in your field, or one with strong community links. How sponsorship could work for you.

How to make sure your advertising is planned well for the best return on investment - from understanding your audience to measuring responses.

Advertising can be an effective way to reach large numbers of target customers. Our guide to evaluating your options and measuring results.

Don't blow your advertising budget on an expensive radio advert which goes out at 3am. Save money by investing in low-cost advertising options.

A well-written and well-placed advertisement can significantly increase your brand exposure and drive sales. The key principles of writing an advert.

Use this checklist to help you write an effective advertisement, from deciding on the message to design options, and getting a good response.

Read our FAQs on advertising strategy, including whether it's right for your business, where to advertise, costs, and campaign planning.

Advertising on billboards, bus stops, taxis and train stations is well within the budget of most small businesses and can be highly effective.

Augmented reality is opening up possibilities in OOH advertising - even for small businesses. Daniel Siden of Lightvert explains one new development.

Online directories can be a low-cost way of driving potential customers to your website. But how do you know which you should be advertising in?

Thanks to the number of TV channels, it is now cheaper than ever to advertise on TV and worth considering if you've got a regional customer base.

Jackie Fast, MD of Slingshot Sponsorship, offers eight tips to help your business maximise its returns from sponsoring an event or sports team.

A professional copywriter can deliver highly persuasive, effective copy that sells your products and services. But how do you choose the right one?

Commissioning a professional graphic designer can ensure that your stationery and marketing collateral impress, but how do you find the right one?

Great slogans are remembered for years, but there are hundreds of bland and downright dishonest ones. Drayton Bird provides his thoughts on slogans.

The AdCracker website has some useful sample briefs to help you if you've never briefed a creative team before. Or even if you have.

Your creative people can be your strongest business asset, because they can give you something that is valuable — ideas. So how do you motivate them?

Small firms can get good publicity and valuable goodwill by sponsoring a local team, event or good cause - and it doesn’t have to break the bank.

Sponsorship can bring two brands together and give both of them wider exposure. But the only way to really judge its success is to measure it.

Whether you are writing an advert, a blog, a sales letter or a speech, good writing has the power to persuade. Drayton Bird tells all.

Want to reach a new audience? Sponsoring a successful email newsletter can help you deliver your message effectively to your target market.

Get inspiration from this gallery of TV advertisements and think about how you could make advertising work for your own business.

A clear brief will help any designer or copywriter to deliver work that meets all your expectations. This briefing template can help.

Make sure you know exactly what you want the reader to do as a result of seeing your advertisement - these FAQs will help you get it right.