How to Advertise your Business in Singapore
Over the past few years, Asia has experienced a spectacular amount of growth in its economy. In fact, since the 1960s, this continent has been able to grow its wealth faster than any other region around the world. And this is largely due to its labour and capital– specifically in the eastern countries. However, there is none more attention-grabbing than Singapore. Its political stability, industrial competitiveness and transparency has helped to pave the way for its neighbouring countries’ economic prosperity.
In fact, Singapore is currently the headquarters of over 3000 multinational companies. Its financial and service sectors are considered to be world class and its physical infrastructure is known to be highly efficient. This country has achieved a per capita gross domestic product level that is comparable to that of developed western nations which is why it has managed to consistently rank among the most attractive countries in which to conduct international business.
What to Know About Advertising in Singapore
You’re an intelligent entrepreneur, but what comes to mind when you think about advertising? Could be, it’s the second’s long spot with a catchy jingle and a witty slogan. But, advertising can take many shapes and forms. Before you assign a definition to it, it’s important to know the importance and advantages.
Come to think of it; advertising can take many fluid forms. If you’re used to the traditional ad formats, perhaps you need to look at those banner ads on your website. It’s no longer about the billboards along the highway. Although you have an idea about advertising is all about, it pays to know what it is exactly and how to do it like a pro.
What Is Advertising?
Simply, advertising is the process or action of calling the attention of a specified group to products, services, or ideas through a paid or sponsored channel.
It’s an attempt to influence a customer’s buying behaviour through persuasive words, messages, or language.
Here are some great examples of TVC ads:
The main advertising goal is to attract new customers by marking out a target audience and then, trying to appeal to them with a compelling ad campaign. Effective advertising needs to be influential, memorable, and highly targeted.
So what can advertising do for your business? Here’s how.
- Raises your brand’s awareness
- Leads prospects to your brand
- Promotes the sale of new and existing products/services
- Enhances the introduction of new products /services to a new market
- Helps in differentiating your products from the competitor’s
Characteristics of Advertising
- Paid Form- the advertiser has to pay to acquire an advertising message, a media slot, and consequent follow up
- Tool for promotion advertising plays the role of promotion in a business
- One way communication- the process is a one-way communication where businesses communicate directly to consumers
- Personal or non-Personal- Advertising is non-personal through TV, print, or radio channels. It’s personal when it’s through social media channels
Here is a cool illustration of how ads persuade your customer:
How Advertising Differs From Marketing
Marketing refers to the process a business implements to raise awareness about their offer. It’s about persuading the customer to buy their products instead of a competitor’s.
Advertising, on the other hand, entails creating persuasive messages. It’s a subset of marketing that utilises various channels such as SEO, email, PR, and PPC, among others.
Do you want your advertising efforts to pay off? Then, don’t forget to leverage creative positioning, timing, and a strategic approach.
Advertising Plan and Advertising Strategy
Do they sound the same? The truth is that they’re different. Used together, an advertising plan and strategy present the framework that a business uses to determine the efficacy of an advertising campaign.
- An advertising strategy spells out the method that advertising uses to fulfill advertising goals.
- An advertising plan addresses the creative tactics, budget, timeline, and other essentials of the ad strategy.
Trends
Reference: https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/online-marketing-higher-education/
The evolution of Singapore’s economy has come with a change in the latest marketing trends. For instance, personalisation is becoming the main focus. Not only are companies interested in getting to know more about their general target audience, but they want to get to them on an individual level. Singapore companies feel the need to make sure that touch points are as specific as possible so that they are able to streamline the purchasing process as well as make it more responsive.
Companies are starting to heavily incorporate AI into their processes. This is especially the case when it comes to using chat-bots to interact with the customers and appeal more to their individual needs. Many hope that this will help to greatly improve the customer experience. Also, this type of AI will foster an environment of deep learning which will provide data crumbs from around the web and give businesses a better understanding of consumer behaviour.
Not only are companies looking to market to their customers in real-time, but they are also interested in marketing to them at the right time. Marketers are now using data in order to isolate when its the best time to reach out to the customer. In this way, they can form a more intimate and effective connection with their target audience.
Speaking of data, another popular trend is measuring and analytics. While certain social media channels, such as Facebook, have admitted that their data does not tell the entire story, companies are starting to recognise the value in measuring their performance with purpose. And for many, the KSI is customer retention, profit, satisfaction, and revenue. In fact, many executives are expected to be more than overseers, but also data scientists and marketing technologists. From devices and sensors to TVs and fitness brands, they will be expected to monitor the useful data that can be leveraged from them.
Also, content is still king, but many are starting to prefer it in the form of video. And this is because it helps to appeal to more senses. Visual marketing can go a long way.
Types of Advertising in Singapore
Reference: http://marketing-skills.blogspot.com/2014/10/all-about-advertising.html
While there are many different trends in Singapore, they can be applied to multiple forms of advertising. And luckily, there are many to choose from. Let’s take a look at a few.
Digital Advertising
Perhaps one of the most popular forms of advertising is digital advertising. This is the leveraging of digital channels such as Google search, email, social media, and websites in order to connect with prospective customers. More specifically, businesses use methods like search engine optimisation to attract free traffic to their websites, content marketing to generate brand awareness and leads, inbound marketing to convert customers, and pay-per-click (many using PPC agencies) to drive paid traffic to their website. All of this and more is the fastest and easiest way to connect with millions of prospects online.
Print Advertising
Print advertisement is any advertisement that is printed on paper. It is typically split into three subcategories. One is periodical advertising in which ads are printed in magazines, newspapers or anything other publication that is released at regular intervals. The second subcategory is flyers, leaflets, brochures, and handouts in which ads are treated as separate entities. The last subcategory is direct mail advertising in which ad is mailed directly to consumers.
Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor Advertising is a form of advertising that done outdoors. The most popular include bus benches, billboards, exteriors and interiors of buses, business vehicles, taxis and signage that has been posted on the exterior of brick-and-mortar locations. These ads are usually placed in high traffic locations.
Guerrilla Advertising
Guerrilla advertising is a form of advertisement that plays on the element of surprise. The campaign is usually very unconventional and is created with the purpose of catching people’s attention unexpectedly in the middle of their daily routines. In fact, outdoor advertising is often used as a vehicle for guerrilla advertising.
Cable TV Advertising
Cable TV advertising reaches millions of viewers sitting in the comfort of their living rooms. This form of advertising typically involves the use of television and a setup box/decoder device. And until recently before the advent of Internet streaming, this has been seen as the most dominant and effective way to reach potential customers. This form of advertising can reach millions of people at once.
Mobile Advertising
This is another way to obtain the attention of a captive audience especially if you can find a list owner with well profiled subscribers. If is possible to message millions of subscribers within hours or days with your promotional message on their mobile devices in Singapore. An example of this is SingTel Media which has (at last count in 2019) 4,100,000 subscribers for its mobile advertising service.
Advertising standards, rules, regulations, laws
Though Singapore business owners and marketers have their choice of which forms of advertising they will use to promote their business, this does not mean that they have free reign on how they can use them. In fact, there are certain guidelines set in place when it comes to advertising. And these rules and regulations are considered to be best practices.
For instance, companies must make sponsored messages distinguishable from editorial content and personal opinions. And this requires their disclosing all of their commercial relationships. This is especially the case if they are endorsing certain sponsors, products, services or product names. All disclosures must be placed in prominent places so that consumers can clearly see them. Advertisers must also be transparent about the fees that they charge as well as the purchasing process.
When advertising on social media platforms, advertisers are to avoid falsely inflating their popularity. This includes purchasing tools and services that would increase their likes and comments. It’s also advised that businesses refrain from encouraging people to like, share, or use their social plugins in order to make their posts seem more popular.
Advertisers are expected to avoid promoting ads which contain pornographic, racist, sexist and violent comments. This is especially the case when it comes to advertising to children. Not only that, but marketers are forbidden to distribute the personal information of children without consent from their guardians.
Professional Governing Body
While these rules and regulations may not be seen as official laws, they are considered to be widely known best practices. In fact, there is an organisation that is responsible for ensuring that these guidelines are followed. It’s known as the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore, or ASAS.
The ASAS was established in 1973. They are responsible for promoting ethical advertising in Singapore. When advertisers have concerns or are in doubt about the acceptability of their advertisements, this organisation offers advice and guidance for advertisers prior to publication. They can help to ensure that advertisements are in full compliance with all regulations.
The ASAS also handles complaints. Their most common complaint is in regards to information that is misleading and depicts a different or even false message about the product or service. If an advertisement is deemed to have broken the rules or gone against the guidelines, ASAS may withhold advertising time or space from the business. They may withdraw their trading privileges. In some cases, ASAS may even publish the details of this investigation and name the offending company.
Most Prominent Advertising Agencies in Singapore
The amount of growth that has taken place in Singapore over the last decade has lead many companies to focus more of their attention developing their digital marketing strategies. While you could hire an in-house team to take over this project, you could also work with a team that is already up and running. For example, digital marketing agencies can ensure that your campaigns run as smoothly as possible. Below are a few of the most prominent.
Advertising Agency | MediaOne |
| About | MediaOne is an award-winning Digital Marketing and advertising company in Singapore. The company blends the power of ideas and modern advertising technology to craft compelling ad campaigns for its clients. MediaOne creates, designs, and manages optimised campaigns to transform businesses. |
| Services | · Social Media Marketing · Programmatic Advertising · Digital Marketing · Website Design · SEM |
| Address | 64B Boat Quay Singapore 049852 |
| Telephones | (65) 6789 9852 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://mediaonemarketing.com.sg/ |
| Clients | · ShengSiong · Canon · Enterprise Singapore · Changi Airport · SingHealth |
Ads Agency | BBDO |
| About | BBDO highly recognised creative advertising agency in Singapore and the APAC region. The firm provides compelling ad content for its clients spread in over 12 countries. BBDO has been awarded numerous accolades and awards for its creativity and advertising industry prowess. |
| Services | · Advertising · Graphic and Web Design Production · Marketing Research and Services · Brand Strategy and Monitoring · Digital Marketing |
| Address | 3 Anson Road, #31-02/03, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909 |
| Telephones | (65) 6533 2200 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | http://www.bbdoasia.com/ |
| Clients | · Hewlett-Packard · Visa · ExxonMobil · Johnson & Johnson · AIA |
Ads Agency | Brew Interactive |
| About | Since 2009, Brew Interactive has been helping business to manage their digital advertising campaigns in Singapore. The firm has evolved to incorporate the strengths of a big box outfit and the flexibility of a small ad agency. brew Interactive works with custom advertising plans and not one size fit all solutions |
| Services | · Social Media Marketing · Search Marketing · Digital Ads · Facebook Advertising · Digital Advertising |
| Address | 111 North Bridge Road, #08-19, Singapore 179098 |
| Telephones | (65) 6814 2952 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://brewinteractive.com/ |
Ads Agency | Ogilvy Singapore |
| About | Ogilvy Singapore provides a range of advertising options for local and international businesses in Singapore. The firm is renowned for its competitive advertising packages that help businesses get noticed locally and globally. Ogilvy is a full-service advertising agency with a global appeal. |
| Services | · PR Marketing Services · Global Advertising Campaigns · Digital Ads · Physical Advertisements |
| Address | 35 Robinson Road #03-01 The Ogilvy Centre Singapore, 68876 Singapore |
| Telephones | (65) 6213 7899 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://ogilvy.sg/ |
| Clients | · Philips · Changi · Unilever · SingTel · Coca-Cola |
Ads Agency | DISENO |
| About | Diseno Advertising is a Singapore Based Advertising and Design outfit. It helps companies to create and run impacting design and advertising campaigns. Diseno draws its capacity from many years of advertising prowess. The firm strives to help businesses maximise on their ad |
| Services | · Brochure Design · Outdoor Advertising · Graphic Design · Print Ad Design · Online Advertising |
| Address | 19 Tanglin Road, #06-53 Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore 247909 |
| Telephones | (65) 6836 5168 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.diseno.com.sg/ |
| · National Environment Agency · Asia Europe · KAO · NUS · April |
Ads Agency | Dreambox |
| About | Dreambox is a revolutionary advertising agency that helps businesses to exploit digital advertising. Dreambox blends its capacity in media production and digital marketing to provide impacting ad solutions. |
| Services | · Digital Marketing · Media Production · Online Advertising · Brand Marketing |
| Address | 3 Upper Bukit Timah View, Singapore 588133 |
| Telephones | (65) 9862 7987 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.dreamboxstudio.com.sg/ |
Ads Agency | Billboarders |
| About | Billboarders is a unique advertising agency that pioneers the concept of Human Billboards in Singapore. The company is a professional agency that rolls out thought-provoking ads that resonate with its clients target audience. Billboarders presents innovative media solutions that guarantee immediate audience reaction and attention. |
| Services | · Advertising services · Promotion · Event campaigns · Marketing · Design printing |
| Address | 1002 Toa Payoh Industrial Park,(Industrial Estate), #05-1445 S(319074) |
| Telephones | (65) 9778 7774 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | www.billboarders.co |
Ads Agency | Edelman |
| About | Edelman is a globally established communications and advertising firm with offices in Singapore. The firm helps companies to transform and promote their brands through strategic communication and advertising. Edelman leverages compelling stories to help clients achieve their marketing goals. |
| Services | · Digital Communications, · Social Media Marketing, · Strategic Communications, · Marketing, · Corporate Relations |
| Address | 15 Beach Road Beach Centre, #04-01 SINGAPORE 189677 |
| Telephones | (65) 6733 1110 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.edelman.com |
Ads Agency | Simple Creative |
| About | Simple creative is a top creative advertising agency in Singapore. The company takes a global approach when offering integrated options in the branding, digital, and graphic design fields. The firm employs storytelling tactics to make adverts appealing and audience-centric. |
| Services | · Integrated Marketing & Communication Solutions · Branding & Corporate Identity Consultations · Graphic Design · Outdoor Advertising · Advertising & Promotional Designs |
| Address | 38 Ang Mo Kio, Industrial Park 2 #02-272, Singapore 569511 |
| Telephones | (65) 6909 1442 |
| https://simplecreative.com.sg/ | |
| Website | https://simplecreative.com.sg/ |
| · AVD · KINDERMUSIK · SHT · ANTHOLOGY · SEA HOVER TECH |
Ads Agency | Saatchi & Saatchi |
| About | Though active in Singapore, Saatchi and Saatchi has its origins overseas. It’s affiliated to the 3rd rated communication giant in the world. Saatchi offers fully integrated communications and advertising solutions that gets prospects falling in love with a client’s products |
| Services | · Digital Marketing · Social Marketing · Media Production · Integrated Project Management · Analytics |
| Address | 16 Collyer Quay Income at the Raffles, #03-00 Singapore 049318 Singapore |
| Telephones | (65) 6206 6260 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | http://saatchi.com/en-sg |
| · Ariel · Safeguard · Olay · Eukanuba · Pampers |
Ads Agency | Splash Productions |
| About | Splash strives to deliver effective advertising and brand communication solutions to transform Singaporean businesses. Since 12005, Splash has been helping local companies to leverage new technology and social media to amplify the brand. Splash has successfully managed integrated advertising campaigns for hundreds of brands and organisations. |
| Services | · Digital Marketing · Integrated Campaigns · Film & Animation · Brand Development · Public Relations |
| Address | 211 Henderson Road, #12-04 Singapore 159552 |
| Telephones9 | (65) 6396 8438 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.splash.sg/ |
| · Changi · MOF · DBS Bank · Lipton · OSRAM |
Ads Agency | ENCE |
| About | ENCE employs a range of marketing and advertising tactics to help businesses achieve their ROI goals. As a performance-based outfit, ENCE employs its proprietary Measurable Marketing Matrices and the Marketing for Return blueprints to help businesses capitalise on their advertising budgets. |
| Services | · Social Media Campaigns · Influencer Marketing · Advertising, · Public Relations, · Event Management |
| Address | 20 Cecil Street #26-02 PLUS Building Singapore 049705 |
| Telephones | (65) 3163 4653 |
| acquaintanceencemarketing.com | |
| Website | https://[email protected]/ |
| · CROCS · ESPRIRE · ORIS · ROCA · DEKTON |
Ads Agency | Enthof |
| About | Enthof helps Singaporean businesses to consolidate their brand appeal through compelling ads. The firm takes a custom approach to enhance your advertising expectation. Enthof is conversant with online and offline advertising. |
| Services | · Print Design · Website Design · Social Media · Pharma Advertising · Audio-Visual advertising |
| Address | 101 Cecil Street, #14-06 Tong Eng Building, Singapore 069533 |
| Telephones | (65) 3159 3919 |
| [email protected] |
Ad Agency | McCann |
| About | McCann is a globally acclaimed advertising giant with offices in Singapore. The firm is known for its prowess in creating iconic ad campaigns for its global clients. McCann leverages its integrated capacities to empower its clients in over 100 countries. |
| Services | · Advertising · Brand Consulting · Direct Marketing · Media Planning/Buying · Event Marketing |
| Address | 40A Orchard Road, 09-01, The MacDonald House. Singapore 238838 |
| Telephones | (65) 6737 9911 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | http://www.mccannworldgroup.com |
| Clients | · Amazon · Coca-Cola · eBay · GlaxoSmithKline · Netflix |
Google Ads Agencies | PurpleClick |
| About | PurpleClick is one of the highly feted digital marketing and advertising agencies in Singapore. With over six prestigious marketing and advertising awards, PurpleClick has been helping businesses and government agencies to capitalise on advertising for excellent results. The firm is conversant with Out-of-Home Marketing, advertising, SEM AND programmatic marketing. |
| Services | · Pay Per Click Advertising, · Online Display Advertising, · Mobile Advertising, · Facebook Advertising, · LinkedIn Advertising, |
| Address | 51 Goldhill Plaza #14-01Singapore |
| Telephones | (65) 6533 8655 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | http://www.purpleclick.com |
Google Ads Agencies | First Page Digital |
| About | First Page Digital empowers Singaporean businesses with digital marketing and advertising solutions. The firm excels in the PPC, SEO and social media marketing fields. Since 2011, First Page Digital has helped companies to exploit various innovations in the advertising and marketing sphere. |
| Services | · Advertising · AdWords · PPC · Google Analytics · LinkedIn Advertising |
| Address | 120 Robinson Road, #05-01,Singapore 068913 |
| Telephones | (65) 6270 2193 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.firstpagedigital.sg/ |
Google Ads Agencies | Impossible Marketing |
| About | Impossible Marketing is an advertising and digital marketing agency in Singapore. As a Google certified partner, the firm helps local businesses to leverage ads to generate the right leads. IM creates ad strategies to help clients maximise from their targeted traffic. |
| Services | · Advertising Services · SEM (PPC) · Social Media Marketing · Social Media Management · Video Marketing · Influencer Marketing |
| Address | 14A Yan Kit Road (Level 2 & 3), Singapore 088266 |
| Telephones | (65) 9374 0111 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | https://www.impossible.sg/ |
| · Vivo · Changi · SingTel · Suntec · Super Dry |
Other Top Advertising Agencies in Singapore
Choosing the right advertising agency to work with is overwhelming. You have to vet dozens of agencies and choose only one.
Luckily for you, we did all the groundwork and compiled a top 20 listicle of the best advertising agencies in Singapore.
Here goes the list.
Actmedia
Actmedia’s first foray into advertising was in 1996. At the time, their main clientele were retail businesses looking for advertisement services. It’s one of the few advertising agencies in Singapore whose proficiency straddles both online and offline marketing strategies.
Six More Days
Six more days offers branding, marketing, and lead conversion services. However, its core strength lies with design. The company has had the opportunity of working with some of the most prestigious companies in Singapore and other parts of the world, including Shiseido Professional B2B, Takashimaya, and Kose’ Unmask.
2Stallions
2Stallion is known for building professional websites that generate results. In their portfolio are more than 150 websites that they built for a range of clients, including CNN, NTUC, and UBS. In 2012, they managed to win the SMEs Asia Award as the best Digital marketing agency in Singapore.
Amber Creative
Amber creative offers practical online marketing services, such as Google Marketing, Website Development, Facebook Marketing, and so forth. It’s among the few online marketing agencies that have partnered with Google to offer marketing services to more businesses in Singapore.
Notion Age
Notion Age is a marketing powerhouse, with a speciality in SEO, Web Design, Email Marketing, and Online Marketing. The agency has had the opportunity of managing the advertisement needs of some well-known companies in the country, including Kiss92, Resort World Sentosa, and One Fighting Championship, among others.
Visibiliti
Visibiliti lives by their name. It’s an agency dedicated to helping brands gain more online visibility for both their brand and products. In their roster of clients are big names such as Hitachi and Kumon.
ATE Ideas
ATE was established in 2006 and has grown to be a leading consulting and advertising firm in Singapore. The company offers a mixed bag of digital marketing and advertisement solutions to a global clientele. It goes without mentioning that they have facilitated the marketing needs of so many global brands, including Louis Vuitton and American Express.
The VML Qais
The VML Qais is one of the fastest-growing digital marketing agency in Singapore. The agency was started in 2003 and has grown to be one of the most recognised online advertising firms in the country. The company offers a wide range of digital marketing services and has bagged some of the most prestigious awards in the country, including Effie Singapore and Digital Media Awards.
VMSD
VMSD was started 20 years ago, and is widely acclaimed for being prolific in delivering marketing campaigns that hit the mark. Their expertise is in providing noticeable retail experience improvements, sales territory design, and humorous advertising campaigns.
Possible Advertising Agency (PAA)
PAA is an internationally known, high-profile digital marketing agency that has had the opportunity of working with some of the world’s giant brands, including Coca-Cola and Microsoft. The company’s main focus is to create multidimensional advertising strategies that generate more clients and create buzz around your brand.
The Crescent Technologies
Many of the digital marketing agencies on the list have their priorities set on advertising strategies that deliver noticeable results. However, The Crescent Technologies Agencies takes an entirely different approach by largely focusing on research and surveying. It’s through research data and marketing information that they’re able to conceive effective marketing strategies that inch you closer to your marketing goals with little or no strain on their part.
AdWeb 360
AdWeb is a customer-oriented advertising agency that strives to work closely with your target customers in creating a genuine marketing campaign that sets your business on the right path to success. The company doesn’t just employ people. It takes them through thorough training that ensures they’re able to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.
Aiden Creative Agency
Aiden Creative is a well-established online marketing agency that also tries to integrate outdated advertising techniques such as SMM and email marketing into their marketing campaigns.
And it works.
The company has also had the privilege of working with different globally-recognised brands, including Toshiba, Triumph, and EBC.
The Current State of Advertising in Singapore
The media industry is growing at 3.5%, at least, annually — and if the trend continues, then the annual turnover is expected to rise to about $7 billion by 2022.
The online advertising market, on the other hand, is growing even faster, at 8.4% annually. That means the market turnover would have hit $450 million come 2022. 48% of this market share is controlled by the online marketing agencies capitalising on mobile advertising.
Digital Advertising
Marketers’ interest in online advertising has been growing at a nippy speed for the past few years. In 2017, companies spent more than $300 million on online advertising, growing by about 14% the following year – and exponentially so in 2019.
The number of active internet users has also been growing at an alarming rate – and now, more than 780 people out of 1000 use the internet regularly.
Newspaper and Magazines
Online advertising might be growing fast, but newspapers and magazines are still as fashionable as they’ve ever been. They’re still exhibiting growth, but at a slower rate compared to online advertising.
Still, magazines stand as a reliable source of information or content delivery in the country. You, therefore, can’t afford to ignore it.
Radio and TV Ads
Traditional advertising isn’t dying, as many people love to assume. Of course, they’re deteriorating, but don’t expect them to fade out of existence.
At the time of writing this, the cost of placing a 30-seconds advert on radio averages $330.
Their market share is almost growing, albeit slowly. For instance, the growth rate of TV ads was estimated to be 0.5% in 2019.
Digital Streaming
The highest growth rate was experienced in digital streaming, with its turnover growing by a staggering 85% between 2013 and 2017.
In 2017, the digital streaming market share was estimated to rest at $20 million.
The same case with VOD platforms, also growing at turbo-charged speed.
Video streaming is becoming a popular trend, particularly among e-sports lovers and online gamers.
Online Advertising
Online marketing is growing at hypersonic speed in Singapore. Stats are very telling. Besides painting the current state of online marketing, they’re also showing the direction of trends.
And from the recent turn of events and the impressive rate at which online marketing is growing, it’s safe to say online marketing is rife with advertising opportunities.
Online Advertising
In a recent study conducted by PWC, online advertising accounts for 14% of all advertising money in Singapore.
The Share of Online Advertising
Well, that’s nothing compared to Japan and China (25.9% and 53.6%, respectively). It’s to be, however, noted that this number was significantly lower in the two countries a few years back.
And if this trend is anything to go by, then we expect online advertising to account for an even bigger share of advertising money soon.
Social Post
Only 22% of social media users in Singapore admit to ignoring social posts from brands. While that’s not the lowest number in the world, it’s a clear indication that advertisers should be more cautious while crafting their social media posts.
They should learn to create engaging designs and adopt storytelling in the posts they make. The point is to create posts that establish an emotional connection with their target audience.
Advertisers that are big on using a mix of online advertising strategies in Singapore were found to be generally better and more competitive.
Online Usage Stats
Digital Influence Lab found that more than 42% of Singaporeans use the internet to find out more about a product, while 26% actually do their shopping online.
Sadly, the number of people who use the internet for research or do their shopping online is on a sharp decline.
That means advertisers should focus more on connecting with their target audience. They should start running more engaging campaigns, whether it’s SMM, SEO, or PPC if they’re looking to attract more customers in 2020.
How to Create Effective Video Advertising Campaigns
You’ve been using print, TV, and radio advertising to appeal to your prospects. But have you stopped to think whether other forms of advertising are better for your business?
If you haven’t heard about video advertising, you need to check what it’s all about and what it can do for your venture.
Let’s agree that putting together a video ad campaign today is a breeze. Here are tips to help you craft a killer video ad campaign.
Don’t be salesy-instead of hovering around the money aspect, make a video that tells people a moving story that relates to your products or service.
Go Easy
If you sound too formal in your product videos, prospects tend to ignore you. Fast forward, inject some humour, and see how easy you can engage customers and keep them hooked.
Use Music
Plain video ads never moved anybody. An epic soundtrack increases consumer curiosity and gives the ad some personality.
10 Seconds or Less
On average, a consumer has a super short attention span. So, to achieve your ad objective, offer the juice you want them to see within the first 5-10 seconds. Additionally, include your creative sense to keep them hooked.
Benefits of Advertising on Social Media Channels
Those videos you see on YouTube and other video advertising platforms can be summed up as social media advertising. But, how do you gain if you join the social media advertising bandwagon?
A Range Of Platforms and Advertising Formats
Social media advertising is ideal for everyone, including you. You are spoilt for choice. You can advertise on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook using creative ad formats.
Address Precise Target Audiences
Social media platforms empower advertisers with features that enable them to narrow down to specific customer clusters. With such a highly targeted approach, it’s easy to achieve the goals of the ad campaign.
Insights into Your Customers
Social media advertising lets you in on customer behaviour and how they relate to your ads. You don’t have to pay extra for surveys since analytics tools on these platforms provide useful data stacks.
Low Cost of Customer Acquisition
Social advertising is the best for start-ups that don’t have the budget for customer acquisition. The free advertising on social media means a small business can find the customers without spending a dime.
Offline Advertising Vs. Online Advertising
How do you justify the allocation of funds to marketing? What criteria should you use?
And just because big companies are investing millions of dollars in advertising, that’s not to say you should blindly take a cue from them.
There are so many low-cost (or better, free) advertisement opportunities that you can take advantage of today and gain a competitive edge.
Which Are the More Effective Advertising Media: Newspaper? Magazines? Mailers? eDMs? TV? Radio? Outdoor? Digital?
According to a study published by Econsultancy, businesses are failing to match their ad spend to where consumers are actually spending their time. They are instead basing their budgets on the historical performance of each form of advertising. In fact, when researchers examined the total ad spend across digital and traditional channels, it shows that TV ads continue to dominate most companies’ budget allocations–with 50-60% of executives stating that they plan to keep their TV advertising commitments the same for the upcoming year. However, many traditional media channels are experiencing a decline in investment.
So if the most effective form of advertising is one on which consumers spend most of their time, then which one is the most effective? It’s digital. Studies show that over 3.2 million Singaporeans use their mobile devices in order to access social media platforms. And almost 96% of Singapore’s internet users have at least one social media account on which they spend an average of 2.5 hours every day. Also, APAC Consumer Barometer has found that over half of the country’s internet users watch videos online every day. 42% of Singaporeans depend on the Internet when researching products and comparing different options before making a purchase decision.
It’s clear that Singapore is a digital society which is why both small and large companies are starting to shift their focus towards digital marketing. The effects of digital advertising are even further displayed in companies’ business practices. Singapore Business Review found that businesses in Singapore are starting to aggressively employ digital marketing strategies such as SEO, Facebook ads, and paid search, in order to reach a wider audience.
This is not to say that traditional advertising is completely ineffective. Trust in the more traditional advertising is still considered to be very strong. According to a Neilsen report, television, newspaper, and magazine advertisements are still among the most trusted forms of advertising for consumers who reside in Southeast Asia. 65% of Singaporeans said they were trustful of television ads which is well above the global average of around 62%. And despite there being a decline in trust in newspaper and magazine advertising, 62% of Singaporeans said they trusted magazine advertising and 66% said they trusted newspaper advertising.
So which should you opt for? The answer depends on the goals of the business and its target audience. For instance, if the business is interested in an advertising format that is cost-effective and appeals to millennials, then it should invest a sizeable portion of its budget into digital marketing. This is especially the case if it’s a small business. However, if the company’s prime objective is to drive instant brand awareness and it has an unlimited budget, then it may consider investing more of its budget into traditional marketing. Though its obvious that all can work together and that a digital marketing presence is crucial to today’s brands.
Longform Ads Rather than Short
The digital realm has seen great waves of outstanding imaginative work, and it seems that internet marketing is quickly becoming the mainstay medium for marketing as other mediums are fast growing out of fashion. Digital marketing also brings the added appeal of global outreach. One of the more popular medium of choice is the long-form video that gains viewership on the most used search engine in the world: Youtube. This form of marketing can be powerful in reach as it is firstly location-based and employs trackers to ensure the right ads are going to the right people. With it’s length, it also achieves greater engagement. The Youtube Ads leaderboard released by Google for the first half of 2016 moreover showed a startling significance of locally relevant content rife with Singaporean values.
Perhaps the most poignant campaign as yet that vividly strikes a chord nationwide is DBS’s Sparks miniseries campaign. I’m sure if you are Singaporean or have been in Singapore in the past two years, you would have remembered this one as it was made to be remembered. This marks a first for a major Singapore institution to dabble in a high-production-value marketing venture, much resembling our beloved local Youtube content. Karen Ngui, head of marketing at DBS states that ever since embracing innovation and digital banking in 2014, the firm has thought about becoming “more disruptive” about their social positioning, hence their brave choice of short films.
Already attaining Asian juggernaut status, they decided it was time to reinvigorate banking. Still remaining true to their tagline, “Living, Breathing Asia”, the miniseries focuses on Asian values of piety and community. It is an apt moment that as they shift to a digital banking model, they equally welcome change in their marketing. The storytelling in the ad foregrounds the effortlessness and ease of egalitarian banking. Its people should receive luxurious banking over arduous queues and rigorous paperwork. Live More, Bank Less. Breezy banking facilitated by digital advancements, all anchored in the Asian belief of making lives better seems to be the core message.
The Benefits of Longform Ads
This campaign has further cemented DBS as the trusted banker to bank with, for Singaporeans and foreigners alike. Mr Luke Lim, chief executive officer of AS Louken, remarks that the campaign is on-trend with socially-aware consumers of today. Adopting authenticity and boldness, the bank has garnered a six-million social following, with Sparks being watched approximately 750,000 times and counting.
Original and storytelling ads are just as effective if not more so, much unlike the regular short spurt heartbeat of the digital space. However, this is a marketing move more suited to a behemoth already in possession of a strong customer base.
Cost-Effective Online Advertising Strategies
Create a Website
Having a website in the modern world of business is a necessity. In other words, you’re creating an online extension of your business, as well as a 24/7 store.
And since the internet is everywhere, that means your customers are free to check you out from anywhere – using their laptops, tablets, and cell phones.
Also, just having a website makes your business look more legitimate and professional.
Create a Free Facebook Page
Facebook doesn’t charge you to create a page. So, do the necessary by creating one. The next thing you want to do is learn to post and interact with viewers. Post questions and upload images on what you’re offering. Remember to also comment on other people’s posts, while replying to the comments made on your posts.
Lastly, you want to give your business a personality and develop a unique brand identity.
Run Targeted PPC Ads
Targeted use of PPC ads can take your business to the next level. Alternative models include Cost Per Action and Cost Per Impression. If you’re more interested in raising awareness around your brand, then CPM is the way to go.
Paid advertising doesn’t have to be expensive. Just try it out with a small budget, and you’d be surprised by how far that gets your business.
Post Your Business on Free Directories
Free business directories are a good way to get your business noticed locally on major search engines. It can be a good source of traffic and real business if done correctly.
You can start with the local community, trade affiliations, and membership sites. List your website with any open directory site you stumble across.
Remember also to open a “Google My Business page” and verify your business. Be consistent with how you post your contact details on these websites and get to improve your local ranking score.
Set up an Email Marketing Campaign
Email marketing allows you to stay in constant touch with your prospects and existing customers. Send regular newsletters to your readers with helpful information that create close ties with them.
Cost-Effective Offline Advertising Strategies
Create Business Cards and hand them Out to the People you Interact with
Start with the simple stuff.
Start with a business card. A business card isn’t limited to giving contact details. It can reveal more information about you or your business.
You can even fold the card and make it carry information about your products or services.
They’re an inexpensive, almost free way of advertising your business to the people you meet while conducting your business operations.
List Your Business on Yellow Pages
Yellow pages may not be a thing now, but a decent number of potential customers still use it. You no longer have to worry about the size of your yellow page ad. All you have to do is make sure you’re listed with them, and that’s pretty much it.
Vehicle Advertising
Vehicle advertising is like a moving billboard.
Have someone design professional vinyl decals and magnetic signs. Come up with a catchy tagline and make sure the entire vehicle is wrapped in the design.
More importantly, make sure your vehicle is in good shape and rust-free. Your brand image depends on it.
Invest in Promotional Printed Products
When customers visit your store to buy something, they should leave with a reminder.
Invest in printed giveaway items such as pens, keyholders, shirts, cups, and so on.
Giving your customers a free token gift is a good way to express gratitude to your visitors and customers, and thank them for their loyalty.
Create Press Releases
Press releases are like free publicity.
Your customers should read about your business, whether directly or indirectly.
Attend conferences and make a press release about it. Or be sure to win an award and have someone write something about it and mention your business.
People should know about your accomplishments and place in the industry, and press releases are a good way to go about it.
Look for Radio Spots
You can pay for a radio spot with trade if you have something that the radio could benefit from.
A good approach would be to give them a gift hamper that they can gift their listeners and in exchange, mention your business name.
Running radio ads isn’t expensive either. Some radio stations take as little as $100 to run a 30-second radio ad.
Make good Use of Advertising Agencies
Advertising agencies aren’t that costly. Some even offer advertisement coupons that you can take advantage of and enjoy quality advertisement at a low cost.
Do some little bit of research to find these agencies. Find out about their mailing list, the quantity they send out, and their quality of printed ads.
Some of these agencies will even get you a radio mention.
