The 20 Most Common and Effective Advertising Techniques and Why They Work

Advertising isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when posting ads meant running a piece in the local newspaper or going door to door to get people excited about your product. Today, advertising has moved significantly into the online space. It’s not enough to just tell local folks about your products. If you want to beat out the competition, you have to start reaching out to people around the country or even around the globe with information about what you do better than anyone else. 

If you’re new to advertising or are simply looking for ways to mix things up, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll show you some of the most common advertising techniques to get your products in front of your target audience. When implemented properly, you’ll see an increase in sales and a boost to your bottom line.

The 20 Most Effective Advertising Techniques for Your Business

Once you craft the right formula, digital advertising can make a world of difference for your business. Since businesses are inherently different, some of these advertising ideas will be better suited for some industries than others. Pick and choose a few and use analytics to track their success. Once you find what works, you can pour more effort into those channels. Try some of these effective, high-quality advertising techniques to boost your business and increase sales.

1. Focus on feel-good moments.

There’s a reason that people remember that 2014 Budweiser Super Bowl commercial. What’s not to love about a puppy befriending an enormous Clydesdale pony? It’s heartwarming and makes viewers feel good. Creating an advertising campaign—whether local digital ads, print, or a video you can post on social media—is a great way to tug at the heartstrings of your customers. It also helps your brand build a story and share values in a fun and endearing way.

2. Consider color psychology.

Did you know that color psychology plays a significant role in marketing? Colors can evoke specific emotions, influence perceptions, and impact consumer behavior in an unprecedented way. The right colors can help you communicate your message, increase the impact of your brand, and help you connect with your target audience. Don’t sleep on the color palette or color schemes to make your ad pop.  

3. Work with famous people and influencers.

One of the best ways to launch your sales into the stratosphere is to get a celebrity or industry social media influencer to endorse it. That’s why uber-successful companies like Under Armor and Uniqlo partner with athletes from Roger Federer to Steph Curry to promote their products. Barilla—the pasta company—even works with ski superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, getting their name on the podium and in front of their customers. 

You may not have a direct line with the world’s superstars, but that doesn’t mean you can’t implement this type of advertising effectively with endorsements. Compile a list of influential social media stars or entrepreneurs in your industry. Look for people who have a following of 10,000 or more to start with. 

4. Join the party with bandwagon advertising.

Bandwagon advertising perpetuates the idea that everyone is using this product or service, so you should too. Sometimes these ads frame the situation as “you’ll be missing out if you don’t join.” These ads typically include glittering generalities—virtue signals that are meant to elicit feelings, not share information. Coca-Cola’s “It’s the Real Thing,” Nike’s “Just Do It,” and American Express’s “Don’t Leave Home Without It” are all examples of bandwagon advertising and glittering generalities.

Bandwagon advertising is a great tool to deploy when something is trending in your industry. For example, if you sell nutritional products or meal plans, using bandwagon advertising when new diet trends take off—like last year’s keto craze—can help you gain new customers. Bandwagon advertising is also ideal for target markets that tend to display difficulty making decisions. These groups may need more information to make a decision or they may be more likely to make a decision if everyone else is doing it. 

5. Run TV commercials

While print ads and local magazine ads are useful for targeting local customers, TV commercials reach a wider audience, helping to boost sales. TV commercials can be run on regional programming in your area or during national programming to target the entire country. 

To make a successful TV commercial, be real. Create a script that focuses on offering solutions and new products for a real person. These ad campaigns are typically only 30 seconds in length, so stick to the main points and highlight why someone may need your product or service.

6. Advertise using pop-ups.

It’s hard to visit a website now without having a little pop-up appear on the screen asking you to subscribe, buy a product, or learn more. That’s because these pop-ups are extremely effective at catching a user’s attention and focusing their searches. 

When adding a pop-up to your site, decide what your main call to action is. Do you want people to buy a specific product? Do you want them to sign up for your email newsletter? Whatever your main goal is, feature that in your pop-up. Use creative advertising language to get people engaged. An emotional appeal can drive a person to complete your call to action. Avoid weasel words like “leading” or cutting edge” that don’t really mean anything. Instead, use language to explain succinctly why a potential customer might want what you’re selling.

7. Prove your worth with case studies.

Case studies and testimonials give examples of why your business or products are so useful. They show potential customers why existing customers love your products and use them time and again. These persuasive marketing techniques can also help customers discover new ways to use your products that they may not have thought of. 

Think of this common technique as a form of street cred. It sums up why people love your products and why new customers will too. You can use feedback tools like surveys, product reviews, and email follow-ups to inform your case studies and testimonials.

8. Target luxury with snob appeal.

If you have a product that adds luxury to one’s life, using the snob appeal technique can be incredibly effective when it comes to visual advertising. The snob appeal is a technique that focuses on speaking to plain folk’s desire to live like the rich and famous. It plays on people’s desire to live better lives and their love of fancy items. To employ this technique effectively, use luxurious language that makes people feel unique and worthy. 

Dior’s J’adore perfume ad is an excellent example. It features famous actress Charlize Theron, gold silks, crystal chandeliers, and a sparkling cosmopolitan skyline. The highlight? The stunning image of a backlit, brilliantly gold perfume bottle at the end. The message? You too can indulge in luxury like a movie star with this exquisite perfume.

9. Take focal points into account.

Take the time to watch your ad or put a still in front of a focus group. Where does your eye go? What is the automatic focus? Don’t underestimate the power of a well-designed focal point to deliver the impact needed to move an observer to engage with you. 

In this ad from McDonald’s, marketers use the current temperature as a focal point, humorously forcing consumers, in a factual way, to confront high temperatures and the need they create in an unsheltered environment. 

10. Try interactive content. 

Want to increase engagement with your work? Create quizzes, polls, and interactive ads to further engage your users. Personalized, interactive ads are some of the most effective on the market. 

If you’re a business with a visual element, like an interior designer, try creating a quiz that asks a question like “What does your personal style say about you?” or “How can you lean into your zen more fully this Fall?” Aim questions to hit the perfect balance of playful and introspective so that they’re impossible to resist. 

11. Create auditory paths.

Add a jingle or auditory signal in your commercials. The more senses you target, the more likely someone is to remember your commercial. Think of the way McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it,” Huggies’ “I’m a big kid now,” or Subway’s “Five dollar footlong” sound. These sing-song tones stick with people better than plain old talking.

(With a good enough song, you might just rewire the auditory paths in someone’s brain to lead them straight to you!) 

12. Offer social proof. 

If you want to convince someone, all you have to do is show the proof–proof that your product or service is worth it. This means leveraging reviews. Along with leveraging golden testimonials and case studies (the power of “one,” like we mentioned previously), lean into the power of the many by applying the literary power of reviews in your ads to invoke your powers of persuasion. 

You can use screen shots, quotes, statistics, star ratings, and more to craft a dynamic portfolio that will give an impression of hundreds of people advocating for your product or service. This type of community leverage can go a long way. 

13. Engage with storytelling. 

Craft compelling narratives around your brand or products to emotionally connect with your audience, like this ad from Mercedes-Benz that centers around the story of Bertha Benz. This ad leans heavily into storytelling with its unique narrative arc, foreshadowing, and contextualization. 

It also leans into body language, demonstrating the impact of storytelling that unfolds through movement, scene, and context instead of open verbalization. Pro Tip: Always double-check the story your ad is telling outside of the script. 

14. Consider typographic composition.

Order matters. And when it comes to advertising, this means considering, carefully, typographic composition. Typographic composition is the arrangement and design of text within your ad space to convey your message effectively. It involves carefully selecting and arranging typefaces, fonts, font sizes, line spacing, letter spacing, and other elements to create visually appealing and readable text that strikes the right note.

Start by analyzing the visual hierarchy of your ad, attending to weight, color, and style to effectively communicate your brand and leave the correct impression with your customers. 

15. Keep the rule of thirds in mind. 

Perfect ads have perfect balance. This means keeping the rule of thirds in mind. The rule of thirds involves dividing an image into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. This division creates a grid with four intersection points where you can level powerful images and messages to increase your impact.  

16. Generate emotional and logical appeal. 

Generating emotional and logical appeal in advertising is a powerful strategy because it can create a strong connection between your audience and the product you’re promoting. Essentially, you not only capture someone’s heart–but their head as well. 

To get started, understand your target audience. How do they think? What moves them? Why might they want to engage with you? What are they looking for? Create solid customer profiles and target your marketing toward a specific demographic each time. 

17. Focus on the message. 

With each of these advertising methods, the key is focusing on the message you want to send. Try to answer the question “so what?” Why should potential customers care about what you have to say or what you’re selling? By answering that question, you can focus your advertising efforts on providing solutions that solve pain points for consumers.

Focus on refining your marketing strategy by narrowing in on your message. You can always position your business for success if you are clear, succinct, and confident in your message. 

18. Try behind-the-scenes.

Everyone wants to know the secret behind the magic, and that means taking them behind-the-scenes. Psychologically, this method helps potential customers feel closer to you, like they have the inside scoop. This behind-the-scenes ad for Apple HomePod received nearly 900,000 views and helps viewers to feel like they’re being let in on an industry secret, creating consumer intimacy and increased trust. 

An ad like “Ed’s Heinz Ad” blends storytelling and behind-the-scenes to create an ad that brings viewers into the mind of the central figure, playing between documentary and imagination for high impact. 

19. Use video ads and animation.

Did you know that after watching a video, a majority of consumers are convinced they should buy from or engage with you? Your customers want to see moving parts and be visually moved from start to finish. Movement creates flow, adding energy to your advertising and helping your customers feel swept up in the story.  

This ad from Coca-Cola uses high-quality animation and a variety of shifting visual elements to create a visually stunning, arresting masterpiece that keeps consumers’ attention from beginning to end. 

20. Utilize text. 

Did you know that SMS marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach consumers today? Up to 95% of texts are opened within three minutes. When coordinating your advertising, choose mediums most likely to reach the places and devices where your customers spend most of their time. 

Reach Your Ideal Customer with Advertising and Growth Solutions

Using these different types of advertising can help you launch your business and take it to new heights. From social media and Google to website pop-ups and TV commercials, there are so many different ways to support digital marketing efforts to boost sales. 

Not all of these techniques are a good fit for every brand. Serious brands will see little use for humorous commercials while snob appeal doesn’t work for speaking to the masses. Understand your brand’s values and who you are as a company to find the best advertising techniques and tools for your local business.

Podium is a growth solution that helps thousands of businesses drive more sales and revenue year over year with Reviews, Webchat, Text Marketing, world-class templates, and more.