Confronted with a maze of advertising options? Here’s a quick, savvy, Bahrain-specific guide to sorting out the choices. What’s your strategy?
The Challenge
You run a business and believe you’ve got what it takes to grow and outgrow your competitors. The problem? Customers don’t really know you exist. The obvious solution is to advertise. Let people know you have what they’re looking for: they can finally switch to a better seller/service provider. That plan would be perfect if advertisements were free.
Despite all the ads bombarding the streets, newspapers, and magazines, they’re surprisingly expensive. To launch a single proper ad campaign, you’ll easily end up spending BD 10,000. Even if you benefit from the Tamkeen marketing scheme—and assuming you will—you’ll still need to be very cautious about how you spend your marketing budget.
The Options
There are unlimited ways to advertise. Whenever a new technology surfaces, expect new advertising channels. Even without technology, though, you could go crazy finding ways to reach customers with your message. I’ll list here the most popular channels used in Bahrain, and give my opinion on their value and how to utilize them.
Newspapers
It’s clear that print readership has dropped significantly, but we still can’t neglect newspapers. People still read them, and they guarantee reach if you’re not targeting a specific town in Bahrain or a younger demographic. The problem with newspaper ads is that they are very expensive (about BD 800 per print for 1/8 page, the minimum size I’d recommend). They’ll be there for one day only, and you’ll need to place ads in at least three issues within five days to get people’s attention. If you want to budget, try ear panels (the ads in the top corners of the first and last pages); I believe, however, that most of them are all currently reserved under long-term contracts.
If you have the budget for newspapers ads, make sure you pick the right ad, on the right days, and in the right pages. Weekdays are better than weekends, and odd-numbered pages are better than even-numbered pages. Every newspaper will tell you their circulation is the largest, so I advise you to target independently, based upon popularity in your chosen areas.
“Even if you benefit from the Tamkeen marketing scheme—and assuming you will—you’ll still need to be very cautious about how you spend your marketing budget.”
Magazines
A magazine lasts for over a month, and some can last for over a year in cafés and waiting rooms. Without naming specific titles, there are numerous lifestyle and industry-focused magazines out there.
If you decided to go with magazines, choose the right one for you, and try to get the best price. Some full-page ads start at BD 500, and can reach well over BD 1,000. Remember, you can always negotiate prices, and get free issues or op-eds.
Billboards
Billboards are visible, impactful, and great for long-term use. Like most advertising channels, they are expensive. Based on prices I’ve come across during the past year, they can run as high as BD 20,000 per year. You might find a billboard for BD 10,000 per year. If you decide to use one, make sure it is actually visible, that your targeted demographic travels the area, and that it delivers a statement people will want to know about.
Lampposts
Lampposts are most popular for start-ups in Bahrain because they are flexible and available. Unfortunately, businesses usually misuse them. For a lamppost to be effective, it has to have a word count appropriate to the prevailing road speed where it is located. A highway can take no more than three words per lamppost, while areas around traffic lights can take up to seven words. For your audience to notice a lamppost, you have to use five lampposts per run.
A single lamppost costs around BD 140/month outside Manama and around BD 250 inside the city, so a run of five lampposts will cost you around BD 700/month. A person has to see a run of lampposts 3-4 times for it to register. This could happen using just five lampposts, but it is unlikely.
TV Commercials
To be honest, don’t go there! To make a proper TV commercial, you have to spend a good BD 10,000, or at least half that amount for something low-budget, and that’s excluding the cost of the TV spot itself. The low viewership of our local TV channels is not worth the investment. Not that our TV channels are terrible—but if your market is only Bahrain, then the number of Bahrainis watching Bahraini channels does not amount to enough to pay off. The only prime time on BTV is around Magrib, during the month of Ramadan, and these spots are sold a year in advance, only to air terribly-made commercials.
Radio Commercials
I believe radio in Bahrain does a lot better than TV, because we have popular programs on our local radio channels in both Arabic and English. I haven’t investigated the prices thoroughly, but a hundred-spot probably goes for around BD 3,000, with production. A hundred-spot is enough to run a proper radio campaign for a month; just make sure they place your ad with the right program, and that production is done well.
Social Media
Social media is very accessible, and there are always platforms (Twitter, Instagram) that seem to have everyone in. If you’re a business-to-consumer organization, those will surely work for you.
If you’re trying to do it yourself, by all means go ahead. This will cut costs, but it is time-consuming. Don’t assume it’s easy to manage; a simple mistake can backfire and permanently damage your brand. Make sure you set the right brand voice and specify the type of content to share. Don’t just talk about your products and services; bring in other topics that will interest your audience and still relate to your brand rather than your business.
One small warning here: it is very hard to find trustworthy hired specialists to run your social media accounts. Do it yourself, or hire a reputable company.
Online Ads
There exist a number of ways to advertise online. The best, in my opinion, are Google search ads and social media ads on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (yet to be launched in our region). These ads are somewhat expensive, but they’re the best when it comes to micro-targeting, monitoring results, and setting ad limits based on your budget. Define your target audience and desired ‘call of action’.
SMS Promotions
SMS is a very private communication channel. Most of the time, people hate receiving SMS promotions, and will probably end up hating the company, too. You may gain short-term sales, but it will cost you in long-term brand damage. On the other hand, SMS is great for customer service follow-up.
Unconventional Advertising
Easier said than done! Every traditional channel was once an unconventional guerrilla marketing tool. Even TV commercials during soap operas were unconventional when soap operas first came out. Use your imagination!
The Decision
If you’re a small business, pick a maximum of two or three channels that fit your budget. Your two most important questions should be:
How well will this channel reach my targeted audience?
How well does this channel fit my business/brand?
