Advertise your business

Advertising is a marketing activity that can help you to reach out to potential customers and encourage them to buy your products or services.

An effective advertising campaign can help you to:

• increase customer reach
• build customer awareness of your business and brand
• promote the benefits of your products or services
• communicate information about your business
• increase sales and demand
• gain an advantage over your competitors.

For your advertising to be successful you need to set yourself apart from your competitors and grab your audience's attention. Identify your target market and tailor your message to connect with those customers.

When creating your ad:

• use a powerful headline
• tailor your message to suit your target audience
• talk about the benefits of your products or services
• have a call-to-action for the audience to take
• use exciting images and testimonials if relevant
• always deliver on what you promise.

Examples of advertising media include:

• digital channels (including websites and social media)
• television
• radio
• print (for example, in specialist magazines read by your target audience)
• cinema advertising
• billboards and transit signs
• door-to-door sales.

With a range of choices, finding the best advertising mix for your business can be challenging. The advertising you choose should depend on:

• your business
• your budget
• the types of media your target audience accesses.

For example, social media may be a free or low-cost way to advertise, but is used differently across different age groups. Make sure your target audience accesses your advertising platform. You may benefit from using a mix of media.

Digital advertising

Digital advertising allows you to reach a larger target audience, all over the world, 24 hours a day. You can focus your efforts on your ideal buyer and build a community around your product or service. You can reach your customers and your customers can engage with you in a two-way format.

Some digital options include:

• social media advertising
• mobile app advertising
• email marketing
• online promotion through website banner ads, display ads, keywords and video.

With digital advertising, you can:

• track your customers
• analyse their buying behaviour
• customise your message to their preferences.

Advertisements to consumers for therapeutic goods (including medicines, medical devices, diagnostics and digital health technology) must meet the requirements of the therapeutic goods legislation, including the:

• Therapeutic Goods Act 1989
• Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (the Code)

The Code sets the requirements advertisers must meet to ensure advertising for therapeutic goods is socially responsible and does not mislead or deceive the consumer.

Advertisements also need to comply with other relevant laws, such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Before you advertise therapeutic goods, it is your responsibility to understand the legislative requirements.