Virtually everything in life ages and your advertising strategy is no exception. If you’re merely copying and recreating the exact same advertising strategy year after year for your business, it’s likely you’ve seen a steep decline in results. Even if you rework your strategy each year, it still may be outdated due to the technology and tactics you’re using.

If you really want to get the most out of your advertising dollars (and who doesn’t?) it’s important to do your research and seek professional advice on the most current advertising strategies to reach your target audience. To help get you started in the right direction, here are a few tell-tale signs that your advertising strategy may be outdated.

You’re spending the same amount of money on the same strategies

Your advertising budget and how it’s allocated should not be identical year to year. New technology and shifts in trends will require you to adjust your spending to react to these trends. For example, digital ads are predicted to overtake traditional ads by 2018. Therefore, if you want to continue to reach your customers where they are, you should allocate more money to digital. As your target audience changes the way the consume media, you must also change your advertising strategy.

You’re running the exact same ad campaign

For the same reason you should take a fresh look at your advertising budget each year, you should also take a fresh look at the campaigns you’re running. Consistency is key for brand building, but you should find new ways to convey your message so that it continues to grab people’s attention. Think about the billboards along your commute. You see them daily and after a while hardly notice them. But the day one of those billboards change their ad, it immediately captures your attention. Regularly updating the design and messaging of your ads will make them stand out.

Your customers can’t recall seeing your ads

If you’re smart, you’re regularly asking customers how they heard about your business. This is extremely valuable information! If you’re spending thousands of dollars each month on advertising, but very few customers say that’s how they heard about you, it’s likely your advertising strategy is outdated and ineffective. You’re paying to be seen, so make sure your advertisements are something worth looking at! You should frequently review and revise the placement and messaging of your ads to make sure they are still relevant to reaching and engaging your target audience.

You’re not paying any attention to digital

As mentioned above, digital will surpass traditional advertising very soon. More and more businesses are shifting their focus to online advertising to reach their customers. If you’re not paying attention to digital, rest assured your competitors are. A red flag that your advertising strategy is outdated is that it lacks a digital component. You’ll want to work with an experienced advertising agency who can develop an effective digital strategy for your business.

You have little to no presence on social media

Most businesses are aware they should be advertising on social media, but have no clue where to begin. Social media advertising is a thriving piece of digital advertising and one that cannot be ignored in your advertising strategy. Social media advertising is so much more than spending $5 here and there to promote a post. It’s using geographic and demographic criteria to target your audience and get the right message in front of them. By advertising on social media, you’re able to reach far more people than merely those who like or follow your business. If you’re advertising strategy doesn’t include even a small piece of social media advertising, it’s time to make an update!

Do any of these ring true to you? If so, you’ll want to take a close look at your current advertising strategy and make some updates. The good news is, we can help you with that!