Advertising for your business is nothing less than an art. In their efforts to achieve as much success as possible, companies often end up ignoring some fundamentals. Whether you are a big organization or a just a start-up, adhering to the basics will always turn out to be fruitful. As a rule of thumb, 5% of your total revenue should go to advertising. Getting the maximum out of this 5% is important if you want to succeed.
The most important thing is to convey a clear message to your customers. Most of the successful advertising campaigns have carried a single message. For instance, when it comes to books, 'DOS for Dummies' was the perfect message for anyone who was new to computers.
Another important thing that you should keep in mind while planning your advertisement is that it should have some amount of credibility. This is because humans tend to have slight apprehensions when it comes to advertising. If you are claiming something in the ad then have some study or research to back it up.
Testing also plays a key role, especially in the case of smaller businesses that cannot waste a lot of money. You can use coupons or special codes to control the placement and the timing of your advertisement. Make sure that you do not go overboard, and test no more than one product or service at a time. Remember that planning testing and constant exposure are necessary for any advertising campaign. | 
