The selection process can really be difficult, especially with limited budget. There is no specific formula for finding the perfect advertising material for your business or campaign. But there are ways by which you can increase the chance of making your ad campaign work, whether you use a banner, a poster, a set of postcards or several catalog pieces.

Below are a few guidelines that you can consider when you’re having a hard time choosing the right ad for you.

If you want location-specific ads…

Certain ads are meant to be seen by as many people as possible from a specific area. For example, this may be because you’re promoting something that concerns everyone within your neighborhood such as a garage sale, or you may be running a local grocery store that caters to various demographics.

Handing out brochures to every single resident may prove uneconomical. Given these facts, you need to get ads that target several persons every minute without allowing your expenses to swell. Posters, banners and adhesive vinyl prints are ideal candidates for such advertising projects. These wide prints are visible from a certain distance, and they let passersby view them simultaneously. They are also great for outdoor use.

If you need individual-specific ads…

There are, on the other hand, ads that target certain people, could be based on gender, age, work or needs. Large format prints are not the best candidates for this because, although they reach many, most of them may not be your target clientele. Then they’d be inefficient ad tools.

Smaller (and therefore much inexpensive per unit) print media are good choices. Depending on your budget, quantity and extent of content comprehensiveness, you may choose from flyers, brochures, postcards and catalogs.

You can request for wholesale prints to get a good deal. Some printing companies offer direct mailing services to go with the printing, too.

If they are time-specific ads…

Not all ads are meant to be displayed for long, especially those that advertise limited offers and dated events. You wouldn’t want to spend a lot on them but at the same time, you wouldn’t want to get subpar ads either. For these, you should combine good quality and cost-effective since they won’t be useful after a few weeks.

As for long-term outdoor advertising, vinyl banners are good since they are water- and fade-resistant.

If you have enough funds to cover different materials, it’s good to combine these means. This way, after doing a survey, you’ll have an idea which ad tool gathered the most clients to take interest in your commodities.