Advertising: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What advertising is

An advertising professional plans, creates and places ads across channels such as online, print, radio or outdoor, setting the audience, the message and the schedule for a campaign. Businesses hire advertising help when they want a planned campaign that reaches a defined group, instead of scattered ads that do not add up.

Signs you need it

  • You are running ads on several channels with no shared message or plan
  • You are launching a product or location and need a campaign that reaches a set audience on a schedule
  • Your current ads look like they were made for another business, and customers do not recognize yours
  • You do not know which audience your ads reach, or whether the audience is the right one
  • You need a campaign across channels that must be planned, placed and reported by one person

What the pro does

  • Review your goals, your audience, your budget limits and the channels that reach your customers
  • Define the message, the offer and the tone for the campaign
  • Create the ad concepts and the creative for each channel, with the sizes and formats each one needs
  • Plan the schedule and place the ads with the media outlets, platforms or vendors you choose
  • Monitor the campaign and adjust the audience, the placement and the timing as the results come in
  • Report on reach, response and cost, and recommend what to do next

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • The number of channels and the number of ad versions needed for each
  • The size of the audience to reach and how specific the targeting must be
  • The length of the campaign and how often the ads run
  • Whether the advertiser creates new creative, or uses your existing material
  • Whether media placement is handled by the advertiser or bought through a separate vendor
  • How much reporting and adjustment the campaign requires

What a written quote should spell out

  • The goals, the audience and the channels covered by the plan
  • The creative included, with the number of versions and the formats
  • Whether media placement is included, and any media costs billed separately
  • The schedule of the campaign and the review dates
  • The reporting measures and the schedule for each report

Questions to ask before you hire

  • What campaigns like mine have you run, and what did they focus on?
  • How will you choose the audience, and how will you check it reaches the right people?
  • Which channels will you recommend, and why not the others?
  • Who buys the ad space, and how are the media costs billed?
  • How will you measure the results, and what will you show me?
  • Can I approve the creative before it runs?

Red flags

  • Promises a set number of customers or sales from the campaign
  • Cannot show past campaigns or the results they produced
  • Places ads without showing you the media plan first
  • Asks for a large media budget in advance without a written plan

What you can do yourself

You can start with one channel, such as a local directory or a community page, and run a small test with a simple message, a clear offer and a single call to action. Hire an advertising professional when you need several channels planned together, when the campaign has a deadline or when the media spending is large enough that the placement choices matter.

Licenses and permits

No license is usually required for advertising work. However, some advertising for regulated products and services, such as financial, health or alcohol products, must follow rules set by government agencies; check the rules for your product type with the agency that covers it, and ask the advertiser how they check the claims.

Advertising questions

Can I run ads without a media buyer?

Yes. Many small businesses place ads directly with the platform or outlet. A media buyer helps when the campaign spans several outlets or needs negotiated placement.

How do I know the ads reach my audience?

Ask for the audience definition and the placement list. Compare the reach reports with your own customer records, and ask the advertiser to explain any gaps.

What should I do if the ads do not work?

Review the message, the audience and the placement with the advertiser, and test one change at a time. Stop the campaign if the data shows the spend is not producing results.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer advertising remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

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  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

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  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

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