For decades, businesses relied on newspapers, radio, and billboards to get the word out. But these methods have major downsides:

1. Expensive & Hard to Measure – Traditional ads often come with high price tags and no real way to track ROI. You’re paying for exposure, but there’s no guarantee people are actually engaging with your business.
2. Broad, Untargeted Audiences – A newspaper ad or billboard reaches a wide range of people, but most won’t be your target customers. You end up paying for views that don’t convert.
3. Declining Engagement – Fewer people read print newspapers or listen to traditional radio, and ad blindness makes billboards easy to ignore.

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In response to these challenges, many businesses turn to digital advertising through Google and Meta. But these platforms aren’t as easy or effective as they seem:

1. High Costs & Unpredictable Pricing – Google and Meta ads use an auction system, meaning costs can skyrocket if competitors are bidding on the same audience. Small businesses often get priced out.
2. Low-Quality Clicks & Engagement – Many businesses pay for clicks that don’t turn into actual customers. Bots, accidental clicks, and poor targeting can drain budgets with little return.
3. Algorithm Changes & Limited Control – Meta’s frequent algorithm updates can slash your ad reach overnight, while Google prioritizes businesses with bigger budgets and complex bidding strategies.
4. Ad Fatigue & Audience Blindness – Consumers are bombarded with digital ads daily, making it harder for businesses to stand out. Nowadays, many people simply scroll past ads in their feed.
5. Huge Learning Curves – Digital marketers are in demand for a reason. It's not an easy job - A/B testing, landing page optimization, keeping up with changes in algorithms and social media trends, and learning how best to use large advertising platforms all take time away from your actual business.

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Local advertising platforms like LampPost offer a solution designed specifically for small businesses:

• Targeted Reach Without Wasted Spend – Instead of competing with national brands, you reach people who are actively looking for things to do and places to go in your area. You don't have to do this by targeting super specific demographics, either - when you advertise with LampPost, for example, you already know your ad will reach an engaged group of local Victoria residents actively looking for local opportunities, events, and business offerings.
• Higher Engagement Rates – When people discover businesses through a trusted local source, they’re more likely to take action—whether that’s visiting your store, booking a service, or attending an event. There's a level of trust implicit in getting ads from a source that you trust and feel connected with, something that smaller advertising platforms with dedicated audiences have as an advantage vs. Google or Meta.
• Predictable Pricing & Transparent Results – Unlike the fluctuating costs of Google and Meta ads, local advertising platforms often use fixed pricing models, so you always know what you’re paying for. Not only is this model much more predictable for budgeting purposes, it also makes it easier to track the return on your investment and get clear insights on the impact of your ad.
• Stronger Community Connection – Advertising with larger platforms is the opposite of personal. Your customer support is usually an AI chatbot, there's a ton of pages you have to look through for answers to your questions, and sometimes you simply aren't going to get the support you need to make an effective ad. When you use smaller, locally-focused platforms like LampPost, you get direct access to us. We're here to support you, work with you to make sure your ad succeeds, and answer any questions you have. ‍
• Effective Marketing Without the Effort – Think of us, and other local advertisers, as your dedicated ad success support team. Rather than spending all the time to figure out what works best for Google & Meta ads, or coming up with complicated graphics that will stand out against other billboards, we do the heavy lifting for you - helping turn those long hours spent marketing into a simple, 5-minute process that allows you to focus on your business while still marketing your brand or event.