Shadowing Practice: Advertising 101 - How To Advertise For A Small Business - Learn English Speaking with Video
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In this video, I'm gonna give you everything you need in order to create a complete advertising plan, campaign, and strategy for your business, so you can reach more people and make more sales.
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I'm gonna walk you through the exact advertising steps you need to go through, the platforms and channels you may wanna consider, and the pros and cons of each one.
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And I'll even be giving you some of my most valuable advertising tips and tricks along the way, things I've learned over the past 10 years of owning an advertising agency,
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and with thousands of profitable advertising campaigns run.
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You see, advertising is one of the most powerful marketing strategies available to help you grow your business, but you need to make sure you do it right.
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So, let me show you how it's done.
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Hey, Adam here, and today I want to talk to you about one of my all-time favorite marketing strategies, which is none other than advertising.
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Essentially, what you're doing with advertising is paying someone to have them put your message directly in front of their audience.
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The benefit of that is that you can pretty much reach anyone on the planet.
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This means if you get your message right and choose the right advertising channel and platform, you can grow and scale a business very, very quickly.
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Of course, like all things, the devil's in the details, which is why I'm going to walk you through a few
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of the most important things you need to know in order to make sure that your advertising campaign is a success.
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Now, to help explain this all, I'm going to be walking you through a few of the key points found in HubSpot's advertising plan kit.
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So a big thank you to HubSpot for sponsoring this video
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and for giving away a free copy of their advertising plan kit, which you can download for free by clicking the link in the description below this video.
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There's also a template you can use to organize your advertising plan with your team as you make your first app.
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So let's dive in.
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Now the very first thing I need to cover here is
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the different kinds of advertising opportunities you have to choose from and which one is going to be best for you.
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I'm going to cover four different platforms that I use regularly
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and show you the pros and cons of each one
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and you can find a few more in HubSpot's advertising plan kit as well.
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So let's start with perhaps the most common one these days, social media ads.
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Social media advertising is not a one-size-fits-all pricing model.
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How much you spend for someone to click on your ad
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and ultimately become a customer is going to depend on a couple different factors including your targeted audience size, your industry, and the ad design itself.
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So it's going to vary widely but there is some general benchmark data that does exist.
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For example, a CPC of 51 cents and a CPM of $9.06 on Facebook, a CPC of $1.28 and CPM of $6.70 on Instagram,
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and a CPC of $5.61 and CPM of $6.05 on LinkedIn.
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Again, these are just benchmarks and your mileage may vary, but I'll put a link to an article with all of these numbers in the description below the video.
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Alright, next let's talk the pros and cons of social media ads, starting with the pros.
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The first pro is audience diversity.
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No matter who your prospects are, there's a really good chance they're on social media.
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Next is editable messaging.
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Essentially, if you find that one ad isn't performing well after a couple days, no sweat.
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Make adjustments to the ad copy and targeting, and you can immediately improve your performance.
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Another pro is varying content types.
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With social, you can advertise using GIFs, images, and video for a more engaging experience.
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Okay, next, let's talk some cons.
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First, not everyone is on every social platform.
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Social media sites have a very diverse set of users, which means your ads might not be equally successful on each channel.
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For example, young college students may not be on LinkedIn yet, and new retirees may not be on Twitter.
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Constant check-ins are another problem.
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Because you see, data on the success of your social ads takes place in real time, so it takes more frequent monitoring than other ad types to ensure you're producing the highest ROI possible.
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Okay, now let's take a look at Google and search ads.
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Search ads depend largely on your location and your industry, but on average, the cost varies between $1 and $2 per click on Google,
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though some ads can go well over $50 per click if the competition is high enough.
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Simple ads are placed according to both a bid by the advertiser and the quality of your ad.
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Therefore, the better your ad, the less likely you'll have to pay more to outbid competitors.
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Alright, let's start with the pros here.
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First, your ads are super targeted.
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Online search ads appear when people search for a term that pertains directly to your business.
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Another pro is you can easily control your ads.
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With search ads, you can raise and lower your budget, turn certain ads on and off, and adjust That's what keywords you're bidding for, giving you real-time control over your advertising.
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Another big pro is having access to a huge audience.
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There's more than 60,000 searches on Google every second.
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Google and search ads also tend to be a little less intrusive.
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While some ads come across as disrupting a positive experience, like a TV show or an article, search ads appear only when someone is searching for related information.
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But they're not all sunshine and rainbows, so here are the cons.
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First, they're competitive.
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on Google looking for solutions and every competitor wants to be that solution.
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To rank well, you're going to have to devote ample resources into developing
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and maintaining amazing ads and invest the funds required to keep your number one spot.
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Next, you have to remember that you're not the only ad at the party.
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On YouTube or some social media sites, someone's screen might only have enough room for one ad.
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Search on Google for something you want to buy and you might see four ads in a row, making it harder to stand out.
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Okay, next, let's talk video ads.
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All right, But if you have an in-house video team, you can skip right over this section as you've already paid for what you need.
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If not, be prepared to either hire an employee and invest in production equipment, or pay an agency for their filming and editing services.
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Either way, you could be looking at thousands
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if not tens of thousands of dollars on getting your video idea off the ground with a respectable production value.
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Distribution is another story entirely.
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Airing a TV commercial can range from $100 during the day to $2,000 in the evening, with airtime during events like say the Super Bowl costing millions.
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You can also distribute digitally like on YouTube for about 10 to 30 cents per view.
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Okay let's talk about the pros.
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First off video has never been more popular.
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Five billion videos are watched on YouTube every day so exposing your company to that audience could be a real moneymaker.
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Next video gives you the ability to show your product in action.
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Unlike text or image based ads video ads can include a demonstration,
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proof of concept, or customer testimonials about your product or service so people can see the real value you offer.
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Video ads also modernize your brand.
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Companies are investing in video in droves since video and the internet have become synonymous.
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Failing to advertise with video can suggest that your company may not be as current as your competitors, again, depending on your industry.
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All right, next, it's time for the cons.
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First off, your video ads can be skipped.
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As they're sometimes seen as an intrusive form of advertising, viewers can try to fast forward through TV ads or skip an online video ad if they have the option.
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Next, video done right is one of the more expensive advertising methods, given the cost of professional equipment and some distribution channels.
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However, you can learn how to get started with video in your business quickly and cost-effectively here.
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Lastly, video production can be tough if you're new to it, and poor videos aren't tolerated in today's world.
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A bad video ad could give you a negative image in the eyes of your potential customers.
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Okay, next, let's talk direct mail.
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Mailing list costs range anywhere from $50 to $350 for a thousand contact mailing list.
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On top of this, you'll need to front the bill for postage, design, and printing costs.
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And the better quality mail you want to send, well, the more these bills are going to start to stack up.
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However, you do get what you pay for.
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So investment in a top-notch designer
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and fine materials will help your mail stand out more than it would
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if it were a stock photo on cheap piece of paper.
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Anyway, here are the pros of direct mail.
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Direct mail is an actionable ad strategy.
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Whether people pay attention to it or decide to throw it out, they at the very least need to look at it and simply can't scroll past it.
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Next, direct mail gives you a lot more room for the details.
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Online ads need to be concise and don't always convey the full value of what you're offering.
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Mail, on the other hand, can offer more information about a specific event or a deal or product you're promoting.
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Plus, you also have the ability to hyper-target your ideal customers.
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There's plenty of customization available for direct mail.
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Lists can be acquired from many different demographics, like location or family size.
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Okay, now the cons.
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The first con is design costs.
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Every time you do a unique direct mail campaign, you may want to make a new design.
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This could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars just for the custom design, not to mention printing and ink costs.
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Next, direct mail is kind of seen as an old-fashioned advertising method.
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While nearly 6 in 10 Americans enjoy receiving mail about new products, Direct Mail is still seen as the casualty of email's disruption.
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Years of junk mail
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and a movement to a digital world can hinder the success of Direct Mail campaigns when they're not run well.
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So now that you've got those covered, let's dive into helping you create an advertising plan of your very own.
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Like I mentioned at the beginning, I'm going to be using HubSpot's Advertising Plan Kit, which you can download for free by clicking the link in the description below this video.
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I'm going to be walking you through this advertising plan by using the ad template to help us organize our advertising plan.
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All right, so now that you know what platforms are available and which ones might be best for you, the next thing is to put together a plan that'll make
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sure you're doing the right things in the right place for the right people and not blowing your budget in the process.
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So let's start at the top and work our way down, starting with the advertising campaign goals and objectives and basic targeting.
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In this first section, you should answer the high level questions an employee at your company might have about your campaign,
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like who you're targeting and why you're running this campaign and what medium you're going to be advertising on.
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For example, answering questions like how does this problem align with our product and service?
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Why are we solving this problem?
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What are the deliverables for this campaign?
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You also want to identify the who or target market that you're going after, like their demographic details, like age, gender, income, and occupation, their geographic details,
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like where they live, and maybe even their psychographic details, like their attitudes and interests and lifestyles and beliefs.
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Also, goals are important here.
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Like, what exactly are you trying to achieve?
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Are you aiming for 100 new customers, increasing sales by 20%, or something else you can measure?
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Okay, next, let's move on to the next point, which is advertising platform selection.
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This section is going to be pretty quick here
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because you're going to want to go back and review the different platforms
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that we just covered and then choose the ones that best align with your business, market, and objectives.
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You don't need to use them all.
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Only the ones where you can reach your ideal target market and deliver your message in the best way possible.
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You also want to identify other variables like will the content on each platform be the same or different?
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For example, your Google search ads would likely be text-based, but your Facebook ads might be video text or both.
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Okay, let's talk budget.
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Budget's a tricky subject when it comes to advertising
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because the goal of advertising is to deliver a positive return on investment or ROI,
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essentially putting in a dollar and getting out $2 or $5 or $10 or more.
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And when you do that, your goal should be to increase the budget to whatever level you feel comfortable, always keeping in mind cash flow and your ability to actually deliver on what you've just promised.
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That said, when you're first getting started, it is important to have a rough guide of how you're planning on allocating resources to each channel.
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For example, for easy math, let's say you have a $20,000 advertising budget and you've identified the best channels for your business will be Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and direct mail.
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Well, it's here that you'd carve that up and assign a budget to each one, as well as a timeline so you could come back and evaluate which channels delivered the best results.
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You can double down there and scrap the other ones.
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From there, it's time to put this all into action, which means using a tool like the DACI framework.
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The DACI framework outlines who is responsible for contributing to this project and what role they have.
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Specifically, it highlights who the driver of the project is, the D, any approvers of specific parts of the project,
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the A's, the contributors who handle deliverables and might be responsible for creating the ads or messages, the C's, and those who need to remain informed along the way.
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The best way though to get a better picture of this
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and everything I've just shared is to make sure to download
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the free HubSpot advertising plan kit in the description below this video now.
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Also, if you'd like more small business advertising tips, I have a video linked up right here that I think you're really going to find helpful.
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So make sure to check that out now and I'll see you in the next video.
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All right.
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The next thing that you really need to consider
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when you're looking at advertising your budget is who are you trying to sell to?
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This is all about having that ideal customer avatar in mind.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Advertising 101 - How To Advertise For A Small Business”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: advertising, mail, pro, direct. This video has 161 sentences and 2552 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:39. The speaker talks fast, about 202 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| competitor noun | /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/ | A person or organization against whom one is competing. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| deliverable noun | /dɪˈlɪvɹəbəɫ/ | The tangible end product; that which will be delivered. |
| intrusive adjective | /ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/ | Tending to intrude; doing that which is not welcome; interrupting or disturbing; entering without permission or welcome. |
| benchmark noun | /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/ | A standard by which something is evaluated or measured. |
| align verb | /əˈlaɪn/ | To form a line; to fall into line. |
| advertise verb | /ˈædvɚˌtaɪ̯z/ | To give (especially public) notice of (something); to announce publicly. |
| template noun | /ˈtɛm.plɪt/ | A physical object whose shape is used as a guide to make other objects. |
| demographic adjective | /ˌdɛm.əˈɡɹæf.ɪk/ | Of or pertaining to demography. |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| dive verb | /daɪv/ | To swim under water. |
| actionable adjective | /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/ | Able to be acted on; able to be used as the basis for taking action. |
| advertiser noun | /ˈædvɚˌtaɪzɚ/ | One who advertises. |
| airtime noun | The duration during which a radio or television program (or part of one) is transmitted. | |
| allocate verb | /ˈæl.ə.keɪt/ | To set aside for a purpose. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stand out verb | To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.). |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| double down verb | To double one's wager, particularly, the name of a specific doubling bet allowed in blackjack. |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. |
| give away verb | To make a gift of (something). |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Alright, let's start with the pros here.
- Why are we solving this problem?
- You don't need to use them all.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've learned · you've already paid · has never been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are placed · are watched · can be skipped |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | strategies, which is · details, which is · users, which means |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 52 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: benchmark /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/, actionable /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/, casualty /ˈkæʒu.əlti/, disruption /dɪsˈɹʌpʃən/, demonstration /dɛmənˈstɹeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: competitor /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/, deliverable /dɪˈlɪvɹəbəɫ/, demographic /ˌdɛm.əˈɡɹæf.ɪk/, actionable /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/, advertiser /ˈædvɚˌtaɪzɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like competitor, depend, deliverable.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.