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Owning a business creates a vicious cycle – you have to make money to advertise and you have to advertise to make money. Your choices
for advertising are almost endless, but newspapers are one of the most popular routes for businesses of all sizes. Print advertising is
an affordable means of advertising through your local newspaper, and there are ways to get the most out of every dollar you spend.
Incorporate these seven tips when creating your advertising campaign.
- Rainy Days and Mondays
Advertise on days other than the “norm.” For example, most dailies sell more papers on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Heavy
readership causes more advertising on those days, so schedule your ad to run on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. You’ll have less
competition and get more attention.
- Line by Line
Try a brief classified ad for a particular item on sale. Use the same method described above to place the ad, and keep it simple.
Just list the item, its sale price, your business name, location, and phone number. You’ll be surprised at the results if you choose a
popular item to list.
- Creativity Counts
Get creative with the content of your ads. Your advertising representative can help you with this. Just let the account executive
know what you want to do, and work with him or her to achieve the look you want. One client ran his ad in the paper upside down. Traffic
to his store increased greatly that week, and the phone rang off the hook, because everyone wanted to commiserate with him over the
newspaper’s “mistake.”
A flower shop owner used her advertising space to handwrite a note to customers each week. The paper scanned her handwriting and printed
the ad exactly as she had written it. The response was terrific and customers counted on her personal attention when they entered her
shop.
- Laughter Is Good for The Cash Register
Use humor. We remember funny ads. Even the ridiculous ones work well. Your goal is to get people talking about your business, and
humor does it every time.
- Repetition Works
If you have a limited budget, consider placing smaller ads more frequently. A well-known theory within the advertising business
states that consumers must see an advertisement at least five times before they actually read it, so running a similar ad repeatedly
allows the consumer time for the ad to become habit. It’s wise not to change elements of the ad, but if you must, try to keep your logo
and the basic look of the ad the same. If you can talk your newspaper rep into an ad on the same page every time is great too. But
specific placement can’t always be guaranteed or even promised in the newspaper industry.
- Color Me Profitable
Use color when you can afford it. An occasional dose of color, using the same logo as the black and white ads, will draw attention
once again. But use color a bit differently than others. The use of one color, in addition to the black and white is very effective if
done correctly. A very successful ad campaign once used yellow as the solid background to an advertisement with black text and grayscale
photos.
Another option even more affordable if you can’t spare the funds for color is called a “reverse” ad. Design your small advertisement
using a black background and white ink. The white lettering on a solid black background will stand out against all the regular ads on
the page, and you usually haven’t spent a penny more to do it. Many years ago, newspapers had to charge an extra fee for this type ad,
but with computers, they no longer have to do so; be sure to ask the policy at your paper before you place the ad so you aren’t
surprised with a surcharge. If it’s only a couple of dollars though, it might still be worth it.
- Deals And More Deals
Ask your advertising rep if they have special rates for repeat advertisers, then actually run the numbers. Some newspapers provide a
yearly contract that lowers the cost per column-inch for each insertion if you agree to place a minimum number of inches. But if your
budget cannot support that figure, check on their other specials. They may offer discounts by the week or by the month. A favorite for
dailies is a three-day deal – run the same ad three days in the same week you get a large discount. Just be sure to utilize the methods
in Tip #1 to get the most exposure out of this particular deal.
As you follow these seven tips, track the results of your business in the following weeks. Many times customers will let you know why
they’ve come in, but if they don’t, just ask. You'll be surprised at the outcome. Of course, success won’t happen overnight, but with
consistency, you’ll soon see results.
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About The Author:
Tracy Ruckman is a fulltime freelance writer. She spent years in the newspaper industry, including several years as owner,
editor, and publisher of a weekly. She hosts a weekly contest for writers and photographers on her blog,
Pix N Pens. Visit her at TracyRuckman.com
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