Re: Print Yellow Pages

At 10:54 AM 08/09/2000 -0500, Garry W. Harrell wrote:
>Judith
>
>I would be interested in hearing what sections you target in the newspaper.

The Service Ad section is reactively inexpensive and allows a decent size 
display ad that you can change as often as you like.  The name of this area 
may be different from paper to paper though and I am not sure if your 
papers would have this section.  Otherwise I ask for front of paper 
positioning and if possible I want the "thumb location".  Where someone's 
thumb goes to hold the paper while turning or perusing a page.  ;-)

>I have just dropped my banner ad in the weekly Technology section because I
>was not pulling any response.

I have found that off-line advertising is more of an "awareness"  and 
credibility builder that actually generating signed contracts.  Folks see 
your ad there for a decent length of time and they know you are credible 
and doing something right if you remain in business.  New clients have 
mentioned this on many occasions that they kept seeing our ads every week 
(for 4 years now) and that led them to believe we knew what we were doing.


>What sections, types of ads, focus of message, etc., have been successful
>with you?

This is what you have to determine will work for you.  My focus is a tad 
different that most shops and I use this to our benefit in our 
advertising.  We concentrate on training, mentoring and ongoing coaching 
and that is what our ads focus on.

>I am getting together to brainstorm with my newspaper rep on
>Friday and I am much in need of strategy.

Here again, the strategy and words you use will determine who you 
draw.  Profitable customers do not respond to hype or words like cheap, 
fast, easy.  Change things weekly until you find something that works or 
taps into your market for you.  I am known at all the newspapers in this 
area as I rotate ads.  For those I rotate weekly, I give my rep 12 weeks 
worth at once which makes their job easier.

Your rep should also be your advocate in getting press releases about your 
business in front of the powers that be...newspaper articles are a big 
draw!  ;-)

HTH!
/j

HTML: hwg-business mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA