Friday, August 8, 2008

Choosing the Right Advertising Venue

Yesterday I met with an advertising rep for a local biweekly newspaper. I was interested in her rates, demographics, etc. for some local clients who might find her market appealing. She reminded me of a few key points when advertising:

- Choose relevant publications based on your audience. If you are a retail business, advertising in a local newspaper makes sense. If you are advertising to businesses, however, a publication targeted to businesses is a better choice.

- Consistency is key. Getting your message out there once a month or once every six months is not enough. You must regularly get your message in front of your target customer for them to remember who you are and what you have to offer. They might not need you now, but if you are top of mind, they'll remember you at the right time.

- Rates are often based on frequency. You get a better deal on your rates when you run more than one ad. Ad packages are designed to reward you for frequency and to ensure you get the best results because you're being consistent.

- Many publications will create your ad for free. Take advantage of this opportunity to have an expert design your ad for you. It's included in the price, so you might as well get the biggest bang for your buck.

- Ask about special packages. Some publications will offer special deals to certain businesses - restaurants, for example - that they want to encourage to advertise with them.

Virtually Yourz,

Dana

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Many people are jumping into video advertising on the web now because not only can you target audiences but the audiences can find you using search engines. some websites like jippidy.com for example, not only let the people make there own ads for free but people can use the site as a search engine to find other businesses. I think internet video advertising is the next big thing.