Advertising Works! -- (sort of)

Lawreston

Lawreston

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Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
4,573
Location
Georgetown, ME
Display Name
Display name:
Harley Reich
As the content volume of my website grows I need to get it into public awareness. So I've begun to use some inexpensive print methods: classified adv. in several weekly FREE newspapers. $26.00 got me into four regional editions of The Forecaster, for one week.

The classified starts: TOUR MY MAINE - FREE.
Then it lists my URL; Photos and art collectibles available; FMI XXX-XXX-XXXX or e-mail me(address within website).

The day after it ran I began to get "No Name" telephone calls on my cell phone.
The first one I deleted as is quite customary, not many people knowing my telephone #. Then, after several more came, it occurred to me that the first call might have been adv. referenced. Remembering the # I had deleted, I later called the # and inquired if the party had called me that morning. After I qualified that he might have called in response to an adv. in The Forecaster, he said that yes, he did make the call.

He was selling Insurance. Go figure! (had been attracted by the word FREE)

HR
 
Lawreston said:
He was selling Insurance. Go figure! (had been attracted by the word FREE)

HR
Click to expand...
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I placed an ad in The Wall Street Journal.

All I got in response were calls from other publications trying to sell me ad space in their publication. "If he was stupid enough to advertise in the WSJ, maybe he'll be stupid enough to advertise in my paper, too!"

-Skip
 
I'd like to ask the business owners here which forms of advertising they've found works best (please state type-of-business, as well).

I know TV ads have become cheap with the auto manufacturers scaling back. That's why you're seeing more and more of the "As Seen on TV" type items. In fact, if you have a hankering to sell your product on TV, Google now makes it easy to run TV ads in specific markets and times:

http://www.google.com/adwords/tvads/
 
TangoWhiskey said:
I'd like to ask the business owners here which forms of advertising they've found works best (please state type-of-business, as well).

I know TV ads have become cheap with the auto manufacturers scaling back. That's why you're seeing more and more of the "As Seen on TV" type items. In fact, if you have a hankering to sell your product on TV, Google now makes it easy to run TV ads in specific markets and times:

http://www.google.com/adwords/tvads/
Click to expand...

For laboratory equipment, advertising in the appropriate trade journal. The appropriate journal depends on the product- seems like a "duh" statement but some that seem like a natural fit sometimes give poor results. One needs to think of a way of monitoring read rates.

General lab equipment- print catalog with application notes. I once managed to revive a muribund product (glass microscope slide staining dishes) in a new application (cleaning & coating slides for DNA experiments). Sales increased 100% on that line from that app note- and it was referenced all 'round the world.

Appropriate trade shows. Again- some that would appear to be good sometimes aren't- need to count leads.
 
I ran in ad in trade a plane about a year ago... Most the calls I received were pilots wanting work.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
I'd like to ask the business owners here which forms of advertising they've found works best
Click to expand...

Mine, as you know, is an unusual situation Troy - but we have found it is >95% word of mouth in a rural community. I have all but dropped any print ads, finally got our phone listing to a minimum of (unboldened) lines, and never have used radio; there is a cable service around here but all that has turned out to be a waste of $ in a non urban area.

I think the answer is, "It depends on the type of business"
 
Troy:

As for "business," I'm not expecting to draw sustenance from my website. It's just that when I had a full-time business and my mini-gallery drew comments of, "You could sell this stuff if promoted," I never had time to "promote." After four years of settling-in to retirement(buying a new residence -- then selling the former house), I've found the time. Presently, I'm using inexpensive adv. modes -- FREE periodicals which cover several counties where I was a "known" for 27 years. Hopefully, many who read the adv. will invoke the URL and think,"Oh, I've wondered what that idiot's been doing since he sold out." :o)

When I was in business I found that radio and TV was my best "reach," and having been a professional broadcaster I was, perhaps, more comfortable working with the media reps. Though I used print for the local market area my best reach was with The Bowdoin Four, who did a series of jingles for me which were for radio, television, and as evidenced by the posted photo, print media follow-up.

The copy job of the 2" x 3" stickers isn't very sharp, but the original image was used in print venue. If they all look alike, they are. I created, produced, directed; wrote the copy, sang all four parts of the barbershop quartet, was all four characters in the TV version, and did the voice-overs in the music breaks. People would come into the store and ask, "Where are your brothers, today?" TV flights were a lot less expensive back then. Business was good, but there's no doubt that I got out at the right time.

HR
 

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