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By Pfeiffer and Co.
Large corporations know the value of a good ad and that they must rely on advertising to generate a greater share of the market. When you are ready to place your ad, be certain it is effective. Does it say what you want it to say? Are your name and address accurate? Is all the necessary information included? Then test your ad by placing it in a publication that appeals to the audience you hope to capture. Consider how many people the ad will reach and how many of those people will be interested. Some publications, like newspapers, may reach 50,000 people. That is a broad market, consisting of people with varied (or a broad range of) interests. You may prefer a publication that is more specialized to reach a vertical market, i.e., if you are selling dolls, consider doll collectors, hobby, craft, and business-related magazines targeted to your market. Try a test ad. If it works, run it again. If it doesn't, try another approach. Rewrite your ad and test again.
You will find that advertising serves your purpose and gets attention if you have a well-done ad in the right place.
Always watch for ads in places you are considering for your own ads. If ads for similar products continue to appear, you know they are working for the advertiser; and it should be a good place for you to run yours. Be aware of how ads attract your attention. Be aware of what you think is good and learn from it.
Choosing the right words to capture attention and to tell about your product or idea is as important as choosing the right place to run the ad. Obviously, if you are planning to sell straw hats, you will not place an ad in a newspaper in Alaska. Common sense should dictate where your ad will be most effective; although there have been some big surprises for some big advertising experts.
A trip to the library will help you choose publications that are logical candidates for your ads. The SRDS (Standard Rate and Data Service) will give you the information you need to determine costs, requirements, and so forth. Look at publications that cover the subject area best. And remember to check back issues to see which ads are running frequently--again, it is an indication of the type of ad that is working well in that publication.
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