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THE JACKSON HERALD » THE BRASELTON NEWS » THE COMMERCE NEWS » THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS » THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008
Just when you thought it was safe...
...To cut back on advertising.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS...
"I have cut expenses so advertising is out for a while.”
"This is the wrong time of the year for me to advertise.”
"Everybody knows I’m here and what I carry.”
"I have too much business now, so I don’t need to advertise.”
"I don’t need to advertise, I don’t have any competition.”
If you've been catching yourself saying things like this, or if you've even been
thinking thoughts like this, do your business a favor and STOP!!! Advertising is
much more than a "necessary evil." It's the best way you have to promote your
business by telling your customers what you have to offer and why they should
spend their hard-earned money with you.
"Everybody knows me, where my store is and what I carry."
"I have to cut expenses, so
advertising is out for awhile."
Cutting your advertising when things
are slow is like driving on a long, flat
road and turning the engine off. Sure,
you'll coast for awhile, but you'll begin
slowing down and pretty soon you'll
coast to a stop.
When business is slow, advertising is the
very LAST thing that should be cut. It is
your main tool for educating people
about your business and encouraging
them to come to your store. Moreover,
advertising is the first part of selling it is
what gets the ball rolling.
"This is the wrong time of the
year for me to advertise."
Your store is open every day and every
month so you obviously want customers
every day too! you want business now,
so you should ask for business now. You
have to interest people in your
merchandise and attract traffic into your
store. You're right, people are not
usually interested in pool supplies or
lawn mowers during the winter, nor are
they usually interested in coats and other
winter clothing during the summer.
Your "off season" is when you should
run special sales or promotions. There
are many sources for great advertising
ideas. Ask for advice or assistance.
It's true that your regular customers
know you and your business, but what
about all of the people you see at local
restaurants that you don't know? If you
don't know them, chances are pretty
good that they don't know you either,
and that means they have probably
never been in your store. And what
about all of this area's newcomers? They
certainly don't know you or your store.
A strong, consistent advertising program
will assure you that you're doing
everything you can to invite those you
don't know into your store.
"I have too much business now,
so I don't need to advertise."
There's no such thing as "too much
business." When times are good for you,
you can rest assured that your
competition knows that and is doing
everything he can to increase his share of
the "pie" by decreasing your share.
A well-planned advertising program will
help you hold, and increase, your place
in a competitive marketplace.
"I don't need to advertise
because I don't have any com
petition."
If you think the dress shop is not in a
competition with the automobile dealer,
think again! The total annual retail sale
in Banks, Jackson and Madison Counties
is around $500 million. Every smart
merchant is looking for ways to increase
his business, not by increasing the size of
the overall "pie," but by increasing the
size of his share, even though the "pie"
isn't getting any bigger.
So, you see, if you're one of the fortunate
ones that has no direct competition, you
still need to advertise to keep other
businesses in town from taking a part of
your share.
"There are so many ways to advertise. Which is best?"
"Why should I advertise in the newspaper?"
An ad in the newspaper is "news" about what's
going on down at your store. If you don't advertise,
you're saying that there's nothing to talk about at
your store. People take the paper because they
want to keep up with what's going on in and
around our county here in Northeast Georgia.
They pay fifty cents each week, to get the paper.
You can count on a warm, receptive audience
because the newspaper is giving them what they
want. And if they don't have time to read all of it
now, they'll come back later, and your message will
be there, too. Studies show that a single copy of
weekly newspaper is read, on the average, of 4
times by 3 different people, and it stays available
for 4 or 5 days.
Most experts will tell you that there is no such thing as
"bad advertising.” They will also tell you that some are
better than others. A study done specifically for Georgia
markets showed that the weekly newspaper consistently
rated tops in such areas as net reach, cost efficiency
and merchandising with radio taking second place in
almost every category.
We're MainStreet Newspapers and we reach over 35,000 homes in Northeast Georgia every week.
Let us help you grow your business. Call (706) 367-5233 or go to MainStreetNews.Com for more information.