If you own a company you may not know that you already have the best advertising space right in front of your very eyes. Your own building. You can put an architectural wrap on your windows. This is most commonly known as a win wrap. It is one of the first things your customers will see when they walk up to your door. This makes it such an appealing advertising form. What better way to advertise your company than on your own window. Most win wraps are see-through from the inside but from the standpoint of someone who is walking up to your building, they will see a bright, colorful graphic that that is full of excitement. Another perk to having a win wrap is that you do not need to take out any special permits to have one installed your window. There is no need to worry about damage to your windows because the picture is installed over your windows. If at any point you need to take it down because you might be moving to a bigger building, it is just as easy and safe to take off.

Inside your building you might want to take advantage of wall wraps. Wall wraps are printed artistic pieces that wrap around and stick to your walls. Most of the time the picture is put together almost like pieces of a puzzle and the best part is there is no paint at all on your walls. The adhesives that are used on the wall wraps are completely safe for your walls and will leave no damage at all. Wall wraps could almost be considered a high class interior decorating. Wall graphics can be as interesting as you want it to be and it will not cost you an arm and a leg. You see wall wraps all the time in airports and in New York City. The decoration and flair that they add to your buildings is unbelievable. Not only will it impress any potential clients, but you are also boosting employee morale. Imagine how much for comforting it is to be working in a building that has bright eye catching displays rather than the drab walls you see so often in other buildings.

The benefit of investing in win wraps and wall wraps are unbelievable. The look and feel they give to your building is really priceless. There are many companies who specialized in wraps and you want to make sure you research your companies and meet with representatives of each company. Make sure they are willing to work together with you to capture what your vision is. You want a company that is going to consider you and them a team. A good architectural design company will map out your creations the best they can and tweak it to get your point across. Essentially you have the final input on what the creation is.

There are so many benefits to investing in wall wraps and win wraps for your business. Benefits for you, your clients, and your employees will reap in the end.

To learn more about custom boat wraps and companies who can supply you with one, visit http://www.signzoo.com/building-wraps/architectural-wraps/custom-graphics-signs.html

A new form of advertising is hitting the nation and it is coming soon to a street near you. Fleet Wraps are becoming the new wave of the future for advertising. Some companies might only have a few cars that they are willing to advertise their business on, while others will have many. It is those companies that will benefit greatly from fleet wraps. Fleet wraps are advertisements on vehicles that are driven by the employees of the company the fleet wraps are promoting. They stop at job sites, travel down busy streets and get stuck in traffic. The drivers are doing their jobs while advertising the company.

This type of advertising can be much more beneficial than the traditional forms of advertising. Think about how often trucks are on the road or for that matter any vehicle driven by a company. By using a custom fleet wrap, the graphics can create up to 16 million impressions over the course of a year. Most often the fleet wraps contain more than just your companies name and number. The key to fleet wraps is the eye catching design. Most companies who design wraps are taking them to the next level. These companies will often offer custom design graphics. They work hand in hand in hand with their clients to create the ideal graphic design for their vehicles. These companies know how important it is to make the advertisements look interesting and attractive without being tacky or tasteless.

There are many benefits for companies who use fleet wraps as their advertising weapons. For starts they are cheaper than other advertising means. Purchasing billboard space can be expensive and sometimes it is not even noticed by drivers. Another pro is that fleet wraps do the hard part and that is advertising your company. All that needs to be done is have the vehicle driven around as they would any normal day and the vehicle is doing all the work for you. It is like driving around a moving billboard. Companies who have used fleet wraps have reported a significant increase in business. Even more of an increase than they would having a local ad in the paper, or a TV spot.

You will see that most fleet wrap designs are eye catching and bright. They make people take notice of the vehicle and it is done creatively. Their whole mission is to help companies promote their business. Each design should be handcrafted to meet the customer’s needs. It is so much more detailed than just a company name and a phone number. There is usually a design along with the company’s logo if any.

Nowadays people are too busy to skim through the local paper to catch any advertisements for a company, and with the invention of TIVO and the DVR, people are fast forwarding more and more through commercials. These same people however cannot miss a fleet wrap as it passes them by on the street, or even if they drive past one that is parked at job site. There is a whole new audience out there on the road, which just might be looking for what that company is promoting.

To learn more about custom fleet wraps and companies who can supply you with one, visit http://www.signzoo.com/vehicle-graphics/fleet-wraps/vehicle-graphics.html

ADVERTISING ON UK MEDIA

There are many options for advertising your brand, product or service within the UK advertising marketplace.

Below is a list of the various media options available to you.

Television

Radio

National Press

Local and Regional Press

Magazines

Cinema

Posters

Within each of the above media there are even more options available to you.
However within this article I wanted to take this opportunity to take you through these various traditional media services, and impart my knowledge.

The reason behind this is I am in the process of building a new client portfolio and would like to offer my services to those of you who are interested in promoting your products or services in the Uk, but are not sure of where to start.

Let me also state that I do not intend to make this too technical, and intend only to make available to you the topline information to give you an outline understanding of what can be achieved.

Television

I have written an article on the early days of planning and buying Uk TV advertising which you can read by clicking here.

One of the most important and interesting changes in Uk TV advertising in the past decade, is the launch of Satellite and Digital TV channels in the UK. Which at the end of the day has basically reduced the entry cost level onto TV for many advertisers, it has also created many more viewing and buying options.

The choice and selection of TV channels are now in the region of 200+, but what does this mean ?

Basically it means no matter how big or small your budget is, there will be an opportunity to promote your brand or service on TV.

Let me take you through the various options available.

ITV

Can be purchased on a regional basis, and within various regions this can even be broken down into macro regions, making ITV more affordable than you may of envisaged.

Also ITV has a number of national satellite channels ie ITV2,3 ,4.

Within the ITV1 natoinal and even the satellite channels airtime can be purchased across a number of time bands :

Coffee Time (early morning pre-noon)

Daytime (1200-16.30)

Pre-Peak (16.30-18.00)

Peak (18.00-22.00)

Late off Peak (22.00-)

NB:These time bands are a rough guide for all stations.

So as an example if you have a brand that is targetted against adults 50+, they can be reached by promoting your product or service during pre-noon and 16.30-18.00 (which is a prime time slot for this age group).

Of course dependent on your target market there will be various different time bands and options for reaching your potential customers.

BREAKFAST TV

Is generally between 06.00-09.30 and is operated on a national and macro regional basis by GMTV, also CH4 operate a breakfast service.

Here again dependent on your target market these are ideal for reaching houswives and houswives with kids.

You will note that GMTV carries quite a large number of toy advertisers.

CH4

Similar to ITV though tends to be younger, however is available nationally and by macro regions.

CH4 also operate their own satellite stations +4 etc, which again offer a wide range of opportunities for reaching your target market (or as I say potential customers).

CH5

Available on a national basis.

Satelite/Digital Tv

The options available to you on these stations are huge, so rather than go into too much detail I will be brief. There are channels covering virtually every subject you can think off, from holidays, history, sport etc.

It should be noted though that satellite tv channels can only be purchased on a national basis, though the entry levels will be lower than launching an ITV1 campaign.

I should also make you aware though that ITV1 audience levels will also be higher than the satellite channels.

COMMENTS

It was my intention to keep the above information brief and just to give you a feel of what is available. The skill in understanding this marketplace background is where I come in with over 30 years of background and direct contacts with the media owners.

The research audience data in the UK is highly sophisticated and this can be discussed, should you be interested in advertising on TV,

Before I move on here is a list of the TV comercial sizes that can be purchased :

10′, 20′, 30′, 40′ and 60′ seconds. (the average Uk TV commercial is 30 seconds).

RADIO

‘The theatre of the mind’ as I call it or as known in the industry.

Commercial radio in the Uk can be purchased locally or on a national basis. The flexibility of radio is the benifit of immediate call to action and can be used in any combination with other media or stand alone.

Local radio can be very cheap and a great way to promote any product or service, and add frequency to any campaign.

NATIONAL PRESS

Who said national press was dead, national press still attracts millions of readers day in day out.

The main uk titles are:

Sun and News of the world

Daily/ Sunday Mirror

Daily/ Sunday Mail

Daily/ Sunday Express

Daily/ Sunday Telegraph

Daily/ Sunday Times

Daily/ Independont on Sunday

Daily/ Sunday Star

FT

(there are other titles)

The various titles above reach a wide range of demographics, and can be planned to reach your target market using an array of sizes in colour or black and white. Lets not forget they also carry a wide variety of supplements which cover many topics ie Fashion, Food and Drink, Motoring etc.

LOCAL and REGIONAL PRESS

You will find thousands of these titles throughout the Uk, from free sheets to paid for titles.

They cover virtually every town and city in the UK.

They tend to cover just local news and events, and carry local classified advertising.

A great combination with local radio.

However if you are launching a product or service nationally and using local/regional press, you should compare the cost of a local/regional press campaign with national press. As sometimes you will find the national press option more cost-effective.

MAGAZINES

There are too many glossy magazines to list here, however there are many available within the Uk. Covering every topic and lifestyle you can think of.

From ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Homes and Garden’ to ‘Fish friers Gazette’ yes really.

The opportunities for reaching your potential customers (target market) can certainly be achieved with good planning and buying.

Within the glossy titles you can purchase (as an example) 1/4pages, 1/2pages, pages and double page spreads etc.

The key to getting it right is knowing your budget level and creative treatment and finally your target market.

Once this is set it’s just a matter of good planning and negotiating on your behalf.

It should also be noted that many of these titles also carry classified advertising.

CINEMA

Cinema is an exellent media opportunity for exposing your brand or service to the younger end of the market ie 15-25 year olds. Using longer commercials which add great impact.

Cinema can be purchased in many packages from a particular genre to locations throughout the UK.

POSTERS

Or outdoor as we like to call it in the media.
This covers a wide range of media options:

Static posters
Buses
Taxis
Mobile posters
London underground
Railway advertising
Bus stop advertising
Store advertising
Airports
Ferry ports

It varies quite a lot and the opportunities are vast.

The key to any outdoor poster advertising in creative copy. By this I mean if you are placing a static poster wherever it may be, the copy must be short and concise, as your creative message has to be seen and understood quickly and easily, as passers by only have a shorttime frame to take onboard your message.

With locations such as bus stops railway stations and inparticular the underground stations it is possible to impart more copy as your potential viewer has more time to read your advertising copy.

The larger outdoor static sites are an exellent way for promoting your branding proposition.

With store posters being ideal to reach your potential customers at their point of purchase

Outdoor media opportunities can be found throughout the Uk, from high streets to airports.

COMMENTS

I have tried to give a rough guide to the various media opportunities available to you throughout this blog for promoting your brand, product or services. I will update this article from time to time and hope you have found some of this information useful.

If you are considering advertising within the Uk and need further help you can contact me by e-mail harrymedia@aol.com

I have worked in Uk advertising for just over 30 years, where I have been responsible for the planning and buying of many advertising campaigns, across all media. I have teamed up with http://www.effectivetv.com/ to bring and make my services available to you. Please feel free to contact us. My e-mail is harrymedia@aol.com

What motivates a person to buy a new product or buy from a new vendor? In my experiences it has often been the right combination of both timing and offering. That can be a daunting proposition as this delicate mixture may be difficult to attain. Likewise, because timing is so crucial, it requires persistence without aggravating the prospect. Manipulating the advertising formula so as not to become truly bothersome only increases the frustration for the professional salesperson. What is too much? What is too little? What message will get me a response?

In today’s age of technology, constant advertisement, and product tie-ins, it has become increasingly difficult to get noticed. Apple, Coke, McDonald’s and the other corporate giants need not contend with such a concern. Thanks to years of marketing and a seemingly bottomless budget, their brand is everywhere. My experience suggests that all this noise has ironically created a level of complacency in the buyers like never before. It’s becoming harder and more expensive to find that creative outlet.

With regard to this topic, I define buyer complacency as nothing more than an unwillingness to learn or explore new alternatives. Advertisers eagerly attempting to acquire new business are the true culprits. They in effect have cannibalized the very market they seek to gain. Of course, advertisers cannot simply pull the plug or they will lose valuable exposure. The result of this saturation appears to be that the buyer, overwhelmed with possibilities, ignores most of them opting to do nothing instead. He/she never learns what unique benefits could have been realized. Adopting a “if it ‘ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality ignores the very real possibility that “it” is already broken. For example, why replace a printer that still prints? Well, perhaps a new one could increase productivity, offer color options, and cost less in the long run or the short run for that matter?

And yet, I am guilty of the very same “offense” that I write about. In fact, most of us are. How much abuse do we absorb from the cable company, our bank, car service centers, etc. before we search for an alternative? For most of us, it’s quite a bit. Why? Because, if the pain we receive isn’t great enough, we’ll simply accept what we get.

My chosen industry is in office products. Despite it being a $250 billion dollar industry and serving as the fuel for commerce, some may consider it petty. Nevertheless, it is fiercely competitive and alternatives exist everywhere. For this very reason, I am often astonished by a buyer’s unwillingness to examine new options. I hear how prices change too often, delivery is sporadic, selection poor, and so on…only to later learn that they are too complacent to switch. Ultimately, it’s what they know even though what they know is causing them concern. This supposed comfort zone is a tough beast to slay. Too often my would be clients gravitate towards the big national suppliers while dismissing opportunities right in front of them simply because it is the perceived easiest way and because my competitors jingle has effectively penetrated my prospects core. That makes my job and my marketing that much harder. I’m up to the challenge.

I believe that if a company will do the right things the right way and do it long enough, they will have the right clients. Such has been the case to date. As managing partner of OfficeBundle, we have worked hard to create a unique buying experience and methodology that addresses the common concern of price. We rarely have a customer service issue and we have an extremely low return rate. Why? Because for the clients we are fortunate enough to serve, we made it through the noise and they in turn were able to analyze us to create a perfect match.

Timing and offering, that’s the planetary alignment we in the middle market are constantly seeking. I’m sensitive to it now. I don’t throw away a letter simply because it’s trying to sell me something. I glance at most e-mails just in case there is an offer that would benefit me. The daily battle continues.

Tommy has been in the office supply industry for over 12 years having worked for a big national supplier, manufacturers, and an independent supplier. As the founder of OfficeBundle.com, he has established a website to assist office managers buy smarter, save, and earn rewards. See how it works here http://www.officebundle.com/howitworks.html

If you had to guess the single most important word in advertising what would it be: free, special, discount, sale, new, improved, bigger, better?

So many words have lost their meaning or been corrupted by misuse or abuse that it is not an obvious choice. The words luxury, exclusive, and world class have been rendered meaningless after being applied to everything from eight hundred square foot condos to restaurants that serve microwave frozen dinners. We can’t even rely on light, diet, or low carb to actually describe what’s inside a package.

What advertisers have done is create a hyper cynical marketplace, where the audience for whatever you sell has lost faith in what is being said. The Web with its emphasis on content gives advertisers an opportunity to redeem themselves and to deliver meaningful information to its audience.

All Content Is Advertising, All Advertising Isn’t

Some may cringe at the thought but in the final analysis all content is a form of advertising. Content is rarely if ever neutral, even if it doesn’t overtly promote a product or service; content always has a point to make, or an idea, concept, or position to advance. If content doesn’t provide some perspective, some meaningful knowledge, then does it really qualify as content? The same can be said for advertising, if it doesn’t explain, enlighten or engage, it is just noise.

What Is Advertising’s Most Important Word?

My vote goes to the simple innocuous word “like:” a nondescript word that carries with it all the conceptualization power you need to create a business identity, to form a brand personality, and to position your product or service in the mind of your audience. A previous article of mine “A Website Without Video Is Like…” uses the power of metaphor to illustrate how this little four-letter word can crystallize an idea in the mind of an audience.

Metaphor + Analogy + Stories: The Adman’s Best Friends

A metaphor explains complex concepts and hard to comprehend processes by comparing them to common everyday knowledge. We use metaphors everyday without even realizing we’re doing it. We ‘race’ to the office. We work like ‘dogs.” And we all know, it’s a ‘jungle’ out there. Metaphors are critical to the way we communicate with each other and to the success of our marketing communication and advertising.

Metaphors can be extended into analogies, and analogies into stories, and stories into campaigns; and campaigns developed in this manner have a higher probability of achieving the elusive status of meaningful content that embeds your message in your audience’s collective consciousness. There is no better way to overcome a client’s objection than to put that objection into perspective with an appropriate allegorical story.

Overcoming Objections: How Long Is Too Long?

We’ve all heard the constant bellyaching from impatience Web users about how long they have to wait for everything on the Web. Every time I hear this from somebody, I am reminded of the story (perhaps apocryphal) of the early introduction of the Polaroid Land camera.

Before the days of one-hour photo shops, digital photography, and instant video feedback, people had to wait up to a week for their pictures to be developed by the local pharmacy or camera shop. When Polaroid came out with a camera that delivered a finished photograph in sixty seconds, people were amazed; the era of instant gratification had begun.

So the story goes, a group of adventurers traveled deep into the Brazilian Rainforest to learn about the indigenous people. When they came across a tribe who had never seen outsiders before, they befriended them and took pictures of them with the Polaroid cameras they brought along. The natives loved the pictures since they had never seen anything like this before, but they did have one complaint, ‘why did it take so long for the pictures to develop?’

The problem is not technology; the problem is one of perception. Like the natives who perceived the sixty second developing of photographs to be slow, so to do many Web-users perceive the Internet to be slow when in fact it is an incredible technological achievement where anyone with a computer and Internet connection can access information from all over the world in seconds or, heaven forbid, minutes.

The Better The Story, The Better The Communication

The solution to the problem is better communication, making yourself and your message instantly understood. People who are truly interested in what you have to say will wait for your Web page or video to load. What gets them frustrated is when they wait, and instead of getting a meaningful message, they get a bunch of nonsense that is irrelevant, self-congratulatory or completely incomprehensible.

A video or audio message on your website is more easily grasped than a page full of densely written text or cryptic bulleted points. But you will loose your audience quickly no matter what the form of your message if it’s confusing, muddled, overly complex, or buried in b-school platitudes and industry jargon.

You need your message to be understandable, engaging, and memorable and one of the best ways to convey that message is to compare it to something your audience can relate to. It’s like teaching your kids a life lesson by reading them one of Aesop’s Fables.

Finding Your Metaphor

Some people have a knack for expressing things in a way that an audience will instantly grasp and more importantly remember. For those of us in the communication, marketing, advertising, and creative development businesses it is a necessary skill learned over the years. But for those in the day-to-day grind of business’s nitty-gritty it is rarely an ability that ever gets developed.

Creating a Web video campaign that your audience is going to watch, remember, and pass on to colleagues requires a commitment of time and money, and you want to make sure it communicates your message effectively. Rather than using your traditional approach concentrating of features and facts, try something different; try developing a campaign based on a metaphor that delivers your brand’s personality and emotional value-add.

Where to begin? You need to set yourself free from the concrete, and concentrate on the conceptual. If this seems like a difficult thing to wrap your head around, then start with baby steps.

Concentrate On The Conceptual

Any effective marketing campaign whether it’s a series of Web videos, direct emails, magazine display ads, banner ads, outdoor billboards, television and radio spots, or any combination there of, will only work if it focuses on a single message.

At the heart of all advertising is the promise you commit to delivering to your clients. No matter how clever or memorable your marketing, if you fail to deliver on that promise, you will fail.

Learn a lesson from the politicians. The general publics’ opinion of politicians is about on a par with having a prostate exam. Politicians can’t help themselves, the promise the electorate what the electorate wants to hear, and then fail to deliver on promises that can never be kept. Consequently, people become cynical and distrust everything politicians say.

Failure to deliver on your promise to be the cheapest, the best, or the guy with the most features, is like a politician promising no new taxes. Read my lips! Those kinds of promises are a prescription for marketing disaster.

Taking the conceptual approach requires a certain degree of confidence and an understanding that you are going to have to give something up to get something in return. If you present your identity as the Timex of widgets, inexpensive and ubiquitous; then you are giving up the audience looking for the Rolex of widgets, expensive and exclusive.

Audience Resonance: It’s All About Striking A Nerve

One of the most memorable commercials ever to appear on television was the 1985 introduction of the Apple Macintosh computer. The anti-big brother message said nothing of bits or bytes, or anything else computer related, but it did establish Apple’s character and personality with its allegorical message, a message that is still valid today.

If your marketing message lacks this kind of power and personality; if your advertising is getting lost, or drowned-out by the competition, try finding a metaphor that instantly tells your audience who you are and why they should care.

Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.com.
Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.

What you should know about the advantage of infomercials?

In reality, if you watch a TV commercial in a 30-second spot. You may be interested to know the product; but that is about it. The next thing you do is search the internet or go to the store to know more of the product or go to the place to know more of the service. This factor is a hassle if you get interested with the product or service right away.

If you are marketing your products and services, your objectives are to generate product/service
knowledge, then leading to market position, and productive revenue. In most circumstances, and in some corporate culture around the globe, you might want to value generating less capital on marketing expenses but maximizing results. But that depends on your marketing concept and direction, products or services, and your budget. And one of the most effective avenue for reaching and persuading vast numbers of people to try your products or services is the television.

This is when infomercials come in. Infomercials are joined terms of “information” and “commercials.” It is a commercial television or radio program offering the sponsor’s/ advertiser’s message to its target market or consumer demographic about the product or service. Infomercials are also known as Direct Response TV (DRTV), obviously, because they are aired on UHF and VHF channels and it results favorable response from its viewers. It is some people’s perception that infomercials are overrated. But no, they are not. The benefit of a direct response TV is its real-time inquiry and the advantage to place an order. This is in contrast with a 30-second commercial where the objective is to increase the visibility of the brand name. DRTV is the best advertising format especially for new and innovative products or services that can be demonstrated and shown.

Products and services like health and fitness products, cosmetics, dermatological and personal care products, nutritional supplements, kitchenware, appliances, spas, salons, and other products and services engage in Direct Response Marketing because they want to achieve a call-to-action: a direct response from a target audience or consumer who have seen your TV spot at a local or cable channel.

Direct Response Marketing or infomercials’ objective is to communicate its message DIRECTLY to its target audience or consumer demographics. Your message is your Product, Place of Distribution, and Price. Your message is mandatory. If you fail to do this, then your marketing strategy is a flop. The strategy to this is to give full information about the service or product; service’s or product’s pricing structure; where they can purchase the product; what the product’s or services unique selling point or the competitive advantage compared to other product type or service type; and the benefits and advantages of the product or the service.

With infomercials, a direct response television advertising agency, have the luxury of advertising placement to media networks to discuss everything about the product in a maximum of a 60-minute slot on TV. Compared with the usual 30-second or 1-minute TV commercials, infomercials can better persuade viewers to look seriously into the product or service, they have the ability to reach, engage and affect the audience intimately to certain degree that some viewers get addicted to watching infomercials to burn time or just because they are hooked.

If you would like to know more about infomercials, direct response TV, or direct response marketing, contact a direct response TV advertising agency near you.

Dhorj Escusa is a web copywriter and PR writer for a web design company that builds websites and increases web visibility through optimization and promotion.

And the sad part is that you may not even know it. But let’s back up to a year ago when you were meeting with your Yellow Page representative. He or she came in and together you looked over your program. Everything seemed fine. You reviewed the the competition, the pricing, and the content. You signed off and settled in for another year. Are you happy with your visit and the outcome? Is your ad working well for you? Do you know that you could be doing better?

First a word about myself. I was hired by Mountain Bell in the early 80’s as a premise rep. Therefore, I was a Yellow Page consultant for nearly 25 years and, prior to that, had my own advertising agency. I also have a degree in marketing. Furthermore, I’ve been designing Yellow Page ads for the past three decades. So I have experience in creating ads and have advised almost 7000 companies on how to put together the most effective ones. If you have a display or in-column ad, regardless of size, color or position, I can tell you it most probably needs improvement in essentials areas like the headline, artwork, body text, placement, book, or heading. So, whether you have an ad or are thinking about placing one, please read on. Before I go any further, let me ask you a few simple questions:

• How are you tracking your results?
• What is the return on your investment?
• Is your headline creative and evocative?
• Did you present a feature and benefit story in your ad?
• Are you enticing a call for action?

The success or failure of your ad is dependent upon your answers. The first two are related. You ROI or return on investment, is the profit you make on the ad based on the money spent. You can only know that amount if you track the customers the ad brings in. It can be a special phone number or simple phrase like, “ask for Alice” in the text.

Next, the headline is more than your name. It should ask a question or make a statement that will explain why you are unique in your industry. “Ask About Our No-Nonsense Lifetime Warranty,” or “We Don’t Sell Insurance, We offer Assurance,” are just two examples. Then look at you copy and include the items that you have available; sales, service, brands, and whatever you can offer your customers. You end with a demand for the sale like, “Call today for a free brochure, consultation, discount” or whatever you can present that will make that phone ring.

Ad failure can be result of the ad not living up to it’s potential. More likely than not, it can be spruced up and modified without spending a single additional dime. If you would like additional tips on what to do and how to do it, visit my website, poweradbook.com today. Understand that I’m not a consultant trying to sign you up for anything. But I do have a wealth of knowledge and can predict that you have a terrific business and would love to have a more effective YP ad. I feel you pain and am here to help. Failure is not an option especially in this competitive environment. Make your ad work harder without spending more. You owe it to yourself, your company, your employees and your customers.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years.
He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He authored a book about his directory years, “Inside the Yellow Pages” which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com and he is currently the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information site and http://www.menuelephant.com which posts restaurant menus on the “site you’ll never forget.”