PRINT ADVERTISING

     The largest proportion of your advertising budget will probably be spent on print advertising. Alternative methods of advertising will be discussed in a later chapter. The primary forms of print advertising are newspapers and, to a lesser extent, magazines. The most important component of a print ad will be the headline. Unless your headline sells the product, you have wasted 90% of your money. It is for this reason that we will spend some time dis­cussing headlines.

HEADLINES

     The primary purpose of a headline is to induce people to read your ad. It must get immediate attention. Research has proven that five times as many people will read the headline as will read the copy. It is important that the headline induce the reading of the ad. If no one reads the copy, it will be difficult to sell your product or service. Some of the strongest words to use in a headline are:

     Free, New, Stop, At Last, and Don't

     While there are always exceptions to any rules, generally speaking, a head­line that is a question is better than a statement. It should target the people that would be interested in the product or services that you are offering. If you are advertising for someone to earn extra income "driving traffic" to web sites, you would target your ad to housewives or students.

     "Students: earn extra income on the internet!"

     The headline should also make a promise whenever possible and offer a reward for reading the ad.

     "Become financially independent in just 60 days" "Make $1,000 a day"

     Words and phrases that indicate a promise are strong, such as:

     How, Here's, These, Which, Which of These, Who, Who Else, Where, When, What, or Why

TWO TYPES OF HEADLINES

     There are two types of headlines that will get the best results. One uses a positive approach, the other a negative one.

POSITIVE
You convey a positive message with words that show a reader how he can SAVE, GAIN, or ACCOMPLISH something through the use of your product or service. You demonstrate how it will increase his mental, financial, andsocial well-being or security.

NEGATIVE
A negative approach points out how a reader can avoid or eliminate risks, worries, mistakes, or any other undesirable condition through the use of your product or service. It explains how it will reduce their fear of poverty, illness, or loss of business advancement.

TIPS ON WRITING GOOD HEADLINES

     Here are a few tips on what makes for a successful headline. You will need to decide which ones are appropriate for your own individual product or service.

• Use three words or less in your headline, not a phrase.
• Promise a benefit to the reader.
• Put the offer in the headline.
• Place emphasis on the word `free" whenever possible. Flag special interest groups whenever possible.
• Avoid vague words, be specific.
• Make a proposition to the customer ("Buy this and get this").

WRITING GOOD AD COPY

     Your copy should hold the attention which your headline has already won. Show people an advantage and keep showing them by being more concerned with what the product will do for them rather than what the product is.

     It is also important to use language in your copy that is similar to everyday conversation. It should be addressed to the individual in the form of short sentences and brief paragraphs. Depending on the size of the ad, space permitting, you should try telling not only what the product is, but what the product will do. You can even write the copy in the form of a story and use testimonials when available. Copy length can be as little as one or two sen­tences, or as much as several paragraphs.

TIPS ON GOOD AD COPY

Always include a telephone number in your ad.
Ask people to act now, and give them a good reason to do so.
Avoid trying to tell too much in your copy.
What you say in the copy is more important than how you say it.

     The best way to show people the advantages of your product or service is to appeal to emotions.

PROPER USE OF FACTS

     The more facts you are able to present in your copy, the more credible your advertisement. As we can recall from our Sales Training & Direction Guide, people really WANT to buy. Facts give them an excuse to do so. Facts prove and justify our convictions which are necessary to create and justify sales. Good ad copy will dig for facts. A fact can take on many different forms such as state­ments, figures, and photographs.

CHECKLIST FOR YOUR AD

In order to assess the potential success of your ad, ask yourself if your ad:
• Attracts attention
• Stimulates interest
• Carries conviction
• Induces action

Can you answer positively to these three questions:
• Why should anyone read it?
• Why would anyone believe it?
• Why should anyone act on it?

If your ad meets these qualifications, you should have a winner!

CHOOSING WHERE TO RUN YOUR AD

     It is just as important where your ad is running as opposed to how good the headline and copy are. Whether you are advertising in newspapers or magazines, you will want to know what type of newspaper or magazine you are paying for. In the case of magazines, they have a much more targeted readership.

     Since our products and services are Internet-related (for this example), you will target publications that primarily cater to that industry or related interests. Keep in mind that we are offering people a unique opportunity to become financially independent through a home based business. This will open up other publications as well. In order to know where to advertise, you must first decide who you are targeting in the ads.

EXAMPLE:
WHAT IS YOUR SERVICE?
• Offering a business opportunity by becoming an Internet service provider.
WHO WOULD HAVE INTEREST?
• Individuals seeking to increase their income.
• Individuals seeking a home based business.
YOU NOW HAVE TARGETED TWO TYPES OF GROUPS
NEWSPAPERS:
Wall Street journal or any major city newspaper.
MAGAZINES:
Money, Entrepreneur, Opportunity Magazine
You would not be placing your ads in Field And Stream or The Farmer's Gazette.
GETTING YOUR AD PUBLISHED
At this point, you should know:
• How to write a strong, concise headline.
• How to write good copy that carries the inducement of the headline.
• What types of publications to run your ad in, based on your product or service.

PLACING YOUR AD

Decide on a Budget

     Assuming the success or failure of your business will be based on proper advertising, you should have a budget in mind based on your own resources. Your budget will determine:
• Where your ad will run
• How frequently it will run
• How long your ad will run
• How long your ad will be

     Proper advertising is the only way to protect your investment in your business.

WRITE A HEADLINE AND COPY

     You cannot write your ad until you know what your budget is. Your budget will determine how long your copy will be, as well as what features (i.e. graphics, photographs) your budget will allow.

ORDERING YOUR AD SPACE

    First, the point type size is one of the most important considerations regard­ing your headline. Always request (10) or (14) point type in bold. When you call in your ad, ask what size point type they use in their ad headlines. They will usually tell you (6), (8) or (10). Ask what the cost increase will be to go to (10) or (14). The cost increase should be minimal and well worth it!

     Second, decide on how many words in your headline. Keep it down to three or less. When your budget allows you to go to display advertising where your ads are 1/8th, 1/4th or half a page, you will be able to use longer headlines.

     Third, in classifieds, ask for the first ad in the section, or ask how the paper is going to decide who is first in a given section. If the decision is arbitrary, ask to be the first ad in that section.

      Fourth, in classifieds, ask to have your ad positioned just above the fold of the newspaper. If available, try to be placed on the back page of the section in the upper right-hand corner. These locations will usually get the most visibility.

PRINTING YOUR AD

     Here you have two options. You can either print your own ad at a local printer and send it to the publication as "camera ready" or have the publication layout the ad for you.

     You will generally save money by sending copy in as camera ready.

PHONING IN YOUR AD

EXAMPLE:
Newspaper: The Times Herald circulation: 29,800 Norristown, PA
Phone # 610-272-250 RATES:
$21.54/column inch
DISCOUNTED 25% Second day
DISCOUNTED 50% Each day after
You can contract for 100 column inches for only $15.45/column inch and use them whenever and however you want.
Need insertion order 3 days in advance
Need copy 4 days in advance
Forms of payment: Credit card, check or prepay

REMNANT SPACE ADVERTISING

     You should always be striving to pay less than full price for advertising. All media outlets have leftover advertising space. In order to secure remnant advertising, you must be flexible and ready to make a last minute decision quickly. When considering remnant advertising, it is important to always remember that once the radio and TV shows are aired, and the magazines and newspapers are printed, no more advertising space can be sold. This creates savings for you. A publisher would much rather print a discounted ad for you, rather than leave the space blank or look for a non revenue filler.

NEWSPAPER REMNANT ADVERTISING

     Although newspapers offer the most remnant space, they are also the most difficult to work with. They tend to offer remnant space more freely to their largest advertisers rather than to the smaller guy. One of the most cost effective methods is to request several remnant spaces much smaller than the ones that you are paying for.

MAGAZINE REMNANT ADVERTISING

     National magazines offer the most remnant opportunities with different regional editions. They will usually allocate a certain number of pages exclusively for local and regional advertising. If they do not sell the space or sell an odd number of pages, they are stuck for the leftover ones. This allows you to buy the space last minute at a great discount!

     Smaller magazines also offer their share of remnant space. Although they have a much smaller readership, they usually reach a more targeted audience. Deal with them by giving a number of different sizes of your ad, and offer to pay them a small percentage of their rate card whenever they run one of your ads. The inducement for the magazine owner is that you are offering him a contin­uous source of advertising revenue that he otherwise would never have seen.

RADIO REMNANT ADVERTISING

     When you are buying advertising space on a radio station, you should always DEMAND that they offer you remnant space for free. If you purchase 12 commercial spots for the week during morning drive time, demand you get an additional 12 spots in remnant space.

TELEVISION REMNANT ADVERTISING

     All TV stations and cable networks have unsold remnant space advertising available. Many times you can purchase remnant air time for a 90% discount off the standard "rate card" cost. Always request remnant space from every station you work with.

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