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Effective Advertising Workshops Newsletter
Issue IV Volume 1
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Dear Reader,
We are just days into the New Year and indications are that it will be a year to remember.
Another good workshop in West Palm Beach...business may be on the increase in South Florida. That's the opinion of several folks we met.
According to the SBA, there are over six million businesses with less than 100 employees. These are the movers and shakers of this economy. This is who we meet week-in and week-out at our workshops. These business owners can hire new employees and turn the unemployment picture around. They have the freedom and authority to see or hear a good idea and say yes! They can take advantage of a fabulous offer because they don't need anyone's permission. Many business owners see the opportunity that our television partners offer and take advantage of it...just like in West Palm Beach.
We will be back in Lexington in February...for the 4th year. There are advertisers that grabbed at the opportunity that our TV partner offered four years ago....and are still advertising. Why? Simple. It works.
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| YELLOW PAGES - Can I quit? |
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We had a great conversation with an HVAC owner while we were in West Palm Beach. In a diminishing economy, he needed to figure out how to cut costs and yet keep his current business levels. He decided one way was to make his marketing partners be more accountable.
Fewer and fewer leads were coming from the yellow page ads and since his business spread over three population centers, he had maintained a full page ad in three different yellow books. The telephone company let him know that his rate was going to increase by $3000/month...from $12,000 to $15,000. That was too much! Our business owner told them to cut two of the full pages out...reduce to just one full page ad and have bold print business names in the other two books. The telephone company's response? "OK, that will be $9,000 a month!" That was the last straw. Our business owner cancelled all the yellow page ads in 2008. When I asked him why more businesses don't do that? His response? - "fear of loss". The bottom line? His business is doing just fine; our HVAC owner took 19% to the bottom line last year.
Here's another idea from the same business owner. Since his business spread over three counties, there were phone company toll charges coming and going. He switched to a VOIP (Voice-Over -Internet-Protocol), eliminating all of the company toll charges. He figures that AT&T lost over $200,000 between his yellow page ads and his phone bill.
Don't you worry about "fear of loss". There's an attorney in Macon, GA and Lexington KY; an RV dealer in Greenville, SC; an orthodontist in Albany, NY; and a locksmith in Cincinnati, as well as the HVAC owner in Florida that have gone cold turkey with their yellow page advertising, and all are doing quite well, thank you.
The yellow pages are not the "directory " anymore....the Internet has taken over and is pulling away. Worry about your web site, not your YP ads.
Don't forget that in order to cancel a yellow book ad, you must write to the company, on letterhead, and send a certified, return-receipt cancellation letter. Verbal cancellations will not be honored. Your contract is forever and will automatically renew unless you cancel it in writing (it's in the fine print).
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Couldn't resist - |
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| In every seminar we stress the importance of branding.
The message seems to be getting through!
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| We Get Letters ... |
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Thanks for writing to us, we will answer all questions and try to help you with your marketing problems. Our "bank" of advertiser endorsements and commercials is growing by leaps and bounds. The newest are from an attorney, a medical services company (sort of an umbrella company offering many different services all under one roof) and two non-profits. All of these endorsements are on our web site www.effectiveadvertisingseminars.com. User name : new Password: revenue.
A chiropractor inquired about going to one of our workshops and whether we had any other learning tools? Beginning February 1st, we will post the dates of our workshops on our website. You can hopefully find one near you. If not, let us know, we will try to find a partner and bring our Effective Advertising Workshop to you.
The best learning tools are your peers and how they use various media to market their products and services. In our collective years of experience, we have not found any better way to brand your business than with our proven Reach, Frequency and Consistency methodology.
A non-profit Assisted Living services company wrote:
"I enjoy your newsletters and the information you provide is most helpful. I do have a question regarding radio advertising. We are looking to reach an audience of women over 45 years of age for our particular services. Is radio a consideration for that audience? If not, what would you recommend? Our advertising is focused on branding the name since our services do not constitute an impulse response."
Our response:
"Either radio or television should do the trick - both are primary branding vehicles. Radio is still ok with an older audience...it's the young people that have tuned out. Look at the Radio Arbitron ratings or the television Nielsen surveys, both can help you pinpoint that 45+ audience that you need. Please remember that branding does not happen overnight. Like growing a fruit tree, or winning a lady's heart, it takes TIME. Be patient.
On our web site www.effectiveadvertisingseminars.com, you will find an endorsement page. (To login - User name : new Password: revenue)and there are at least two assisted-living centers that can tell you just how their advertising has worked, and one is a not-for-profit".
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Email any advertising or marketing question that you have to us at larrykirbyincharleston@yahoo.com and we will try to help.
A recurring theme that we are hearing more and more as the economy stays stagnant. How can you assure me that your plan will work? I can't afford to add anything to my budget, this MUST work for me and deliver new customers.
As Dr. Lewis of Lafayette, LA says in his video, "I was doubtful. But the value was there and I took a chance. The advertising package was affordable and it paid for itself in just three months!"
Larry Kirby
Effective Advertising Workshops |
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