If You Must...: How to Make Print Advertising Work for You

Winter is a time when many of us start planning marketing strategy for next year. With this economy, we need a sound strategy more than ever. I thought now would be a good time to share an excerpt from my new book with you.

This excerpt is marketing strategy #42: If You Must... and is included in Chapter 8. I've abridged it a bit and expanded on other details that are not in the book. I haven't covered anything relating to print advertising before so I thought this would be a timely addition.

Advertising is expensive; especially for a full-color ad that is large enough to grab a reader's attention. In addition to that, the ad must run consistently over time for your brand to stick in the mind of a consumer. This adds up to big bucks, which means you need a higher return on that investment than just a few measly glances from readers.

My recommendation is to use your print advertising as a way to collect leads that you can communicate with into the future--beyond the advertisement. How do you collect these leads and potential clients via your print advertising? You do this by encouraging readers to visit you online--whether it's your website, blog or Facebook.

You must then go the extra step and encourage them to take action. This could be in the form of subscribing to your blog's rss feed, signing up for your company newsletter or following you on Twitter.

If you are able to do this, then you have a potential prospect, or referral source, that you can communicate and build a relationship with over time. Of course, the most difficult part of this strategy is moving the reader from advertisement to online.

Here are some ideas for you:

• Offer a monthly company newsletter with valuable information that they can subscribe to.



• Offer a weekly email tip that they can subscribe to (similar to my weekly Profit Tip).



• Give away coupons and other special offers. Require an email address in order to download the coupons. This is probably best for gardening and maintenance companies.



• Give away useful information. As an example, when I advertised in a neighborhood of historic homes, I offered a free list of heirloom plants appropriate for these homes. Readers could visit my website and download the list for free in exchange for their name and email address.



• Offer maintenance advice via video. Post "how to" maintenance videos on your blog that coincides with the season and time you are advertising. Encourage visitors to subscribe to your blog's feed to receive new videos as they are published.



• Encourage readers to visit your online portfolio, whether it's on your website, blog or Flickr.



• Encourage readers to visit your online social networks. In the advertisement, don't just say, "Follow us on Facebook"; instead encourage readers to, "follow the progress of Zeeland Library's $100,000 landscape renovation on our Facebook fan page."

Don't try to be all things to all people when it comes to advertising. Target those publications with readers at specific income levels, professions or hobbies that are in alignment with those of your clientele.