Quote:
Originally Posted by demian5
Gotta state something that gets me to want to use you when I am driving distance from 3 of the places I listed.
Just my 2 cents.
|
I agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Classic Heartbeat
I guess there is no value in our help and experience. WES
|
I don't agree.
The whole question of advertising in general has been rolling around in my head for 24+ years, ever since I've been a retailer. I sell different stuff than you but I'd venture to guess it really isn't much different. I've always felt ( up until 4 months ago, more on that in a minute.) that my advertisement dollars were basically money thrown directly in the trash can. I tried the local papers, TV, the thrifty nickel (a free publication placed in all the restaurants etc.), menus, the backs of grocery store receipts, calendars, mini footballs they throw out at high school football games, you get the picture. With a budget of only a few hundred a week it seemed like i would get just enough business from the ad to cover the cost of the ad. Sometimes I would see no results. Eventually I just quit these methods all together and felt all the better, like I was saving money, which is the same as earning it in my eyes.
Along came the interwebs and now its all changed. You nearly have to be on every social media site, posting like a teenager in love, or spend a gianormous load of cash to an SEO company to get in front of their face. For several reasons, I don't have the desire to do this, but I do believe it works when done properly.
Back in June I decided to close a store. I didn't want to hire any more employees only to let them go after the store was closed, so I hired a liquidation company to handle the management and sales for the event. Part of the contract that they required of me was to advertise via direct mail. 10,000 8.5 x 11 heavy card-stock flyers a week through the US post office program called E.D.D.M. which stands for every door direct mail. The cost comes in at 33 cents each. yes, 3 grand a week, ouch. The commitment was for 8 weeks, but it was such a success I asked them to stay for 2 more, so 10 weeks total. I sold the equivalent of 2 years worth of product in 2.5 months.
I say all this to recommend that you look for a GOOD mailing list and directly mail to guys like us. Look for your specific demographic, I'm guessing the majority of the board is over 40 and male. Personally, I save all of the truck related stuff that comes in the mail and put it near the porcelain throne for in depth study while attending to the "grunt". This way, when I'm ready to buy whatever I'm needing, I have already done the homework to make the purchase.
In regard to how well your ad grabs attention, there are so many schools of thought on this I say print what you like. Yeah, you're not gonna win them all but remember, you are trying to get older guys attention, so I don't think flash is needed.
Hope this gives you some help somehow. It is my real life experience and I will continue to use it for event oriented sales, maybe 3-5 times a year, to stay in the minds of potential buyers.
