Newspaper Advertising - Local Area

What's the best way to reach the local business owners in my area?

I'm thinking of marketing some small business consulting services. I was going to test a few direct repsonse type ads in my local papers offering a report on something like small business or marketing mistakes.

One paper readership is something like 100,000 and the other is around 50,000.

Does anyone have any comments? Is the business section better to advertise in vs the main/front section? What about a week day (Tues, Weds, Thurs) vs. the weekend?

Thanks in advance!
Matt

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by CopyCub

What's the best way to reach the local business owners in my area?

I'm thinking of marketing some small business consulting services. I was going to test a few direct repsonse type ads in my local papers offering a report on something like small business or marketing mistakes.

One paper readership is something like 100,000 and the other is around 50,000.

Does anyone have any comments? Is the business section better to advertise in vs the main/front section? What about a week day (Tues, Weds, Thurs) vs. the weekend?

Thanks in advance!
Matt

I could be wrong.

You are fighting an extreme uphill battle. First, small business owners are not a 'niche' or group...some like sports and only read the sports section, others may read business. I think if you pursue this route, you won't get a single response. NOT ONE. But, feel free to test it out.

Direct Important MAIL to the owner is probably your best chance immediately followed up by an in person visit. Maybe visit and then mail.

Small business CONSULTING services pointing out mistakes is a tough sell UNLESS you have some proof you've used your methods and have been wildly successful. Even then there is a smug arrogance that surrounds many small business owners, because he thinks "my business is different". Good luck.

Gordon Jay Alexander

Hi Matt,

After spending many years in the Newspaper industry...

Newspaper Advertising is way too Costly...

And in most cases Ineffective unless you have Unlimited monies to spend like the Big companies...

If you're interested in Getting a Great ROI on minimal funds...

Use Jay Conrad Levinson type methods...

Guerrilla Marketing Books down the page...
http://www.gmarketing.com/store/

A Great SowPub thread to review on the topic...

Getting to Business Owners Cheaply...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=16078

If you're willing to invest a little money...

There's some Excellent Offline small business consulting related info throughout the WSO Forum amongst other Great Money making ideas...

And a little spying & brainstorming...

Don't mean to send anyone to another forum... Although we haven't seen http://entrepreneurshotsheet.blogspot.com/ in awhile...

Dien must be too busy...

Definitely some Golden Hotsheets worth reviewing...
http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=15

Phil

For-ged-aboud-id

If you don't know how to do Small Business Consulting on your own business and need to ask us for Help, maybe you should do something else.

Michael Ross

I have a different mind set. Test test and test. You have to test it like anything else. These guys never did so how do they know. I don't profess to know without testing. Did do you know consulting. It is a hard sell. I know that from experience. I do accounting and taxes very little consulting. And I studied so many of the best. Jay Abraham, Melvin Power, Dan S. Kennedy, Joseph Cossman and Hill and Stone and many many more.

I know 60 ways to promote. Maybe more.

Hi Matt,

You asked...What's the best way to reach the local business owners in my area?

Join your local area chamber of commerce.
Participate in after hours business meetings.

Hand out your business card. And, don't be afraid to ask for their business.

Always works for me.

My Best 2 U,

LindaC

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Originally Posted by CopyCub

What's the best way to reach the local business owners in my area?

I'm thinking of marketing some small business consulting services. I was going to test a few direct repsonse type ads in my local papers offering a report on something like small business or marketing mistakes.

One paper readership is something like 100,000 and the other is around 50,000.

Does anyone have any comments? Is the business section better to advertise in vs the main/front section? What about a week day (Tues, Weds, Thurs) vs. the weekend?

Thanks in advance!
Matt

In my town of about 25,000, there's a "Business License Office" in City Hall where every business has had to "Register Their Business" ($50 one-time fee) and...the woman who handles this dept has a List of Every Business that paid the fee for the past 20 yrs or so.

This List shows the name of the Owner and where he/she is located (so I can tell if they are out-of-town owners)

I get a copy of this List by simply paying $2 for a Copy. Plus, she emails me every month with new additions.

Now, maybe they don't do this in larger towns but, doesn't take much time to ask around at City Hall.

Don Alm
P.S. When talking to potential clients about "Newspaper Advertising" do NOT mention the word "Readership". Most business owners know that the word "Readership" is what the newspaper ad sales use to "sell" their ad space AND...biz owners know the ONLY thing that counts is "How Many Papers Do They Print!"

Our local newspaper "Prints" 20,000 newspapers a day and...on any given day they quote the "Readership" as 40,000 to 60,000....which "supposes" that 2 to 3 people actually "Read" the newspaper. This is "Hogwash". How does anyone know how many people "read" the paper? In fact, not every paper is even read by one person. Thus, when us "advertisers in the know" look at "circulation numbers" we take the actual number of papers printed and divide by 2 to get a more accurate idea of the number of "Readers" who will possiblt see out ads.

Most of those type of Lists and databases are usually available in Larger cities too...

And many Turn those Lists into much more than Lead Generation...

Simply by Re-Creating that info into Avery Label Hotsheets and Marketing them to multiple businesses and more...

Regarding Readership and the newspaper industry...

In Canada we usually use Sept/Oct... And setup Mega Sampling programs to increase Circulation Figures...

To get the Circulation Numbers up and ready for the Annual Newspaper circulation surveys & audits...

It's just part of the whole Newspaper circulation business and the marketing of newspapers...

Unfortunately... Advertisers don't usually get what they pay for as Readership is full of Unknown mysteries...

As we all know the internet is Changing Newspapers in all sorts of ways...

Which leads to Unlimited ideas and opportunities for Anyone to develop Niche newspapers online & offline using Creative advertising/affiliate type business models... Which many are doing...

A few newspaper industry resources and info... Might give some a few ideas...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_circulation
http://www.nadbank.com/
http://www.naa.org/Resources/Publica...08-Jan-31.aspx
http://www.naa.org/docs/TrendsandNum...-Reach-new.pdf

Phil

So is the "readership" deal just all phooey then? I agree that 1 paper can be read by more than one person, but I wonder how they are coming up with their numbers maybe picking from a hat?

I think I need something more serious about their totals than something like this and I think thats why I have avoided any local paper ads lately.