Advertising is the key part of business marketing. If the advertisement succeeds, it can mean big profit. Advertising requires innovative thinking in today’s world because the traditional advertising mediums are becoming very expensive. A well thought advertising that is different may create a big impact. But advertising is not being given the attention it deserves. As soon as the profits go down or the market scenario looks bad, advertising expenditures are cut first. How much do you know about advertising in a business? Please quiz yourself about that.

What should be the ideal percentage of advertising in total marketing expenditure?

Should the advertising expenditure increase with growing business or decrease?

Which advertising media should be used for advertising in a very low budget?

Should every business advertise in the beginning?

Are advertising professionals must for getting the best return out of the expenditure?

Is a small market survey about advertising effectiveness always necessary before full-fledged advertising campaign?

Do women add value to advertising? What if you are advertising nuts and bolts?

These are some small questions that I have raised about advertising in business. Please think about the answers. Advertising is tricky, because wrong advertising means total loss. There is no scrap left to recover anything. It is like a bad dream, but it costs. A business succeeds if the advertising succeeds at the right budget. Please try some more quizzes on your personality and career and improve your performance manifold.

Scratch tickets are fun and innovative way to grow your business. They give your customers and potential customers a chance to win varying percentages of their total sale or even a freebie with their next order. It is up to you to decide what the prize on the winning tickets will be. You can easily make these yourself with scratch stickers that are readily available or you can have them custom printed.

1. When mailing out bills add a scratch off ticket inside the envelope along with every check you write and mail. Someone has to open those envelopes and you never know – they may just be interested in what you have to offer.

2. Next time you visit the doctor, go to the hair saloon or wait at the car repair place, ask if you can leave some of your scratch tickets in the waiting area. Others are waiting there every day, just like you and will pick up your tickets. Once you find a few good places, make it a point to stop by once a week or so to restock the waiting area with fresh scratch tickets.

3. Hand out scratch off tickets during craft shows, street fairs & festivals. You could give them out randomly, within a catalog or when customers buy something from you. You can either make them valid for the duration of the festival or show to encourage immediate sales, or give your visitors a month to redeem their prize.

4. When participating in “Prim Pack Swaps” or “Mom Pack Swaps” use scratch off tickets instead of business cards. This will make you stand out from all the other participants that are still using business cards and it is a lot more fun to the recipient.

5. Include a scratch off ticket with all outgoing orders. Use specific dates on your tickets to promote future sales. This is something I like to do during November & December. I use dates such as valid through January 1st through February 28th of the following year. This helps to drum up business during slow months.

I encourage you to give scratch tickets a try. You will be amazed at the amount of new business you can generate with these little cards. They are unique and fun and will catch someone’s attention. Make them a part of your marketing efforts and watch your business grow.

One of your easiest and still one of the best tools to promote your business is the good old business card. Are you taking full advantage of them, or are they simply sitting there on your desk collecting dust? If you are just carrying a few of them in your wallet or purse and hand them out when someone asks you for one, you are leaving a lot of new customers, sales and thus money on the table. Let’s take a look at the different ways you can start utilizing business cards today to grow your business.

1. Include a business card with all outgoing orders. You just never know who will be opening the envelope.

2. Post your business card on community bulletin boards. You can find these at banks grocery stores, libraries & credit unions. Make it a habit to carry business cards and push pins with you and keep an eye out for these bulleting boards.

3. Include one with your outgoing bills that you pay each month. Someone has to open those envelopes. You never know, they may just be interested in what you have to offer.

4. Leave them everywhere you go that people are waiting around. Here are a few examples to get you started: doctors offices, nail & hair salons, school lunchrooms, hospitals, and libraries to name a few.

5. Stick one inside a library book before you return it. You can also stick them inside videos you rent from your local video store.

6. Leave them on the side of your car. You can purchase an inexpensive magnetic business card holder at most office supply stores. People can easily pick one up as they walk by your parked car while you are grocery shopping or playing with the kids at the park.

7. Participate in “mom swaps” or “prim pack” swap groups. Some online communities have special section devoted to networking with others. Just do a quick Google search for Mom Swap or Mom Pack and get stated.

8. Use them as a product hangtag. Simply write your product pricing information on the backside of your business card and leave it attached after a customer purchases your item.

9. Drop your card in office store and restaurant fish bowls that offer business card drawings. Somebody actually looks through these cards and picks a winner. They may just be one of your potential customers.

10. When you meet someone new, be sure to hand him or her your business card. Even if they aren’t interested in the products and services your offer they may know someone who is.

11. Hand them out at craft shows, street fairs and festivals.

12. Check with local businesses in your area about leaving a small stack of your cards on their counter. Some smaller businesses may allow this.

13. If you have friends, family members or acquaintances that sell home party items, ask they if they would like to exchange cards with you. Offer to include their card with every outgoing order in exchange for them including yours. You can easily create your own little local business card swap.

Newspaper advertisements may cost more than those which can be posted on the Internet, however, posting your classified advertisements in the newspaper will likely increase the chance of a sale as you are reaching a more local market. It is unlikely that someone from across the country or around the world will want to purchase your used furniture, lawn mower or Kenmore washer and thus much of the traffic that would come to your Internet ad would be useless. However, due to the fact that most newspapers that feature classified advertisements have a local circulation, the chances of completing a sale through the newspaper greatly increase since the product can easily be obtained. On the contrary, if you were to find a motorcycle for sale online and the seller lived in Florida while you resided in California, it would be very difficult to purchase the item. Furthermore, with the decreasing costs of advertising in the newspaper, many people find it a viable method of advertising the products they no longer need.

Another reason why classified advertisements are so popular in newspapers is because of the reach that many larger newspapers get. For example, a newspaper such as the Boston Globe, had hundreds of thousands of readers throughout the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire and Vermont. Hence, if you are selling a product such as a car or other high-ticket item, many of these people may be interested in traveling a bit of a distance to make a purchase. By advertising in the classifieds section of larger newspapers, you are reaching an even greater number of potential customers within your local market.

Internet classified advertising does have some benefits such as it is very easy to post your ad and in certain circumstances your Internet classified advertisement may attract more visitors than your advertisement in the newspaper. Therefore, it is sensible to advertise your product on the Internet as well. By combining your newspaper and Internet advertising, you are sure to reach a large number of potential buyers in both the local and distant markets.

There are two types of classified advertisements which I would strongly recommend advertising primarily in newspapers. These types of advertisements would be promoting the sale of automobiles and low paying jobs. Many newspapers have a special section for these products/services and thus advertising these products in the newspapers is likely to reach more buyers in the local market. Advertising higher paying jobs and hard to find items, such as a classic car, can do well on the Internet since people may be willing to travel far from home for these types of jobs or to acquire a unique item. If you are selling smaller sized items, such as jewelry, clothing or books, they can be sold utilizing online portals such as Ebay, since these products are fairly easy to ship to their destination and finding a local buyer is not as imperative.

Neon signs have come a long way since their inception. Since neon was first used in signs, it has captured everyone’s imagination, and signs are ordered for business and personal use, custom made to meet one’s specific requirements.

Many retail outlets invest in custom-made neon signs to let potential customers know what they do. These signs provide cost-effective advertising, and the bright colors and lighting sell the product to the customers right at the doorstep. For example, a Chinese outlet may have a sign saying, “$1 Chinese”; a café specializing in cappuccino may have a “cappuccino” sign at their storefront; a car dealership selling Porches might have a “Porches agency” sign blinking outside their window.

Custom signs are becoming popular for personal use, too. Companies can make cartoon characters for children to hang in their bedrooms or washrooms. Hot favorites are those from animated movies such as Ice Age, Finding Nemo, and more recently Madagascar. They are good to hang in your den or kitchen, too. Custom-made neon clocks are becoming popular with enthusiasts who like to design their own glowing time machines.

Most companies providing neon signs are happy to make products according to the customer’s specifications. They need to be given details such as size, letters, and coloring.

Custom-made neon pictures are also available upon demand. Popular examples are Coca Cola, Jack Daniels whiskey, Harley Davidson, NFL pictures, etc. The prices of custom signs depend upon the size, quality, and lettering of the sign, and different companies will charge different rates for the same products.

Have you ever heard of a "platitude" before? Kind of a funny that platitude sounds a lot like a "platypus". Big difference though: the platypus is an exceptional animal that is so distinctive, that people stop and stare at it wherever it goes. Conversely, the platitude isn't so unique; in fact, it causes people to yawn and becoming disinterested and disengaged.

So what is a platitude?

A leading marketing expert at Y2Marketing described a platitude like this, "Words are phrases that are drearily commonplace and predictable that lack power to evoke interest though overuse or repetition that nevertheless are stated as though they were original or significant."

Here's a quick list of the perpetrators to look out for, how many times have you seen them in other people's marketing and advertising? When you saw them, didn't you think, "They're the same as everyone else?"

* We're the fastest

* More honest

* Best service

* Get the job done right

* Largest selection

* Most convenient

* We're experts

These are all good qualities to have; don't get me wrong. But how often have you gone through a magazine or telephone book and sifted though countless ads that all looked and said the same thing? No separation, no distinction and no way to tell one business from another; it was hard to choose a business wasn't it? That's largely because the businesses were using platitudes. When this happens we as prospects or consumers get confused and become disinterested, and that means low to no sales for that business.

By unwittingly using platitudes in marketing and advertising you're in effect telling your prospects that there really isn't any difference between you and the competition, and there's no real reason they should choose to do business with you. If your marketing and advertising says the same thing as everyone else you'll blend in and get lost with everyone else in the crowd.

Saying the same thing and appearing the same as everyone in your marketing and advertising causes confusion and apathy on the part of your prospect, and slow to no sales for you. When you're investing hard-earned money into your business you want to get the most out of your investment, and that means making sure whoever does your marketing and advertising can make your projects unique and effective.

What you can conclude here is that in order to get more customers, better customers and get the absolute most out of your marketing and advertising dollars you have to discover and bring out what's unique about you. Different is good, in fact, being different is essential - if you're not unique, you're invisible. This is why the "free" graphic design you receive when advertising in a publication is something you want to avoid, (check out my article, "When Free's Not What It's Cracked Up to Be").

So what can you do to be unique?

You can invest time and money in learning what's unique about you, or if that isn't your cup of tea, you hire a business savvy graphic designer who can help uncover what's unique about you and why that should make you the clear and overwhelming choice for your prospects to do business with. Hey - that's what I do for a living, and why I invest so much time and energy in learning about you, your business, your competition, your clients and your vision and direction when designing marketing and advertising projects. I, and other high level marketing designers can help prospects see you as unique, I suppose we can help you look like - well, a platypus.

Have you ever felt like you have an outstanding business but you're the best-kept secret in town? If you do there's a strong chance that your marketing and advertising makes you blend in with everyone else. Frustrating isn't it? If you're looking to change things up in your business and start getting every last dime of value out of your marketing and advertising, give me a call at 480.391.0704 and schedule your free business credibility consultation. Let's talk about taking you from being a secret to a success; let's talk about turning your platitudes into platypuses.

I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives; I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business. If your business needs the reliability and talent of an in-house marketing and design department but doesn’t want additional employees, salaries and benefits, give me a call at 480.391.0704 - I have a new approach for you.

If you want to promote your company or brand, then Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes prove to be handy. Everyone uses Sticky Notes. Every time your client or customer writes on that Sticky Note he will see your company’s logo. This helps maintain brand recognition. Use sticky notes along with other forms of promotion, and you'll be well on your way to success.

These customized Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes provides you with outstanding advertising value, and the message and logo on it provide maximum brand recall. Sticky Notes comes in various sizes and colors. Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes comes in a price range that is not too high and not too low. What makes these Sticky Notes such successful Advertising Specialties is that they are seen by many people, which helps you to attract more clients. Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes primarily come in bulk, and prices range from $0.26 to $2.69. The price entirely depends upon the amount and type of sticky not you want.

Nowadays, Advertising Specialty Sticky Notes comes in an imprinted format too, which provides a very classy and well-crafted look. They are not only used to promote your business to clients, but also within the organization. They are also used in schools, offices, homes and many more places. Because of their availability in various colors, you have a wide range of choices, to suit your personality and preference.

So if you want your client to remember your business logo and recall your brand then these advertising Sticky Notes are a must for you.

Internet advertising agencies carry the intended advertising message to a selected audience. It is essential to understand the distinction between the two commonly used terms- media and media vehicles. Newspapers form a media. Under this media, there are so many media vehicles. One of them is The New York Times. The same holds true with magazines, television channels, radio and Internet.

Selecting the appropriate media and the media vehicle, and arriving at a sound media mix, are crucial functions in advertising. These days advertising agencies provide help in media selection as an integral part of their service to the advertiser. The main concern of any Internet advertising agency is how best to carry the already decided advertising message to the target audience? Which media or combination of media will serve the purpose in the most effective manner?

Before assessing and evaluating the various media available, the agency has to study the firm’s market conditions- it is essential for them to find out the firm’s existing image in the market, characteristics of its major customer segments, their buying habits, their lifestyles and their pastimes. Next, the agency focuses on the marketing objectives of the firm. Ultimately the advertising campaign has to assist in attaining these objectives. He must also know the specific communication goals laid down by the firm.

These communication goals, which are explicitly stated by the firm, help the agency decide what media or media mix can deliver the advertising message for ultimately attaining these communication goals. Another factor that has to be seriously taken into account by the Internet advertising agencies is the total budget available to run the advertising campaign. This is an essential prerequisite because the money available will limit the choice of media.

Neon beer signs are a popular adornment in most saloon windows and on the walls of many restaurants. In addition, many beer enthusiasts proudly hang neon beer signs in their residences.

In addition to being fun decorations, older or discontinued neon beer signs may be valuable items.

The first makers of neon beer signs were Fallon Luminous Products and Everbrite who manufactured sturdy and transportable signs for prominent brands such as Coors and Millers. These signs sported protective plastic coverings, lighter transformers and shock resistant shipping boxes. The popularity of beer neon signs started here.

Neon beer signs are produced by their respective breweries from where they are franchised to various distributors. Sometimes, if the beer companies do not supply the signs, they officially license them for the manufacturers.

Most beer signs look great outside pubs and inside them too. Many bars sport the sign displaying their choice of beers available, and the glowing sign lets the clients know which area, the beer is being served at. Many party lounges also have beer neon signs along with other signs displaying cocktails, food, etc.

Some people display signs of their favorite beer, in their home bar, and many eating joints combine their signs to include food and beer. Beer signs come in hundreds of different shapes and sizes. From the traditional Corona sign to the Miller Genuine Graft sign the possibilities are endless. It is possible to customize a beer sign according to the nature of establishment using it. There are thousands of neon signs across various pubs, discos, restaurants across the United States. The price of a sign will depend upon its popularity and the company manufacturing it.

Neon signs are a bright and dazzling way to attract business. A neon “Open” sign, blinking outside a storefront is an effective advertising tool, providing high visibility and traffic to any business.

Handcrafted neon signs have been around for hundreds of years, and with the improvement of manufacturing methods over time, open signs are available in plenty of designs and varieties. The classic “OPEN” sign is a rectangle with blue bordering and red lettering. The latest open signs have more prominent coloring, as the tubes containing the gas are colored with ink. There have been many variations to this, such as barber shops signs sporting a pair of scissors or a blow dryer and a fish food restaurant sign with a fish on it. Different companies have different specialties, and two important companies in the field are Fallon and Everbrites.

The popularity of the open sign dates back to the strip malls of the immigrant business owners who wanted to let people know that they were open for business. The glowing signs would be visible to the pedestrian traffic as well as car cruisers. Open signs are also beneficial for businesses when they are open during periods different from their regular working hours. For instance, a coffee shop is open late one chilly Saturday night when people would otherwise assume that they are closed; their glowing sign lets in business.

Competition also leads to more sign sales .Two business establishment of a similar field on the same street will both have open signs. This is because if one does not have a sign, the other one with the open sign glowing brightly invites in potential customers.

Neon signs are great advertising for any business. They work well for retail settings such as game rooms, restaurants, diners, manufacturing units, pubs and lounges, fraternity lounges, and many other establishments.

The first set of neon signs was sold by a French company named Neon Claude to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles in 1923, for a sum of $24,000.These “liquid fire” tubes glowed in the night as well as broad daylight and soon became popular. Since then, the neon technology has evolved tenfold, and the signs are more popular than ever today.

Not all signs are made of neon, since the neon gas only produces the color red. After the initial discovery of neon-emitting red light, other colors were discovered using mercury, carbon dioxide, and phosphor. Today, it is possible to produce more than 150 colors using these gases. Neon tubes are actually positive-charge-filled lamps.

Every neon sign made is handcrafted; despite the advancement in technology, the manufacturing of a sign just cannot be done by a machine. According to the design wanted, the artisan heats a glass tube into a pliable shape and then moulds the design and lettering as per the requirements. During this process of continuous heating and bending, air is let into the tube to maintain its hollow shape. After the designing is done, the tubes are vacuumed out using a suction pump, after which an inert gas is let into the tube—this gas determines the color of the neon sign. The gas-filled tube glows when current is passed through it ionizing the gas, thus causing it to glow.

Neon gas tubes do not contain any filament like an ordinary light bulb, so their life spans are very long, ranging from ten to fifteen years.

So do me a favor right now...

Pull out your copy of the Yellow Pages and look up Auto Repair. What do you see? That is right, almost all of the ads are the same! Why is this I wonder? What would differentiate your business from the other businesses in your particular section of the Yellow Pages?

The reason that almost all ads are the same within a particular section of the Yellow Pages is that they are designed by the Yellow Pages company that produces the book or sells the advertising! There is no opportunity for market differentiation with the "cookie cutter" approach that most Yellow Pages advertising companies (the ones that sell the space) use in their approach when they position and place the ad...and speaking of positioning...could you be in a better spot so your ad stands out?

What about trust and credibility? Does your Yellow Pages advertising separate itself from the competition in these KEY areas?

Can you really say that your ad "separates" itself from the crowd? Is the ad written in more of an editorial style rather than as an ad? If the answer is no...then you need to rethink your marketing through the Yellow Pages, and quit wondering why you fork out $300 or more a month and get no results!

That is all from this month's tip...keep tuning in...because we are just getting warmed up here!

Joseph Ratliff is a professional direct response copywriter, marketing consultant, and author of The Profitable Business Edge... a brutally honest look at marketing your small business loaded with useful tips, useable action strategies, and opportunities to create income streams.

What is the one thing that 90% of all print ads lack? A HEADLINE.

When you read the newspaper, would you read an article without a headline? No. The headline gives you a “shorthand” for what the article is about. The Headline is what lets us know if we want to read the article.

It’s the same with your advertisement. The Headline tells the reader “HEY! This concerns you! Read this!”

Most ads fail to generate a profit. Here’s one major reason; The reader never read the ad. Why? There is no Headline to tell the reader why they should read the rest of the ad. The headline tell the reader the benefit of reading the ad. What’s in it for them.

“But,I used a Headline & it didn’t make any difference.”

Here’s why a Headline fails;

● The Headline is your store name. Always a mistake. Nobody cares about your store name. It promises no benefit. It creates no value.

● the Headline is somewhere other than the top of the ad. People read from the top-down, just like you are doing now.

● The Headline is “cute, witty, or funny”. Readers only care about one thing; “How does this benefit ME”. “Cute, witty, or funny” conveys no benefit. There is no desire to read the rest of the ad.

Here’s what a Headline needs;

● A strong reason to read further into the ad.

For example, my Headline “Pet hair problems?” targets a specific group of people. It implies that if they read the ad, that their pet hair problems will be solved.

The Headline “Do you do these 5 cleaning mistakes?’ pulls you into the body of the ad. Do you know the key word? “These”. The word “these” pulls you into reading the rest of the ad.

A little-known secret; If you put quotation marks at the beginning & end of your Headline, your readership will increase by 25 % . Quotations create the illusion that you are actually talking to the reader.

When I create an ad, I put 80% of my effort into the Headline. Why? Because if the reader doesn’t read the ad, they won’t come into my store. And if the reader doesn’t connect with the Headline, they won’t read the rest of the ad.

At about the same time the infomercials were making it big on late late night TV, I was attending underground theatre and watching a show which took a multimedia approach: the play featured actors living their lives and gigantic screen overheads with Stepford-like hosts jamming infomercials at both the characters and the audience. The work, because of those infomercials, was quite profound, quite futuristic.

But avant garde theatre aside, evidently, in the “real” world, infomercials are lucrative forms of advertising. Well, that’s the claim about the claims, anyway. It makes sense, for consider when these unique creatures are aired and how they are constructed: first, they show during the latest hours of the day—between midnight and about six a.m.. At this time, those awake and watching are either halfway into a stupor brought on by tiredness, booze, or pills; are insomniacs whose brains visit the dark side right about then; or are, maybe, jobless, less thoughtful individuals who are gullible to the magic of full moons and potato mashers that tell your future by the lumps.

Next is the volume of the advertisers “acting” in these infomercials. They are loud, campy, histrionic, way too cheerful, and yet, as plastic as they are seem to come off as the most real, down to earth, or most honest folks on TV. They are eager, zealous, delighted, and shocked about and by the product being touted by the host who is sharp, adept, and oh-so knowledgeable. In addition, there’s what one ant-infomercials blogger reminds us is the thing that actually sells the oddities—called “repetitive reinforcement.” They tell you you want and need it often enough and you will want and need it.

Then there’s the uniqueness or novelty of the products the infomercials display and advertise. Combined with the hyperbole of the hawker, the characteristics of most of the products stand out in some bizarre, unusually fun, or useful way. The items are not unique, though, and they are not typically useful. In fact, some are harmful. According to the experts on infomercials and on the misleading information hawked, some of the vitamins do not work, some of the products break or deteriorate, and some are based on or contain advice that is wrong. Take, for example, the Kevin Trudeau situation. He has sold books that tell people to give up traditional medicine—such people have done so and died. He has, however, before being banned—finally—from infomercials altogether, made millions. That’s why I say the infomercials are profitable for many. There are enough who are up late, stoned, exhausted, and vulnerable to the mesmerizing lull or drilling of new ideas and materials. Hey, I am not exempt. I still want one of those vacuum storage bag dealies, just so I can watch the magic of the suction collapse and therefore make more manageable all the sweaters I own.

First, the bad news: There are dozens of ways you can go wrong in writing and designing (what you hope will be) an effective sales letter, web sales page, promotional flyer or ad.

Now the good news: The learning curve for getting it right is relatively short. Here are some key guidelines and pointers for getting noticed, generating interest, and persuading people to respond to your offer.

Create Visual Appeal

In a matter of seconds, your prospects will make a snap decision on whether or not they want to read your marketing message. If they have to strain or struggle in any way, they’re going to skip it. Avoid a cluttered, hard-to-read appearance by making generous use of white space, headlines, subheads, and text bullets. Use italics and ALL CAPS sparingly because, when used in excess, they can be hard on the eyes. For web pages and flyers, avoid too much large print (it looks amateurish), and be careful with your use of colored or textured backgrounds. If the background competes with the text or lacks contrast, the message will be too hard to read. And if you use 10 point text or smaller…well, let’s just hope you’re not targeting us aging baby boomers!

Writing Style Tips

After you’ve written the first draft, you can improve it by eliminating unnecessary or redundant words, breaking up long sentences, checking for spelling and grammar errors, adding impact with a few carefully chosen adjectives, and making sure each idea flows logically into the next. A conversational tone is usually much more appealing than a formal, stilted approach; and you should always gear the message to the intended audience. One of the big advantages of targeting your marketing to specific groups is that you can ‘talk their language’ and relate the message directly to their emotional and practical needs and wants.

Devices to Capture Attention and Arouse Interest

An effective sales message, whether it’s on a web page or 24-lb stationery, usually contains the following elements: a compelling headline, attention-catching sub-headlines, a bulleted list of features and benefits (with proof, whenever possible), a few intriguing questions, a deadline or incentive for responding promptly, a guarantee of satisfaction, a testimonial or endorsement, and a call for action (tell them exactly what and how you want them to respond: call, stop by, visit your website, or mail their order.) Words such as ‘no obligation’, ‘free trial’, and ‘convenient payment plans’ can also increase response levels. By the way, a ‘P.S.’ is a great place to put a reminder, a special offer, or an added incentive. People read them.

A Vital, Sometimes Overlooked Ingredient

One of the cornerstones of any effective marketing strategy is identifying and clearly communicating your Unique Selling Proposition or distinctive selling advantages. Make it clear why you’re better and offer more than the competition. Emphasize your competitive strengths as a business, an individual, or as the provider of high quality services or products. In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s essential to exceed customer expectations, find ways to lower sales resistance, and have a value-added approach to doing business.

Although you may not be a marketing guru, advertising can get your cleaning company noticed by potential customers. But before you spend any of your advertising dollars, decide on your target market. Finding your particular niche and directing your ad dollars to that area will be the most effective way to get clients calling and asking about your services and hopefully signing on as new customers.

Start by setting an advertising budget. A general rule of thumb is to dedicate two to five percent of your expected gross sales to advertising. If you are expecting $150,000 in gross sales, set aside $3000 to $7500 for advertising. If you are just starting your cleaning business this may not be enough. You may need to spend more money running ads announcing your business so your potential clients know a new cleaning service is in town.

Once you set your budget, decide where to advertise. For a cleaning business it makes no sense and would be a waste of your money to advertise in a large magazine or buy a TV commercial that airs on a Saturday night. Besides being expensive, these ads will most likely not reach your target audience.

The common print ad, run in your local newspaper or shopper, is the most basic unit of advertising. Print ads have launched major companies and many successful products. Running ads in a local paper can also be a great way to promote your cleaning business if you follow a few basic rules.

- Your ad should attract attention! Although this sounds obvious, unless your ad attracts attention you are throwing your money down the drain. The most compelling way to have a "noticeable" ad is to have an interesting and visually appealing headline. If you are designing a large ad, think of using a subhead. This will provide added information and can be longer than the headline.

- Your ad should address the reader's needs or announce news. Tell how your cleaning service will benefit your readers and if possible announce a new product or service such as announcing a new carpet cleaning system that makes your carpets cleaner and your office building healthier.

- Your ad should communicate your company's unique selling proposition. Or why should the potential customer pick your business to supply cleaning services rather than ABC Cleaning?

- Your ad should tell why your cleaning company is the best in the area. The most convincing way to do this is through testimonials, statistics and awards.

- Your ad should motivate your readers to take action. One way to achieve this is to include a special offer. Offers that work well are discounts and bonuses (get your carpets cleaned and get a free bottle of spotting fluid).

One of the main reasons people don't read ads is that they do not have a great headline or a visual element that attracts readers. Headlines that work best are those that promise readers a benefit. Flip through a newspaper or magazine and notice the headlines that attract your attention - Save on Closing Costs, Your Dreams Can Become Reality, Get More Miles to the Gallon. Advertising experts suggest using the following words to arouse interest: New, Now, At Last, Warning, Introducing, Easy, Health, Save, Safety, Free, Money or Advice.

Although you may want to use your business' name in your headline that is not recommended and is one of the common mistakes that small businesses make. Your business' name does not have anything compelling to offer a potential customer. Remember, your headline should address the needs of your customers and not your ego.

Making your ad stand out can be challenge. Scan your local papers and take notice of what ads stand out - are they ads with reverse (white on dark background) print, color ads, ads that look like they were hand drawn? People notice ads that have illustrations or photographs that show products or ads that have people in them.

Before advertising in any medium call and ask for a media kit. This kit will contain rate information as well as demographic information about the publication (or radio station). The demographic information should include reader's (or listener's) age, income, and other statistics that will indicate if this is a good medium to run your ads in to reach your target audience.

If you are a member of your local chamber there will be opportunities in chamber newsletters, member guides and perhaps even on their website. Local newspapers are good venues as most businesses either subscribe or read regularly so they can keep informed of what's going on in the local community.

Print advertising is one way to get your cleaning business' name out in front of potential clients as well as reminding your current clients of the services you provide. Advertising is salesmanship and the more information you can give about your services, the more interest you will create. Always remember to include a call to action in your ad - tell them how to buy your product or service! Also include as many ways as possible for the reader to contact you: phone, e-mail, website, and physical address. Running the right ads will get your phone ringing and your checkbook balance growing!

Good typography is an art. There is a lot to know about type, from typeface design, to using appropriate typefaces, to learning typesetting rules and conventions. How you use type has everything to do with how your pages communicate and engage the reader. I could write about type for the rest of the year and still have more to tell you.

As computers have rapidly taken over the task of typesetting, everyone, including the designer, has had to learn typesetting rules and conventions in order for their printed work to look its best and draw readers in. And now the World Wide Web has come along to challenge all of it. I don't think there will ever be a time when I feel like I know all there is to know about type.

In his book, Using Type Right, author Philip Brady writes "Designing with type means controlling all the visual signals so how a typeset piece looks reinforces what it says." The typeface chosen; the size of type; placement on the page; letter, word, line and paragraph spacing; white space; type and page color; alignment — everything — help to create the visual effect and get your message to the reader.

TYPE Should Be Read and Not Seen

When an illustrator or photographer puts a great image on a page, it's often the first thing we notice. But when a typographer sets beautiful, perfect type, we may never notice it. In fact, if you find yourself noticing the type instead of the message, that is bad typesetting. I've seen lots of examples of this, where the use of type is so creative that the message becomes secondary or there is no message. If the goal is fun and beautiful art, and if we're going to frame and hang it on the wall, then fine. That's the end of the discussion.

But, type is meant to be read. And usually, our goal is to use type to assist communication. Grammar plays a part in this, along with the type. The two should work together to make reading easy, even pleasurable. The best use of grammar is to clarify meaning in the message. The best use of type is to create a mood and support or enhance the message while maintaining legibility (easy recognition of words).

CLARIFYING Meaning

The consistent use of standard grammar and typography help clarify meaning. I think most of us agree that consistency in grammar helps us bring out the meaning in what otherwise would just be a long series of words. We break essays into paragraphs, paragraphs into sentences, and sentences into phrases. We spell words the same way every time. We start sentences with capital letters and end them with periods, and in between we strive to get the commas and semicolons in the right spots.

Similarly, with type, we want letters to be clearly formed and legible. Even a novelty font used to create a mood must be readable. A beautiful typeface, used improperly, can look terrible. Badly set type makes it difficult to discern the words. Enough struggling to decode bad type, and the reader will move on.

RULES for Type

Number One:

I can think of no good reason to set body copy in all caps. Even in headlines, all caps type should be limited. A little goes a long way. This goes double if you are using a script typeface.

We recognize words primarily by the shape they create. We learned and are conditioned to read most easily lowercase letterforms with moderately thick and thin elements and serifs (the little crosslines at the end of strokes). All caps type has a uniform rectangular shape, forcing us to look at each letter to determine what the word is. This slows reading and requires more effort on the reader's part.

Try this experiment from Using Type Right. "Take a sheet of paper and cover the bottom half of the letters in several words. What can you read? Try this experiment with a line of upper- and lowercase letters and with one having only caps. Repeat the action, but this time allow only the base of the letters to show. Again, can you read the words? How readily? All the parts of a letter, including the serifs, are important to legibility, but the tops seem relatively more important."

Number Two:

Be careful when mixing multiple typefaces.

Using different typefaces can help the reader differentiate between elements. Related copy or elements can be set using one typeface while other elements are set in a different typeface. But this takes practice. Each typeface sends a different message. Overdoing this or selecting typefaces that do not coordinate well, can create the exact opposite effect, making things more confusing for the reader.

If you're new to typesetting or unsure of how to combine typefaces, try using a typeface family that has several weights and variations designed to work together. Adobe Garamond is a good example of this. The family extends to italics, condensed and expert versions, which are all easily combined with pretty good results.

I watch a lot of stuff on Television in India, particularly the ads that make me think. Now hold on. I don’t mean that in a good way but the fact that they bring the thought, ”What the hell was that all about?” speeding in to my head.

You know the stuff that makes you wonder what were they thinking? Well I am sure there will be constant supply of this stuff in the coming months and years so I am starting this article as a series.

To open this 1st episode if you like I would bring the ad for the Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle to your attention. They used the song, ”These Boots were made for walking” as the soundtrack. The first fifteen seconds or so you think it’s a shoe ad. Then for the next ten you feel it’s a Ray Ban commercial and then out of nowhere wham – It’s a Bike! Great.

Next up is an ad that still sends shivers down my neck every time I see it. It’s the one for HP Pavilion Desktop. It features a boy that seems interested in this girl that’s always surrounded by other guys. It’s the geek gets the girl routine and that’s fine. The chink in the “amore” so to speak here is the fact that the boy and girl chosen look so much like each other they could be brother and sister. Ouch! I know but look at them, they even feature in the press ads and it’s shocking stuff. Quick get that out my mind!

That’s better. Now to cool things off lets have a look at the latest ad for the Mahindra Scorpio SUV set in a very snowy part of the world. You know the funky looking Helicopter ad. Where this chic looking lady, pilots the helicopter that blows the snow off of Scorpio that belongs to the very chic looking dude in an overcoat. Well look at it – something’s not right. And you know what it is? No its not the MCP concept of the guy getting all the work done by the gal but in fact the Helicopter is a R/C model. Not the one that the lady is sitting in but the little thingy that is shown flying around the SUV. Come on guys you can do better!

Finally to round things off we go back to another beauty from Bajaj. This time for the motorcycle called Discover. I am sure you’ve heard that Time Warner is suing Bajaj for using the “Harry Potter” look-a-like to sell their bike. To make matters worse it got heavy exposure on tele and also print. The only “Jadoo” [Magic] was that they thought they could get away with it. Hey who knows they still might!v

Classified ads are one of the most inexpensive ways to advertise your products or service. People read classified ads for a purpose. They are specifically looking for products, services and information that appeals to them.

Unfortunately many people misuse classified ads. They try to sell a product directly from the ad. People read classified ads for a purpose. They are specifically looking for products, services and information that appeals to them.

Instead of wondering, speculating and experimenting with your advertising budget, concentrate on offering free information to attract as many interested prospects as possible for what you have to offer. Realise from the beginning that your ad should serve only one purpose: to target a specific audience consisting of people who need and want what you have to offer.

The best way to use a classified ad is as a two step process.

1. You place a classified ad in your local newspaper/magazine. The ad should be simple and straight to the point. It should then direct readers to a website or to call a phone number of your answering machine.

2. Your customer will either visit your website or dial the number where they will get a powerful sales message. At the end customers are directed to send an order to the address you give on the website/tape or they can leave their contact details.

An example of such classified ad would be:

“Double your mail order business’ profits. Incredible recorded message tells secrets. Call 1234 5678 24hours or visit www.yourcompany.com.au.

The selection of words you use is the most important aspect of classified ad copy. You need to choose precisely but don’t skimp on words to save the cost in the ad.

Where to place classifieds?

The best advice in placing classifieds is to follow the leader. Find where other goods in your category are being sold and do the same. Although your product must have an appeal different than the others, stay with the same pack and advertise in the same publications.

If you do not charge anything in the classified ad, you will get far more responses from the ad for free information than you will for goods at any price. Charging a small fee to cover postage or the cost of the inquiry will never make you break even – people won’t be bothered.

Test test test!

The most important element in mail order advertising is to test. Not only do you need to find out if your product will sell, but you have to find out what the best price is. You have to test the magazines. One may not draw as many responses as another. Or, after three months, it may not seem to pull at all. Then switch to another publication.

Don’t be too hasty in dropping a publication, however. Sometimes it takes the repeat insertions of three or four months to get the proper percentage of response. People become more secure with a repeat ad or they may pass it by the first or second time until they get around to writing for information.

Keying the Address

How do you determine what inquiry response came from which ad? You code the company name or street address so you can determine what ad pulled the response. The simple key is a two part letter and number code. The letter stands for the name of the publication and the number represents the month the ad appeared. The best way to key is to add the code to the address in the form of department, division or suite number.

Writing Classifieds

The best way to prepare copy is to first write about your products/services at length. List all the major benefits and features. What sticks out? What is so great about your product? What can it do for the reader who will take the time to write for more information? How can your product help? Will it show how to earn money, does it offer self-improvement, can it help accomplish something appealing and significant?

Choose a powerful heading that points out the most significant aspect of your product. Follow up with a few words or details and finish with a request to contact for more information. The best word in a classified is “free”, but you must follow up with something free.