How to sell Advertising, Part 4

Think outside the boxI hope you enjoyed the videos from parts 1, 2 and 3 of this post.

Advertising isn’t dead. It is alive and kicking. What is dead is just advertising in old fashion mediums like print newspapers, TV, and radio. Digital advertising is now a major game-changer because in most cases you can target your clients a lot better – and have measured results to prove it.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t advertise in print, TV or radio – it just means you need to expand your horizons and consider other options. The problem that advertisers face is that clients are accessing information from more source these days. For example, in the past, you only had three major TV networks, and maybe one or two major print newspapers per city. Now there are literary hundreds of TV networks and channels to select. In the past, you had one or two print newspapers per major city. Now there are literary hundreds of digital newspapers, magazines, newsletters, websites and blogs to select. Not to mention social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter. In short, your audience is now more divided, so you have to be more selective in choosing the right platform to advertise in.

The biggest misconception that clients have is that digital advertising is just “banner ads.” Not true. As explained in the videos, many publishers are now realizing they must go beyond banner ads and offer a social media mix for their clients. Examples would include running ads on Twitter and Facebook.

And remember, advertising isn’t just buying space – you are buying exposure.

I mentioned in my first post that I once sold classified and display ads for printed community newspapers for a now-defunct company. It went out of business right before the internet became very popular. Would that company have survived if it had hung on a little longer? Yes – but only if that company had adopted some of the practices used by many publishing companies today.

But even if the internet had not arrived, would that company still had survived? Yes – but only if the owners had thought outside the box. In other words, rather than just focusing on newspaper advertising, they could have set up a small marketing firm within the company help their advertisers reach more clients. Examples would have included helping clients develop direct marketing pieces and campaigns, billboards on buses, car top signs on taxis, and fax campaigns. In short, my former employer could have acted more as a consultant rather than just a salesperson.

Think about it. If clients are going to advertise in your community newspaper, doesn’t it make sense to create a one-stop-shop for all their advertising and marketing needs? I mean, would you go to one grocery store to buy fruit and another grocery store to buy vegetables? Of course not. The more you can offer a client as a one-stop-shop, the more money you will make. Let’s face it – people are busy these days. The more convenient you can make their lives, the better off both of you will be.

Advertising will always be around. You just have to adapt to the times.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *