A marketing trap as something you are comfortable with; something you’ve been doing for years, and come to find out isn't working anymore.
Maybe your a business still advertises in the newspaper or the phone book. The truth is, these forms of media are on the verge of death. Why? The Internet.
It is much easier for a customer to Google the nearest pool store or the best pool cleaning service than to look it up in a phone book. They can get reviews and recommendations from friends without ever calling or speaking to anyone in person. The phone book will never give them these tools. It’s just a list. It won’t even tell them how close your business is to them.
What if someone just moved to the area and bought a house with a pool. Who do they trust? How do they find out if you’re the right business for them? They don’t read the newspaper and use the phone book to look for ads, that’s for sure. They’ll ask around and jump on the Internet for help. Maybe, they’ll ask friends on Twitter and Facebook. It’s just the direction the world is moving.
That’s why you need to seriously reconsider your print marketing strategy this year.
Newspaper Advertising Days Are Numbered
I’m going to flat out say it: Get out of the newspaper! They are too expensive and no one reads the ads. However, if you insists on sticking with it, there are some interesting things about the newspaper that I’ve learned over the years of marketing for a local pool company. For one, all your ads must be in color. If you are still running black-and-white ads, forget it! No one is looking. They also need to be small in size, but big in content. They need to be clear and directly to the point.
People don’t browse through the newspaper looking for ads that jump out at them. You want to be on a page that people will actually read. That way, you are more likely to get someone's attention. If you have a full-page color ad and the reader is not in the market for a pool or spa, they are going to skip right over your ad to get to what they want to read.
The point is, if someone is reading an article and all of the sudden you present them with a bright, colorful half-page ad, they are more likely to take a brief look. “Entertain your family and friends with an in-ground pool for as low as $199 a month.” Even if the reader wasn’t thinking about a swimming pool, you might have piqued some interest. Bear in mind, however, that they ad should have one central point and not be littered with coupons.
Phone Book Advertising Days Are Over
I have personally talked to a lot of people about how they use the phone book, and the answer I hear most is, “I recycle it, immediately.” I wasn’t surprised. Keeping around a giant booklet is pointless when customers have a computer or a smart phone. In fact, one third of the adults in this country own a smart phone. That’s like have a phone book in your pocket, at all times. The only reason to keep a phone book is if you have kids that have trouble reaching the kitchen table.
However, if you insist on advertising in the phone book, then I have a few ideas that might really help. First, don’t advertise products in the phone book. No one shops in the phone book. If you offer a service, such as pool cleaning or hot tub repairs, then it might be worth getting a listing or an ad in the phone book under the appropriate heading.
The same rules apply in the phone book as they do in the newspaper. If you want to be seen in the vast cluster of ads and listings, you need to stand out. Simple, colorful, and to-the-point ads work best.
Test, Test And Re-Test
There was a time you could spend $5,000 on a full-page ad in the Saturday newspaper and people would flock to the stores. But those days have passed.
If you are going to advertise in the phone book and the newspaper, at least go about it the right way and test the effectiveness of your efforts (by the way, you should be doing this with all your marketing efforts).
How do you test to see if your ads are working in these forms of media? We have to get creative here. So, let’s start with the newspaper.
Your ad is going to have a few ways they can contact you, so you must measure each opportunity. If you put a phone number in your ad (duh), then you can use a company like Grasshopper.com and purchase a phone number specifically for that ad. With a Grasshopper number (about $10 a month), you can track every call made on it to your business.
If you put your website address in the ad, which you should, make it a special address. For example, you could have an ad that says, “Above Ground Pools Starting at $999.” Then, build a special page on your website about this campaign and have your new URL be www.MyPoolBusiness.com/999pools.
If you’re website is integrated with Google Analytics or some other type of data gathering software, you’ll be able to track how many people visiting that URL directly.
You can also track your ads by adding a coupon or telling the reader to bring in the ad to get this special offer. This will allow you to track how many coupons came through the door.
With these three methods there is no reason you shouldn't have a pretty accurate overview on how well the ads are doing. What you want to do is take that count and measure it up against how many people could potentially see your ad (impressions) and how many of those people actually turned into customers (conversions).
What You Say In Your Ad Means Everything
One other factor to consider is the ad itself. Yes, the newspaper and phone book are pretty poor places to advertise, but if your ad sucks, then it will really be poor. If you have a great ad, it may bring in some business. The key is to always test your ads. Speculation won’t help here. Get some real numbers for yourself and keep improving your ads. This works across all mediums including billboards, online banner ads, search engine ads, and even paper fliers or handouts.
I would love to hear the feedback on the you results you find with your testing. Feel free to email me and enlighten me on your findings. My email is: [email protected].
Matt Giovanisci is the creator of Swim University (www.swimuniversity.com) and has over 15 years of experience in the swimming pool and hot tub industry. He is also an award winning web designer and has been featured on Martha Stewart Radio as a pool & spa care expert.
