Comment
'The sun will come out tomorrow'
By Derek Hopper
Based on my recent travels, it sadly appears that many advertisers are pulling back as they are consumed with fear and uncertainty.
While it is prudent to be cautious, I have warned advertisers against living in fear. Newspapers should do the same.
To coin a phrase from the great Broadway Musical Annie … “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Consumers will certainly spend more judiciously in the coming year, but people will not stop living, the washer and dryer won’t last forever, the car still needs to be serviced, and everyday items break and need to be replaced.
To drive this point home even further, studies have shown that in difficult economic times consumers window shop longer and loyalties are readily changed.
That is why it is more important than ever for your advertisers to have a consistent and strong message in front of potential customers. Marketing 101 teaches us that the best message is a consistent message with a strong call to action.
I recently ran across some information about the economic down-turn in the 1980s. In 1981-1982 businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending averaged higher sales growth during the recession and in the following three years.
By 1985, sales for businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending during the recession saw sales rise more than 256 percent over those that had cut back on advertising.
The findings of six more recession studies to date by ABP/Meldrum & Fewsmith present formidable evidence that cutting advertising in times of economic down-turn can result in both immediate and long-term negative effects on sales and profit levels.
What does this mean to us? Simply stated, we need to give your advertisers tools to survive these difficult times.
This includes, but is not limited to:
These search programs are focused on results, using key Ad Words related to individual advertisers’ businesses. Advertisers are only charged when their links are clicked on.
More importantly, these products offered by TownNews.com can place your advertisers in front of consumers with an immediate need.
The best news of all, utilizing these packages offers the best values available today. They are not just about impressions (page views), but truly driving traffic and targeting consumers with a need in an individual advertiser’s market, through geo-targeting. This will be music to your advertisers’ ears!
So what do you do now?
Simple. You need to contact your TownNews.com Regional Sales Manager or our Special Web Advertising Team (SWAT) Coordinating Specialist, Penny Goebel, to schedule an online blitz. Penny can be reach by phone at 309-314-6403 or by e-mail at pgoebel@townnews.com.
While it is prudent to be cautious, I have warned advertisers against living in fear. Newspapers should do the same.
To coin a phrase from the great Broadway Musical Annie … “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Consumers will certainly spend more judiciously in the coming year, but people will not stop living, the washer and dryer won’t last forever, the car still needs to be serviced, and everyday items break and need to be replaced.
To drive this point home even further, studies have shown that in difficult economic times consumers window shop longer and loyalties are readily changed.
That is why it is more important than ever for your advertisers to have a consistent and strong message in front of potential customers. Marketing 101 teaches us that the best message is a consistent message with a strong call to action.
I recently ran across some information about the economic down-turn in the 1980s. In 1981-1982 businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending averaged higher sales growth during the recession and in the following three years.
By 1985, sales for businesses that maintained or increased their ad spending during the recession saw sales rise more than 256 percent over those that had cut back on advertising.
The findings of six more recession studies to date by ABP/Meldrum & Fewsmith present formidable evidence that cutting advertising in times of economic down-turn can result in both immediate and long-term negative effects on sales and profit levels.
What does this mean to us? Simply stated, we need to give your advertisers tools to survive these difficult times.
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Creative banner advertising, utilizing the TownNews.com Creative Services department as needed.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to drive quality traffic to your site.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to promote your online publication by enhancing its visibility in search engine results.
- Using video advertising to create mini-commercials for your advertisers, allowing their ads to stand out.
- Upselling YPEngine listings to get a message out to large numbers of customers.
These search programs are focused on results, using key Ad Words related to individual advertisers’ businesses. Advertisers are only charged when their links are clicked on.
More importantly, these products offered by TownNews.com can place your advertisers in front of consumers with an immediate need.
The best news of all, utilizing these packages offers the best values available today. They are not just about impressions (page views), but truly driving traffic and targeting consumers with a need in an individual advertiser’s market, through geo-targeting. This will be music to your advertisers’ ears!
So what do you do now?
Simple. You need to contact your TownNews.com Regional Sales Manager or our Special Web Advertising Team (SWAT) Coordinating Specialist, Penny Goebel, to schedule an online blitz. Penny can be reach by phone at 309-314-6403 or by e-mail at pgoebel@townnews.com.
(Derek Hopper is an Internet sales consultant at TownNews.com. He may be reached at dhopper@townnews.com.)
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of TownNews.com.
