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The SKINNY on Newspapers

Using the paper is considered gospel by many people in business. Use it wisely and it can be a good tool.

Remember, newspapers are passive, non intrusive media. They tend to reach only buyers who are looking for the product. They are poor at reaching prospects before the need arises.

Think about it, there are few times you have been driven to go to a store to buy a product you never heard of because you saw an ad in the paper. You had to have an earlier impression about the product for the newspaper ad to point you to the location to buy it.

There are 4 ways to use the newspaper for advertising.

1) Display advertising from one column wide by 2 inches high to a full two pages, display ads can be so numerous the news stories have to be cut so both can live on the page.

There is usually no protection. Competiting store ads can be next to each other (next time you see the paper look for tire store ads on the same page).

When designing your ad, remember it's all about them. Use a catchy headline and tell them what you will do for the. Forget about your picture or your "Number One in the District Award". Good advertising "feels their pain".

2) Classified advertising The effectiveness of classified ads varies by paper and by who wrote the ad and by what the ad is selling. Many classified sections have turned into giant car dealer pages and huge homes for sale sections complete with four color pictures.

The small, private, "gotta sell my Bow-Flex" ads can be lost in a giant classified section. Many shoppers and Nickle Savers have smaller, and cheaper, classified sections.

Some small business operators find success with a series of small classified ads. Small blurps tend to build "top of mind awareness". A cheap way to keep your name out there.

3) Tabs and special sections Tabs, the cash cow for newspapers, are manufactured events designed to sell ads. Progress Editon. Easter Shopping Special. Dollar Days. You name it, there is a tab every idea.

Typically a tab is the regular paper page turned sideways (landscape) and folded in half.

Tabs get ad-on advertising dollars from existing clients and offer one time only exposure to those who don't normally use the paper (i.e. the giant corporate ads in every Progress Edition). Most papers have so many tabs, they print an advertising calendar.

Understand them for what they are, vehicles to get extra bucks from you. If you want to be in one, rearrange your budget, don't ad to it.

4) Inserts and stuffers Some Sunday papers weight 4 to 5 pounds each, mostly for the weight of stuffers and inserts. Usually reserved for national advertisers and big box stores. They print them and deliver them to the paper and pay a per piece fee to have them stuffed and delivered. For smaller businesses they become cost prohibitive. Better to stick with display ads.

Sunday papers have the biggest circulation, and ad rates are more expensive. Regional and national papers can be expensive, too. Local papers and shoppers are less expensive, but nonetheless can be a major part of a small business ad budget.

Newspaper advertising is sold by the column inch. Different categories of ads and section placement determine the rate and rates vary throughout the paper. Rates also vary with advertisers, depending on how many column inches they have agreed to buy in a one year period. The more the cheaper.

Plan your advertising well in advance and stick to your budget. Sell to needs, not ego and newspaper can be your buddy.

For more about advertising, get my article "What Does your telephone say about you?" MailTo:TelephoneSay@BigIdeasGroup.com

2005 BIG Mike McDaniel, All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Small Business Consultant, Professional Speaker and former Major Market TV News Anchor. http://BIGIdeasGroup.com

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With all the bank products and services necessary for today's business customer, it may be a challenge to remember to offer everything a business needs on the first pass. This may leave your business customers vulnerable to a competitor's call with an offer your bank should have made. Many businesses consider banking service as a relationship, the one stop shop.

Credit Card Processing

It is convenient for a business to transact all financial business in one place. Therefore, the financial institution that can meet all the banking needs of its customer is more likely to have a loyal customer that sticks around longer than a customer with just one or two products at the bank. Credit card processing, also known as Merchant account credit card processing, is a financial product that your bank must offer to your customers to be competitive.

Merchant Processing is not only offered by your competitors in banking, but also by hordes of independent sales representatives not associated with a bank. A Merchant account credit card processing for your bank can strengthen the relationship with a business customer that results in increased deposits. The funds from the credit card sales will be deposited into your bank. Having that relationship means it is more difficult for a business to change their primary DDA to another financial institution - they will also have to change a Merchant account credit card processing.

Offering merchant account services to your customers in the beginning of the relationship will help keep your customers loyal to your bank. If a new business customer walks out of your bank without a Merchant account credit card processing option, they will be a prime target for your competitor's overtures. By offering a merchant account to the business, the bank will also win the primary deposit relationship.

Zed Miller, an expert business writer, regularly contributes his articles to various websites just to help merchants, small businesses and retail houses to expand their market base by accepting the prevailing mode of payments. Visit http://www.merchantservicez.com/Merchant-Account-Credit-Card-Processing.htm to read more articles from this author