The Big Decision

Okay, you´ve done the hard yards and the long hours, your ad is now ready to publish. Precise ad placement is a very critical decision that you´ll have to make and consider price, publication, position and timing.

Timing

Timing is everything- ask a dragcar racer! Timing will not be a factor to consider when placing a Yellow Pages ad (unless your late!), as it runs all year. But if you are advertising in newspapers, magazines, industry publications etc, timing is vital.

Consider things such as: what days are most newspapers sold. Seasonal considerations- Winter fashions needs to be advertised before winter actually arrives to get ahead of your competition. Are there any particular days that prospects traditionally browse ads for particular products. Wednesday and Saturday are very popular times for vehicle buyers to search ads.

If your restaurant is doing a Mothers Day promotion, you´ll start advertising a week to ten days before the event. Timing is a factor that can make or break an ad.

Publications

Where should I place my ad? Obviously choose publications or mediums that you are sure will best reach your target market. If you are advertising a high class fashion shop then the free local newspaper will not be the best option for spending advertising dollars. Go for classy publications.

What kind of publications will your target market read? Find out and place your ads there, it should be obvious, common sense is a key factor here. Is your business local, city wide, county wide, or covering a larger demographic area? If it´s only local then choose local or city wide publications.

If your business is on the south side of the city then a billboard ad on the north side will not be effective. You´ve spent a lot of time and money on ads so make sure you place them in a targeted publication.

Price

Placement costs are a major consideration as you´ll want maximum return for your dollar. Listing a Large yellow Pages ad may cost a five figure amount, and that´s a lot of money. But it also has the ability to draw many leads to your business, and lasts a full year.

But is that money better spent in more targeted publications, local papers, billboards etc? Price justification is decided after you do some basic research and decide what publication or mediums will best reach your target market. Don´t place an ad in the Yellow Pages or any publication just because it´s the thing to do. If you currently have success with a particular publication stick with it.