A Conversation with a Local Business Owner
A Conversation with a Local Business Owner and Her Adviser...
After speaking with a potential advertiser (who will remain anonymous) a few weeks back ...I have not been able to stop thinking about the words her friend said to me. Allow me to go back a few weeks...
...a few weeks back a meeting was requested at the business location of the potential advertiser I am referring to. She had questions in regards to advertising inside The RAAS Magazine. The RAAS being "the new publication in town" had her interest but she wanted to know more and had questions. She currently advertised in many of the other local advertising options available and was considering adding The RAAS as a marketing avenue for her business.
She as every business owner in the world wanted to create more awareness for her establishment; she wanted more traffic. Her current advertisements were costing a small fortune and did not seem to be working as well as her and her friend/adviser (who was sitting in on the meeting) had expected.
After reviewing the ads I could understand why they may not be working as well as they could be; knowing that ad design is very important both in visual appeal and incentive driven content/offers. The other reasons why the ads may not be working as well as they could be included: ad placement, chosen medium, wrong message, target audience, no incentives, bad photo usage, too much text, and the list goes on...
...however, regardless of my feelings or thoughts the ads were not working and the business was not experiencing a growth because of the chosen advertising efforts; which is most-likely the reason she was seeking other options.
Her questions about The RAAS included: What does The RAAS stand for? Where are you distributed? What is your total distribution? How often are you distributed? Who is the target audience? What makes The RAAS different? How much does it cost? How does The RAAS Market itself? What does The RAAS do to better this community? ...she wanted to know everything about The RAAS!
I loved the fact that she had so many questions and that she asked her friend to help; it meant that she really cared about her marketing dollars and wanted to be as informed as possible in regards to any company she was going to be advertising with in the future.
I smiled and with pride I said... first and foremost The RAAS cares about you, The RAAS wants you to be successful and believes that ...the success of The RAAS can only be measured by the success of its advertisers.
The RAAS stands for... The Responsible, Affordable, Advertising, Solution ...it was created and developed to provide business owners with a reliable and cost-effective advertising medium; while at the same time being more than just a coupon style ad book to the consumer by providing more than just ads!
In an effort to stimulate the local economy each month The RAAS provides 2 pages of ad space for a local area map entitled: The RAAS Maps ...the maps highlight local businesses and/or attractions (FREE of charge to all businesses listed); this also heightens the awareness of local businesses, resources and the many things to do and places to visit locally.
The RAAS donates a full-page ad space each month to a local charity and/or non-profit organization in an effort to "Get People Involved" by creating awareness of the cause. The RAAS also features "Local Photographers" and "Creative People" as often as possible.
The RAAS is distributed to over 30,000 households via direct mail each month and over 1,200 copies are distributed to a growing list of many local high-traffic locations including: Sam’s Club, Henry’s Marketplace & Regal/Edwards Theater. We also provide... certified/verification of our printing and distribution numbers to our advertisers; or upon request to anyone inquiring.
The RAAS is printed on high-quality gloss paper, the cover is always attractive and most-times area related (The RAAS has a long shelf life) ...we design the ads FREE of charge (and we update the ads FREE of any charge each month) ...if an advertiser would prefer to send over their own art-work we re-size it and format it to fit the size requirements of The RAAS (FREE of charge).
Our ad prices are "Business-Owner-Friendly" and are un-equaled in regards to price per distribution/per month in this area! The RAAS is delivered via direct-mail to over 30,000 mailboxes (including high & middle-income households) in Temecula & Murrieta every month. Our most popular advertising package will cost you $292.50 per month for a full page ad space (that’s less than 1 penny per household each month).
The target audience of The RAAS is everyone that lives in Temecula, Murrieta & the neighboring cities that wants to save money, that wants to know what is being offered, what their options are and what’s going on in the community; the secondary target audience is the visitor to the area that would like to know more about what’s available, what’s going on and for those who are possibly looking for a FREE area related guide.
The RAAS offers equal advertising visibility to all advertisers... through its "Full-Page Ad Space Only Policy" (the ads don't get lost or blurred, each page is unique with a focus on the advertiser/advertisers message) ...and premium/non-premium ad placement is on a first come first serve basis.
To create awareness for both The RAAS and its advertisers... The RAAS has spent thousands of dollars advertising on the Radio locally and beginning in July of 2008, The RAAS will have over 320, 30 Second - TV Commercials running every month on various well-known Networks such as The Travel Channel, ESPNews & truTV.
The RAAS provides valuable marketing and advertising consultation FREE of charge to all current and potential advertisers...
...to simplify this, I explained to her and her friend that ...when a person takes their car to a mechanic they do not tell the mechanic what to do with their car... the mechanic rather, instructs and or advises the car owner of the existing issues and of the best options available to correct the problems...
...they agreed, I continued ...the mechanic normally provides the car owner with preventative maintenance options and or things they can do to prevent this from never happening in the future...
...they both agreed, I continued ...this is true with a Dentist, Physician, Chef, Electrician, etc. the list goes on and on...
...they agreed, I continued ...so why on earth would The RAAS or any other advertising option not provide marketing direction and/or consultation to an advertiser? ...on the other hand, why would an advertiser not want to be provided advice from people who specialize in marketing?
The advertiser and the advertising medium are like partners... if one does well they both do well; in a sense they both have a hand in the others fate. Without question they are both important and both have an interest in the others success!
Finally, I said... The RAAS wants you to be successful and celebrates the growth and positive achievements of any and all advertisers! I hope I was able to answer your questions with the detail you were hoping for. If you have any other questions or thoughts please feel free to ask away; that’s what I’m here for.
The two ladies looked at each other as if they had just been on a ride at an amusement park (they were spirited, refreshed)...
...it was actually more like an awakening for me that was both inspiring & encouraging; when the ladies friend/adviser said...
"We feel as if we have been on a ride of which others had no problem taking us on. You see many times sales has more to do with the commission and the bragging rights of closing the deal than the actual purchaser or purchasing entity. Which is why I was asked to be here today by my friend? I will not say that it was a waste of my time to be here today, because I have been inspired by your passion; I am also happy to know that integrity still grows in the hearts of people. It is however, obvious to me that I was not needed as an adviser but as a friend I will highly suggest your publication and as a local consumer; I will continue looking forward to receiving The RAAS in my mailbox each month."
Wow! that was so awesome! She understood me, she understood The RAAS.. she got it. The RAAS is not about the deal that has been closed... it is about the doors that will open for the advertisers inside and the resources and savings provided to the consumer.
They both understood that in Marketing, Advertising, and Business in general... if you continue to do the same things... you can expect the same results! For the most part this statement is true with all aspects of life; if you want things to change... you must make changes!
--- If you want the results of your Marketing & Advertising efforts to be more effective... you must do something different; changes must be made ---
If you want things to change for the positive and we
can help your business grow in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out
to us. We are eager to provide marketing consultation/direction and look
forward to helping you achieve a brighter more productive future!