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Show ADVERTISING TALK FROM AN EXPERT j If You are a Business Man You May Iearn Something of Real Benefit This is a little talk with business men in the smaller towns in regard to advertising in their local newspaper news-paper by The Foster Newspaper Service, Ser-vice, of Assumption, 111. "The mission of this letter from the Foster Newspaper Service is to picture in its true light the local newspaper or newspapers to the business busi-ness men of the town in which those newspapers are published. It will cost you nothing to read it, will take but a few minutes of your time, and we believe that when you have finished fin-ished it you will be glad for the time thus spent. "It is the purpose of the Foster Newspaper Service to aid the publishers pub-lishers of the local newspapers in every way it can, and this frank, heart-to-heart talk on advertising should serve both the publisher and you. Whether you are a personal friend of your publisher matters not at all. He is selling advertising space, and that is a product that every ev-ery business man can use to advantage advan-tage and with profit. Co-operative and Community Development De-velopment movements are in progress pro-gress everywhere, but they are beneficial bene-ficial only where business men are working out their plans through the local newspapers. The local newspaper news-paper is the spokesman of the community com-munity in which it is published and not until the business men recognize and admit this will they be able to successfully combat the obstacles that modern business conditions have brought about. Every iBsue of the local newspaper is a mirror in which is reflected the business activity of the town in which it is published. It enters the home and the fireside of the only people small-town business men can hope to draw business from. Its mission is to give the news of its community and act as messenger from the local markets to local consumers. con-sumers. The publisher's duty ends when he gathers and prints the news as it has occurred from one issue to another. If his paper is not a creditable representation of the business busi-ness being carried on in his town if it carries no messages, no inducements induce-ments from business men to his readers, read-ers, the fault is not the publisher's. And, if his paper goes into the homes of his readers week after week with this lack of store newB, the readers of that paper will very naturally assume as-sume that business men are not sufficiently suf-ficiently interested to bid for business busi-ness and the better part of it goes elsewhere. When a man or woman on the farm or in the town home sits down to read the local paper in the evening, even-ing, that paper should, be represented represent-ed by every man engaged in business of any kind in the town where the paper is published. The writer does not believe the business man lives who does not believe be-lieve in advertising. He may be prejudiced against it and refuse to use it, but we believe that his secret opinion is favorable to it. Perhaps you know of a business house that has succeeded without advertising. Such a fact is no argument against advertising. That same house could have and would have succeeded succeed-ed In a greater degree by advertising. Some business men think that they cannot afford to advertise, but the truth is, none of them can afford not to advertise. Any business can use one per cent of its gross earnings earn-ings for advertising. If a house is doing $10,000 a year, it should spend not less than $100 a year for advertising. adver-tising. Let the gross business be as large as it may, this one per cent holds good. Appropriated for newspaper news-paper space and that space used with diligence and backed up by good business methods inside the house, any firm in the world can make an appropriation of one per cent pay handsome dividends. Many firms use much more than this small percent per-cent of their business, but the figure named is one that any firm could and should use. Because of its truly wonderful power, advertising should be handled with care. It can harm, as well as benefit, a business. False statements, state-ments, persistently made in one's advertising ad-vertising will certainly ruin that business. bus-iness. Advertising must be truthful. truth-ful. The public is quick to learn and slow to forget misleading statements. The smaller town business man who complains that city stores are robbing him of patronage stiould give some serious thoughts as to how the city stores are doing it. They have only one method of reaching consumers. That method is advertising. adver-tising. The smaller town business man can buy all the advertising he wants to for less money than can the city business house. Space in the city papers costs more, yet the per rentage of readers of any city daily are small when campared with the, j readers In anv community of the i local paper or papers published in that community. The whole secret Is that the city business houses know they must advertise to get the business, busi-ness, and they consider advertising one o the necessary investments connected with their business. They have found it to pay them in such a degree that they employ men whose only duty Is to prepare the advertising advertis-ing copy for their business. These men draw big salaries. The city papers charge a high rate for space yet both of these expenses are returned re-turned with a big profit added all by advertising. Let the small town business man give the same attention to his advertising that the city business busi-ness house gives to its, and he can fight them to a finish and come out the victor every time. Let him decide de-cide to give one evening each week to the preparation of his copy for that week. Let him write Just as he would talk with his customers, personally, and he will find that It is not difficult to prepare copy. If you should have difficulty In preparing your advertising, your publisher pub-lisher will be glad to help you it any way he can, and his knowledge of advertising really Bhould be beneficial bene-ficial to you. Or, if you wish, ask us any question you may care to concerning con-cerning advertising. If you wish to take issue with any statement we have made in this letter, feel free to do so. Send a two cent stamp with your letter and we will give you a personal answer. Our study of newspaper advertising has taught us that it is a wonderful opportunity, within the reach of every business man., and'lf we can aid you In reaching reach-ing the same conclusion, we want to do so." |