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mattia

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Wher do you guys think ads need to go?

I will put some in the free paper and some will go to the professional services in the paper, I will also go with post cards to high income areas to increase notice in those areas of target.

Would you go with the sports page, or maybe in the entertainment section.... Where else have you guys had luck?

Matt
 
Is there a directory where contractors list their services? If so, put it there. That's where people already know to look.

Beth
 
Thanks Beth, Have you ever had any luck with the sports page of the paper...


Matt
 
Traditionally the type of advertising you find in the sports section is for 1 of 4 things

A. Car Dealerships
B. Gentleman's Clubs
C. Offshore sports bookies
D. Viagra

Sports pages are geared toward men, adds for the most part only they care about. Also it may just be me but I never read the ads in the sports page because I always assume they are going to be for on of the 4 things listed above and I have no use for any of them.

Now the approach in your local sports page may be different thats is just what I have found in the different regions I have lived in.

I plan on trying to advertise in the home section/living section occasionally and do like Beth said and get listed in the local contractors section.

Depending on the cost I am going to try for my initial ad when I get to Maryland to be on the front page bottom of the fold. Newspapers usually sell that bottom 3 inches or so. That is usually major $$ in a big Metro area but i am moving to a smaller area so hopefully they won't ask for my first born.

If it is to much I will just have re-think my strategy. The way things are going Beth I may need to bring a snow plow instead of A pressure washing rig, you may still have 3 feet of snow on the ground by the time I get there in late may early June.
 
Gender bias....

Ok....
First of all, I know no one means to forget about the ladies out there so please don't misread this post. :) You guys are all great.

I learned a long time ago about this funny little thing called gender bias. Very often advertisers will make the mistake (and therefore marketers as well) of marketing to a specific gender when the purchasing decision and power doesn't lie in the hands of one gender alone, or may even lie in the hands of the other gender.

Who calls you most often for estimates? Who is home most often for estimates (residential is the focus of this dicussion)? In many cases it is actually the woman of the house who:

1. makes the calls
2. sets up appointments
3. makes purchase decision.

Guys want to keep the woman of the house happy, and many men in careers whose wives are home, have them take care of matters involving home care.

Now this may not apply to all areas of the country, or to all demographic market segments. However, it's true in our area, and most likely in affluent areas.

Never make the costly mistake of aiming an ad at a specific gender. I would suggest avoiding the sports section and the style section, because they both reflect a bias in readership. Keep your ad in an area where others are as well, and focus on aiming the ad at your market so that it stands out among the others and captures attention in a unique way if possible.

Just my .02 worth...
Beth:cool:
 
Matt

What did you go with? How did it work?
 
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