\(/ant More Business?

To help dealers do a better job in their newspaper advertising, Insulite recently prepared a series of attentiongetting newspaper ad mats. These are sent out in a portfolio along with some ideas on how a dealer can get the most from his newspaper advertising. The following article by G. F. (Gerry) Hoppe, Insulite sales promotion manager, is a summary of those ideas.

to newspaper advertising. It is the most effective way to increase your sales volume at the lo'r'vest cost Der Wqnl more business? sale. Or are you one of the many dealers who have asked, "Is ner'vspaper advertising really necessary?" Maybe you've asked that question because of a bad taste left from an experience with newspaper advertising. Was it the nervspaper advertising that was at fault, or the rvay you handled it?

Advertising, just like the organization of your storage sheds, should be planned. In your yard, you stcre materials so that they can be moved out in the shortest possible time rvith the least rehandling. And in your advertising, you should try to get the greatest return for every dollar spent.

To do this vou must decide rvhat percentage of total sales revenue you plan to spend on advertising. You must consider your market, and the competition for the homeowners'dollars. And you should decide on an advertising schedule, in light of the budget, of course, then hold to it. Then as your campaign rolls along, the results should be checked to make sure that you are getting a good return on your investment. Most successful advertising dealers consider a 12 to 1 return as satisfactory. Returns as high as 20 to 1 are not uncommon, though.

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Let's change horses for a minute and see what one of your big competitors is doing with newspaper advertising. f mean the department stores. And don't ever think you aren't in competition with them. You're both after the consumer doliar. Actually, the department store is probably a bigger competitor than the yard down the street about which you do most of your rvorrying.

You are certainly aware of the newspaper advertising being done by the department stores in your trade area. What would happen to business in these stores if they couldn't do newspaper advertising? They'd get out the red ink bottle in short order. Newspaper advertising is the life blood of any big department store operation. They've got to build high volume sales at a low cost per sale and that is exactly what newspaper advertising does for them.

And if it can'do that for them, why can't it do the same job for you? As I see it, it can. To do the job, however, you've got to consider newspaper advertising and how to use it just as seriously as the manager of a big, successful clepartment store.

The main job of your advertising is to create a desire for something that can be had by using the products you sell. After the desire is established, the ad should tell the reader that he can get the satisfaction desired by using materials available at your ya:d. Not in these rvords, of course, but this is the idea.

For example, say your are selling the idea of an attractive basement amusement room. How do you advertise this specialty room ? Certainly not by ljsting or picturing the indivdiual products. You show the most attractive baselnent amusement room possible. And you show it with adults, children or both having fun in the ner,v room.

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FAN MAIL

Just a check to keep those u'onderful editorials coming for another year.

Roy E. James San Marino, Calif.

Your magazine is very useful for finding information.

Lumber & Supply Co. Fresno, Calif.