Do It Yourself Advertising and Promotion: How to Produce Great Ads, Brochures, Catalogs, Direct Mail, Web Sites, and More , 3rd Edition

Praise for the Second Edition "Mr. Hahn's background in an industry where the creative stretching of promotional budgets is a daily necessity serves well the reader of this book. His advice is both practical and imaginative, and delivered with wit as well as wisdom." -Andrew McNally III, Chairman of the Board, Rand McNally Create Madison Avenue advertising on a Main Street budget with Do-it-Yourself Advertising & Promotion Now the most complete guide to do-it-yourself advertising includes totally new sections on branding, the Internet, and Yellow Pages advertising. This updated edition of Do-It-Yourself Advertising and Promotion offers the latest information on launching your own homegrown, successful advertising campaigns and new desktop publishing techniques. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you'll find tried-and-true, low-budget promotional tactics. With every chapter updated and expanded, this new third edition is better-and more comprehensive-than ever. Author Fred E. Hahn and expert contributors show you how to create successful high-impact advertising on a limited budget using practical, time-tested techniques. This friendly and accessible guide explains each method step by step-with concrete advice on planning, scheduling, budgeting, creative issues, and production procedures to help you develop effective: Newspaper and magazine ads * Flyers, brochures, and invitations * Direct mail campaigns * Catalogs * Web sites * E-mail and Internet advertising * Teleservicing * Audiovisual materials * Publicity tools and techniques * And more! Cover......Page 1 Successful Yellow Pages Advertising, by Tom Davis......Page 8 Some Major Revisions......Page 9 Lots more......Page 10 The Whole Book......Page 12 ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION......Page 14 Six Uniform Annotations......Page 15 Five Vertical Checklist Columns......Page 17 Make ¡° Final¡± FINAL!......Page 18 Contents......Page 20 1 Branding and Your Brand Asset Assessment......Page 34 1. Brand Name......Page 35 3. Reach and Frequency......Page 37 5. Promotion......Page 38 7. Distribution......Page 39 11. Sales Force......Page 40 13. Product Performance......Page 41 15. Actionable Research......Page 42 WHAT¡ ̄S YOUR TOTAL SCORE?......Page 43 How to Set Goals for Your Advertising......Page 45 Where to Get Help in Setting Goals......Page 46 How to Budget for Advertising......Page 47 Budgeting for Individual Ads......Page 48 Evaluating Advertising Results......Page 49 How to Sneak a Preview......Page 50 Targeting by Building Profiles......Page 51 How to Design Your Ad without Being a ¡° Designer¡±......Page 52 How to Develop Benefits......Page 53 Features Instruct, Benefits Sell!......Page 54 Developing Your Offer......Page 55 Where You Should Start......Page 56 A Note on Guarantees, Promises, and Offers......Page 58 Features, Too!......Page 59 A Sample......Page 60 ONE FINAL CHECK BEFORE TYPESETTING......Page 61 Typesetting Options......Page 62 Type: Faces, Weight, and Sizes......Page 63 Production Considerations for Photography and Art......Page 66 Film for Advertisements......Page 67 Demographic Editions......Page 68 WHEN TO CHANGE AN AD......Page 69 Learning from Success......Page 70 What a Promotional Advertising Program Should Specify......Page 71 Auditing Co- Op: How and Why......Page 73 NOTES ON THE NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE ADVERTISING CHECKLIST......Page 75 General Audience Newspapers......Page 79 Who Advertises in Newspapers . . . and Why......Page 80 Magazine Categories......Page 81 HOW TO PICK PRINT MEDIA FOR ADVERTISING......Page 82 IF YOU DON¡ ̄T KNOW WHERE TO ADVERTISE......Page 83 Understanding SRDS Print Media Listings......Page 84 Reliability of SRDS Data......Page 85 HOW TO RESEARCH A SUBJECT......Page 87 The ¡° Target¡± Audience......Page 88 Using the Promotion......Page 90 ESTABLISHING A TIME FRAME AND TIME LINES......Page 91 CREATING THE PROMOTION: AN OUTLINE......Page 92 WRITING THE MANUSCRIPT: THE IMPORTANCE OF FEATURES AND BENEFITS......Page 94 LAYOUT AND DESIGN......Page 95 Cost Factors in Working with Outside Designers......Page 97 NOTES ON THE FLYER/ BROCHURE CHECKLIST......Page 98 The Challenge of Optional Posting......Page 102 How to Get Your Bulletin Read......Page 103 Bulletins for Fun Events......Page 104 AWord about Design......Page 105 Structuring Your Invitation......Page 106 NOTES ON THE INVITATION/ INVITATIONAL BULLETIN CHECKLIST......Page 108 DIRECT MAIL......Page 112 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DIRECT MARKETING LAW......Page 113 Doing Your Own Mailings......Page 114 MAILING LISTS......Page 115 For New Businesses......Page 116 Things to Know about Using Lists......Page 117 THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR TESTING......Page 118 Structuring a Test......Page 119 Five Ways to Approach Testing......Page 120 How to Prepare Your Print Media Test......Page 121 Testing Just Two Variables......Page 122 CREATING YOUR OWN MAILINGS:THE LETTER......Page 123 The Two- List Approach to Letters......Page 124 The Three ¡° Tells¡±......Page 125 Notes on the Letter for Waxer Mailing......Page 127 ENVELOPES AND TEASERS......Page 130 The Other 90 Percent......Page 131 The Response: More Than Just a BRC......Page 132 To Card . . . or Not to Card......Page 133 SELF- MAILERS AND REPLY CARDS......Page 134 Self- Mailer Advantages and Disadvantages......Page 135 The Triple Postcard......Page 136 Additional Triple Postcard Suggestions......Page 137 The $ 20 Rule Applied......Page 138 NOTES ON THE DIRECT MAIL CREATIVE CHECKLIST......Page 140 Establishing Your Database......Page 143 What You Really Have to Know......Page 144 Database Direct Marketing and the Four P¡ ̄s......Page 145 6 Catalogs......Page 147 Copy......Page 148 PRODUCING YOUR CATALOG......Page 149 First General Meeting......Page 150 Assignment and Scheduling......Page 153 Writing Copy......Page 154 Design and Layout......Page 156 Art and Photography......Page 158 Typesetting and Desktop Publishing......Page 161 Disk or New Art, Film Separation, and Proofing......Page 163 Printing and Binding......Page 164 Distribution and Mailing......Page 166 Postproduction Activities......Page 167 NOTES ON THE CATALOG CHECKLIST......Page 168 7 Out- of- Home Advertising and Promotion......Page 172 The Yellow Pages, SRDS, and Your Sanity......Page 173 BILLBOARD OUTDOOR DISPLAYS......Page 174 Billboards and Their Cost......Page 175 Production Costs......Page 176 Basic Billboard Formats......Page 177 TRANSIT AND BUS DISPLAYS......Page 178 Bench Displays......Page 179 Where to Find Suppliers and What It Costs......Page 180 Inflatable ¡° Cold Air¡± Advertising......Page 181 SHOPPING MALL AND FOOD COURT ADVERTISING......Page 182 Movie Advertising......Page 183 County Fairgrounds, Picnic Grounds, and County Stadiums......Page 184 NOTES ON THE OUT- OF- HOME CHECKLIST......Page 185 A Look at Yellow Pages Usage......Page 188 Be Your Own Yellow Pages Guinea Pig......Page 189 How to Calculate Yellow Pages Ad Results......Page 190 Look Inside ¡° the Mirror¡±......Page 191 RETURN ON INVESTMENT......Page 192 Measuring Yellow Pages Return on Investment......Page 193 THE OCCUPANCY THEORY......Page 194 Translating ¡° Vacancies¡± to Your Business......Page 195 Dominate Somewhere......Page 196 Display Advertising......Page 197 How to Write a Great Yellow Pages Ad......Page 198 How to Track Calls......Page 199 Telephone Company Directories......Page 200 BUYING AT A DISCOUNT......Page 201 Basic Display Ad......Page 202 Major Quarter- Page Ad......Page 203 NOTES ON YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING CHECKLIST......Page 204 SCOPE OF TELESERVICES......Page 208 Teleservicing as Today¡ ̄s Way to Telemarketing Success......Page 209 Integrate Your Customer Communications to Create More Sales/ Service Opportunities......Page 210 Teleservicing Goals......Page 211 Standard Teleservices Firms......Page 213 How Teleservicers Charge......Page 214 Inbound Teleservicing......Page 215 Outbound Teleservicing......Page 217 FINDING THE HELP YOU NEED FOR IN- HOUSE OPERATIONS......Page 219 Finding the Right Firm......Page 220 Testing Teleservicers......Page 222 NOTES ON THE TELESERVICES CHECKLIST......Page 224 WHEN TO BROADCAST YOUR FAX......Page 226 FINDING BROADCAST FAX FIRMS......Page 227 Some Guidance in Personalization......Page 228 NOTES ON THE BROADCAST FAX CHECKLIST......Page 229 How to Collect E- Mail Addresses......Page 234 The Business- to- Business Application......Page 235 Make It Easy to Get Off Your List, Too......Page 236 How to Get the Existing Business Front Line Involved......Page 237 The Importance of Blind ¡° Carbon Copies¡±......Page 238 Five ¡° Secrets¡± of Successful E- Mail......Page 239 Your Seven- Point Web Site Index......Page 240 The ¡° Online¡± and ¡° Catalog¡± Difference......Page 242 The Empathy Factor......Page 243 The "No More Need for Phone Reps" Fallacy( It’s Not Always the Web Site Desigr’s Fault!)......Page 244 The Need for Experimentation......Page 245 Assigning Responsibility to Get Results......Page 246 What a Good Site Is All About......Page 247 Requests for More Information......Page 248 No ¡° Friction- Free¡± Commerce......Page 249 Finding the Right Web Site for You to Advertise......Page 250 The Need to Find the Right Bank for Credit Sales......Page 251 Setting Your Strategy......Page 252 E- mail Things to Do......Page 253 Internet Things to Do......Page 255 12 Publicity and Public Relations......Page 256 How They Differ and Why It Matters......Page 257 Deciding Who¡ ̄s in Charge......Page 258 THE NEED FOR AGREED- ON PR PROCEDURES......Page 259 Convincing Management......Page 260 HOW TO MAXIMIZE GOOD NEWS......Page 261 THE MEDIA RELEASE OR NEWS ADVISORY......Page 263 22 Ways to Get Your Story Printed......Page 264 HOW TO GAIN LOCAL COVERAGE......Page 269 2. Find National Media That Want Your News......Page 271 3. Use National Release Services......Page 274 GETTING MORE PR FROM YOUR PUBLICITY......Page 275 WHEN NOT TO DO IT YOURSELF......Page 276 NOTES ON THE PUBLICITY/ PUBLIC RELATIONS CHECKLIST......Page 277 The Boutique Factor......Page 281 The Do- It- Yourself Quality Factor......Page 282 Finding Suppliers......Page 283 Skills for Multimedia Planning and Use......Page 284 Tape versus CD versus CD- ROM......Page 285 What Media Creativity Is All About......Page 286 Openness to Criticism......Page 287 Endless Shooting......Page 288 Voice and Teleprompters......Page 289 Final Editing......Page 290 Finding the Duplication Service You Need......Page 291 NOTES ON THE MEDIA CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION CHECKLIST......Page 292 Consumer Shows ( for the General Public)......Page 296 WHY YOU CARE......Page 297 Marketing Media......Page 298 Information- Driven Growth......Page 299 WHY YOU AND THEY ARE THERE......Page 300 Focus on Focus......Page 301 Focus on Your Prospects¡ ̄ Problems . . . and Solve Them......Page 302 THE BILLBOARD APPROACH TO SUCCESS AT EXHIBITING......Page 303 What This Book Can Do to Help......Page 304 There¡ ̄s More to Exhibiting Than Exhibits......Page 305 It Doesn¡ ̄t Have to Have Food......Page 306 Focus for Individual Attention......Page 307 Exhibit Space Configuration......Page 308 Space for New Exhibitors......Page 309 Custom- Built Displays ( Option 1)......Page 310 A Dozen Cost Factors......Page 311 The One- Show, Leave- Behind Display: An Invitation to Adventure ( Option 5)......Page 313 Constructing Your One- Show Display......Page 315 ORDERING A NEW DISPLAY......Page 316 MEETINGS CHECKLIST......Page 320 FILM SEPARATION AND PROOFING......Page 325 From New Art to Film or File......Page 326 Proofing before Printing......Page 327 A Continuous Process......Page 329 NOTES ON THE FILE/ FILM PREPARATION CHECKLIST......Page 330 NOTES ON THE PRINTING/ BINDERY CHECKLIST......Page 334 On Postage Savings......Page 341 NOTES ON THE DMPC/ LETTERSHOP CHECKLIST......Page 343 Index......Page 350 Now the most complete guide to do-it-yourself advertising includes totally new sections on branding, the Internet, and Yellow Pages advertising. This updated edition of Do-It-Yourself Advertising and Promotion offers the latest information on launching your own homegrown, successful advertising campaigns and new desktop publishing techniques. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you'll find tried-and-true, low-budget promotional tactics. With every chapter updated and expanded, this new Third Edition is better -- and more comprehensive -- than ever. Author Fred E. Hahn and expert contributors show you how to create successful high-impact advertising on a limited budget using practical, time-tested techniques. Book jacket This Third Edition shows readers how to successfully create high-impact advertising on a limited budget. It offers practical, tested techniques and hard-earned insights into every major form of advertising, from newspaper and magazine ads, flyers and brochures to direct mail, radio, catalogs, and publicity