BUSINESS BOOST
BUSINESS BOOST
The farm shop column by
retail expert John Stanley
THE perfect advert may not exist, but you can try to produce one for your farm shop.
The perfect one grabs the potential customers attention before they absorb the information on other adverts – you may be competing with up to 1000 others.
Consider the following pointers for your next advert in your local newspaper:
1 If you have an unusual shape logo, use it as the frame for your advert. Most adverts are rectangle and use all of the space. It is space that could work effectively for you.
2 Dont put your company name at the top of the advert. Potential buyers are not interested in seeing your name first. They want to be stimulated with an idea. Your headline should be an attention grabber such as "The best slimming vegetable in the world!" or "The natural cancer beater!"
3 Dont state the obvious. People expect you to sell potatoes – you dont need to tell them.
4 People remember pictures – so use pictures or artwork whenever you can.
5 Your name, address and contact details should go at the bottom of the advert. This is when the customer needs to be brought to action on where they should go.
6 If you dont have a unique logo to use as a border for your advert, then curve the edges of your border at the corners, it gives the perception that you are a friendlier business.
7 If you can control the placement of your adverts, ask for the lower left-hand corner of the page. Plus, aim at the first three pages.
Remember, adverts should only be a small part of your promotional strategy. They are needed to help get new customers, however, relationship selling with your existing customers is still your most effective advertising.