the Cost of Print Marketing and Advertising

My nephew recently ran an ad announcing a special at his car detailing shop. He chose an ad that was approximately 4 1/2" wide and 3" long. The $110 includes an extra $50 he paid to have the color red used in the ad (standard color is black).

My nephew didn't have a clue what he wanted in his ad, with the exception of the prices he would be offering for the next two weeks. Luckily, he had a very understanding advertising salesperson that was able to pick enough stuff out of what he said to create a very nice ad. The picture that my nephew wanted to include in the ad was vetoed by the salesperson and she even created 2 sets of the same ad to show him why. The ad with the picture he wanted was so "busy" looking that it just didn't stand out. Needless to say, he took her suggestions.

He was also offered a bunch of special advertising rates if he would agree to run his ad for a specific period of time. The size of the ad wasn't the same as what he wanted for this special, but it was still a good enough deal that he's considering doing that later.

If you don't know what you want, the advertising salespeople can usually take general comments and ideas you have and throw together some really nice looking ads. They always have different promotions and specials that will let you run your ad for a lower price, but they usually have to run for a much longer time period. Sit down and figure out if it would be helpful to you or not. If you're just starting out, it might be better to try a smaller ad just a couple of times and see how it works out. Above all, it's your money, so don't be pushed into doing something that's not right for you.