Questions About Small Ads

Generally speaking, there are two types of ads:

1. Display ads: These ads are priced based upon size and sometimes location (what page). You'll have to discuss pricing within advertising representative.

2. Classified ads: These ads are priced based upon the number of words or number of lines. These types of ads are lumped together usually in the back of the periodical.

In terms of testing, you can use pay per click campaigns such as Google adwords. Specifically the Google ad words content network.

But here's the thing: if you're telling this to provide service, I think you're going to go hungry. Here's why:

Most people who choose this type of media buy, do so because it's some of the lowest cost off-line advertising you can do. Most prospects are going to want to put themselves, rather than pay to do it.

Now if there might be a business model here, if you offered to also place off-line media buys in addition to optimizing the prospect's rough ad.

For instance, you can buy nationwide exposure in all the local Pennysaver-like periodicals for a flat rate of $1500. Most people don't know how to get that done. And for offers like business opportunities and info products, it's perfect.

You could offer your services and nationwide exposure for let's say $1997.

I don't know if that would be lucrative enough for you, but it would be a more viable than just offering your services alone.

- Rick Duris

Check out your local paper's rate card. Here's a link to my local paper's advertising rate card:

http://lancasteronline.com/pages/lnp...rds/retail.pdf

All newspaper ads are spec'd by column inches. a single column in my newspaper measures 1" tall by 1.75" wide. 6 columns wide is 11".

Since my local paper has 6 columns and it's 22" tall it therefore has 132 column inches for advertising available. Ads can be of any size. You can create your ad as a 1 column ad by 22" (very tall) or 6 columns by 1" (very wide)... or any size inbetween. So, the smallest ad you can place is 1 column (wide) by 1" (tall). (Also, I'm talking retail space ads here and not classified ads.)

Thanks for letting me know about my chances with this business model.

I'm thinking now that this may be a loosing strategy, unless maybe I could write Facebook ads for businesses. The reasoning behind this is, for one thing, I don't really know much about submitting ads for print and everything. For now, before I learn more, I really want to keep everything online if I can. Another is, FB ads are so much more targeted than classifieds. They could be really powerful, even to big businesses. Add to that the fact that most FB ads seem to be extremely poorly written. One problem though, is that I don't really know if it will seem like I'm giving them much value for what I would be charging, so I may need to look around for some freebie to toss in. After the first assignment though, if they offer me another one, that would no longer be an option.