Offline Marketers: Feedback requested.

was this every newspaper? maybe it's too many words?

Just a few local ones.
They have all pretty much said the same thing that it just doesn't fit in with the other things being sold in their classified sections. It seems more like I have to sell them on running the ad in their publications than they have to sell me on buying the space. I am ready, willing and able to buy the ad space but the ad keeps getting rejected. I get the impression that they want more money from me in order to run the ad as a commercial ad which costs a bit more.

Online there may be an article or something about things relating to organic issues and in such a situation the ad could be featured below or along side of said article. But no one is talking about anything organic in either of these newspapers so the ad would look sort of weird as a stand alone and isn't really insert material. I can't really picture it appearing anywhere other than the classified sections.

it's crazy that they won't take your money. I've seen some crazy classified ads in the past.

I bet they wouldn't have a problem listing an erectile dysfunction ad

Jon,

Some local newspapers have a policy of no direct response in the classifieds, Talk with the ads manager and inquire about their direct response rates.

Mark Riddle

Mark will be on the money - they suspect they can get you tied into something more - they won't be keen to let you feeload off the classifieds with pro copy.

To me (if I was an advertiser) I would be asking the question "What is he trying to sell?"

Your ad doesn't actually promote / sell any items, but gives a "end of the world" type warning and then places a website URL.

You might want to change it to reflect something like "Revolutionary new product XXXX has been shown to eliminate health concerns and decrease amount of product required to clean. Visit www.YYYY.com or call 1-800-CLEAN-ME for your free report."

Something along those lines?

But ya, right now it reads more like a public service announcement than a classified ad (which is probably why it doesn't "fit")

~Dexx

If they have advertising clients that sell traditional cleaning products (IE grocery store, drug store, etc) They don't want to lose other advertisers that MAY be PO'd that the paper ran that ad.

Conflict of interest.

Jon,

Let me save you some cash here. This is just my two cents and something to think about.

1. Your ad to too wordy and too long. Purpose of a classified is to get someone to raise their hand and respond.

2. It's weak. It really doesn't drive me to take action based on the ad or get me excited.

3. What section of the classifieds are you trying to sell it under. This could be your problem. Look at the headers that are in the papers and see if your product fits there.

4. This type of product might not do well in the classifieds based on the fact most people shop for cars, homes, rentals, pets, etc,. Organic cleaners are not really hot items in a classified section especially when you can buy them anywhere like target and walmart. Plus prevention type products are a hard sell as it is. People want cures not prevention type products.

You might want to think long and hard on this one... good luck

John

3.

You're ALL WRONG

The reason why this is getting rejected is because you don't have a phone number!

What you do is get a Gmail account and then open up a Google Voice account within that for FREE. You can then publish the Google Voice number in your ad. Google Voice gives you free voicemail. Just let the VM box fill and check it accordingly. Make sure you use your own local area code when selecting a GV number.

If the ad still gets rejected then register cheap .info domain name with the city/town name in it such as ChicagoCleansers.info, etc. Then redirect to your money domain. The reason why you want the city name in the domain is this will look more like a "local" brick and mortar type operation. Another reason for the cheap .info domain is you'll be able to track the clicks and know if the ad pulls for you in that particular newspaper.

You can also try to call the newspaper and talk to them directly instead of playing this back and forth game.

Local newspapers don't want to fill up their classifed with a bunch of ads with no contact phone numbers.

Please come back and let us know if your classified ad was finally accepted!

Good luck!
Dennis

PS: Google Voice is by INVITE only. If you have an aged Gmail account do a search in your inbox as you may have an old invite sitting in there. If not, you can pick up an invite on eBay for $5.

Jon I think you need to listen to everyone that has posted a recommendation. They all have a point and all give you things to take into consideration. You may need to start by revising and analyzing your Ad. Find a better approach. Consider the product and your target audience. Put yourself in the reader's shoes and ask yourself "Why should I invest in this product." Give them the solution, a lot of people are a little adamant about organic products, nonetheless a cleaner. Believe me, I tend to buy almost everything organic, and at first, I too was skeptical on whether or not they would work. So, that is probably what your reader is thinking.

Also, in my opinion, I agree that it does not fit in with what one normally finds in the classifieds, cars, homes, antiques, etc.

You can even ask the sales department manager what exactly they are looking for and what they consider a classified. Do not be afraid to ask questions, otherwise you'll succumb to their requests and end up paying for your Ad.

I was thinking of doing a flier to promote my general business overall as opposed to a single set of products. I offer many different products and services geared toward many different people.
I have decided not to run the original ad after all and would like to thank everyone for the advice.


I'm also a little jaded toward running any ads with the papers that have been giving me a hard time. When it feels like you have to convince them to sell you the ad space and run your ad it doesn't seem worth it. They're supposed to come after you and try and entice you into spending your money on advertising with them.