Should I take it

[chris1317]

I got a call yesterday asking if I would like to advertise in a publication. The woman on the phone said that it is a charity orginisation and they are distributing 40000 copies of the A5 booklet within Aberdeen featuring local business only and wanted to feature a photo retouching company.

I have never beeen approached and offered anything like this before and was wondering if it was a good idea.

For a 1/2 page advert it is costing just under £300 and the book lasts for a year, also I get a half dosen copies to distribute/keep.

Thanks
Chris.

[Rob Holmes]

Hi Chris,

Why don't you ask for a copy of last years publication and then contact a few people and see if the publication was any good for them?

The normal persuasive sales patter they 'usually' say about 'only one good enquiry covering the cost' doesn't wash with me.

I do this and it generally saves me money!

Also IF you do decide to go for it negotiate hard, you may find that prices will halve and extras can be included.

Theres a good Scottish contingency on the forum - hopefully there are others that have tried the publication and can give you a handle on what you could negotiate down to or expect for your hard earned money.

Rob

[Ravenfire]

Be careful. There are a lot of scams like this going around at the moment. Can you let me know the publication and I will check if its one that I have heard of before doing this

Toni

[Amber]

Just echoing Ravenfire's comment - there are a huge amount of scams like this going around. Last year I had at least six calls like this, all claiming to be selling advertising for charity leaflets or road safety promotions, and saying that the booklet would be distributed to every home in our area.

A year on, I've never seen any of these booklets, and although I refused the advertising in all cases, a few months ago I had a call from one of the companies thanking me for my advert and saying that the "campaign" had been hugely successful, and they would put me through to the accounts department so that I could buy another one. They told me my advert had run in the centre pages of their publication, which was strange considering I hadn't supplied any artwork, or, for that matter, money! As soon as I said I hadn't agreed to any such thing, they put down the phone.

I'm not saying that this particular offer is dodgy, but I would definitely ask to see a copy of any previous publications they've produced, and maybe call a couple of the advertisers to ask if they found it worthwhile.

[Rob Holmes]

on a side note..

It's made me wonder now..

We gave money a few years on the trot to a company called 'Victoria Sponsorship' who said they were contributing towards soldiers and their families in the armies - has anyone come across them?

Rob

[Pete Williams]

I have had numerous calls from these so called charities asking for sponsorship of this and that.

I would say don't bother, I have found them to be very rude and pushy and I don't like there sales tact. I would not advertise on one again.

Don't really feel as if it has any benefit in terms of ROI, I think it is also important to ask how much of your money goes to the charity.

[Anyanka]

Leave it be. If you play your cards right you can go in a national, abc audited publication with a much larger readership for the same price :wink:

[chris1317]

Thanks for all the advice people,

I was pretey convinced that it was a good idea by the lady on the phone but now im having 2nd thoughts.

the charity is

forestersfundforchildren.org.uk

Thanks Chris.

[webit]

Spend it like it's your own money. If your buying something ask to see what it is, ask who else has signed up, get names and contact details.

Also, can you check them out with local Trading Standards?

[gary]

There have been a lot of warnings in the business press and on Working Lunch about this sort of thing. A lot of them are scams and the calenders or leaflets are never even produced. This one may be genuine, but personally I would steer clear unless you get very positive feedback from people you know well. Spend your marketing money on advertising that reaches your target market directly, rather than on a booklet that's probably just going to be binned anyway.

[10 Yetis]

I know I am a bit late onto this one, a few words, just my opinion.
Don't know if it is a scam or not but historically response rates from magazines like this one are not worth the money in the first place.

Unless you are a large ish company with a good local presence and want just a profile advert rather than an ad that pushes a product I would stear clear of them...

For the same amount you could get a good few Press Releases and sell ins which have much better response rates, or even get a good mailing done.

Really think it is a waste of a hard earned £300.00

(p.s. I know it is for charity and all that, but you have to remember its business)

[epiphany]

Don't do it, everyone I have ever spoken to about these deals said it didn't work for them.

[Amber]

I would say don't bother, I have found them to be very rude and pushy and I don't like there sales tact. I would not advertise on one again.


Really agree with this. Most of the ones I've had were road safety campaigns for children, and when I politely refused the caller would always adopt a disgusted tone and say, "What, do you not WANT to save children's lives then?" Not a nice approach, even if it was genuine.

[BMS]

HI Chris

had a similar call from these people a few months ago.

They wanted a similar some of money but haven't heard from them since.

They do have a website....

[chris1317]

I think il give this one a miss after reading the advice that ive been given. From the site they look legit but better safe than sorry.

Thanks
Chris.

[Cornish Steve]

Why not pursue a different track? Contact organizations, newspapers, and journals and ask if they'd be interested in publishing an article you will write.

I happen to be a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. In essence, students who graduate from an American university in the top 5-10% of their class are invited to become members. Many members are academics, but several top managers also belong.

I contacted Phi Kappa Phi by email stating that I'd like to contribute an article. Unknown to me, my timing was perfect. They were three months away from launching a new e-zine and were looking for articles. They jumped at the chance to obtain a meaningful contribution.

Now, I couldn't be too blatant about my product, but I found a way to explain most of our benefits in the context of a story about entrepreneurship.

The e-zine was a big success, and the organization received more hits than anticipated. Since the article was published, I have received email messages asking for specific information. I don't know how much business will come our way because of this, but the advertising was all free!

I'm close to convincing a second organization to include an article about our company, and I'm hoping to convince the local newspaper to write an article about us too. Again, all this is free.

As a startup company, there's no way I am going to pay for advertising... especially since I can reach a specific target audience at no cost.

[chris1317]

Point taken Steve

I dont realy have heaps of spare cash lying arround to spend on advertising my girlfriends sister works for a local paper and said she can get me advertising. It is not free but its cheaper.

As for writing an article, I wouldent know where to start. I have never been very good with english.

Thanks
Chris.

[Cornish Steve]

As for writing an article, I wouldent know where to start. I have never been very good with english.

Thanks
Chris.

Chris,

Don't worry about the quality of the written English for now; that's a technical issue, and it can be addressed separately. Think about what readers of your local paper might be interested in (and about which you don't mind them knowing):

- A little background information about yourself.
- Something about why you started your company.
- What your company currently does.
- How the local community benefits from what you do.
- Something about you and your company that's unique.
- Something that will add local interest, and so on.

Just put it all down in writing. It shouldn't take more than an hour or two.

As for turning that information into a publishable article, I'd be glad to help. I shall send you my email address in a PM, so send me whatever you have when you can. It may take me several days to get to it - I'm working on some other things right now - but I promise to get it done for you.

Not only will this save you the cost of advertising, but I'm sure it will get you more readers. More than that, you'll be establishing a relationship with the readers, which is crucial.

[webit]

- A little background information about yourself.
- Something about why you started your company.
- What your company currently does.
- How the local community benefits from what you do.
- Something about you and your company that's unique.
- Something that will add local interest, and so on.

Thats a very good set of pointers to start with.

Thanks for sharing.