What doesn't work?

[alekssebasstrs]

What do you think is the least productive way to advertise? Is there something you've tried that hasn't panned out? What was it? Why do you think it didn't work?

 

[Arkane Steelblade]

This is my view on the problem with advertising...Americans are totally and completely overstimulated!  People try to relax with the tv on after work, and they're overstimulated with fast food ads, and detergent, cars, toys, mp3 players, the cutest new capri pants, a Little Caesers Hot & Ready pizza (for when you're just too busy after work), and again on the radio.  Someone finally gets smart and turns off the tv, picks up a magazine, X-celebrity is too thin, Y-celebrity is too fat, time to diet, time to exercise, maybe I'm too fat??, why doesn't my boyfriend want to marry me when Tom and Katie have been dating for two months and he proposed to her in PARIS!  I LOVE PARIS!  I'm going to cry because I'm not thin, and my boyfriend is not Tom Cruise, and I'm not going to eat dinner tonight, so maybe my boyfriend will love me.Yes, this is obsessive, but this is how I feel when I watch TV, listen to the radio, and read magazines.  It's junk.  Advertising is mostly junk.  How can we expect people to weed out the ads that might actually do them some good, when they are constantly and continually overstimulated with crap?Please don't hate me...I'm really not psycho.  It may be the wine talking.  (Hey, it's Saturday night!)

 

[Gaila]

Jelly, it's not ALL junk! What about that occasional really cute ad that makes you laugh?  Usually can't remember what the heck product they were advertising, but who cares.  Probably didn't need to know anyway.  Sometimes ads are good for entertainment!  Sometimes it's the best entertainment of the evening!As for me, I think newspaper advertising has been the least effective.  I think it doesn't work because so many of the ads are the same day after day, week after week, that people just don't read them.  Unless you are taking out a HUGE ad, people just don't notice it.  And even then, it's a shot in the dark that your ad will appeal to the people that happen to notice it. Although those home mailer packages are far more expensive than newspaper, it did bring a better return for me than the newspaper.  I still would not consider it a successful form of advertising, but not as bad as the newspaper.  Doing a local talk show on the local cable station was not at all fruitful either.  That required no investment of money, just time.  While all these things weren't directly successful, I do think they had a value in all getting together and making people more familiar with my name.  People who have picked up my brochure in the chiropractor's office or wherever will sometimes remember my ad in the mailer, or remember that they saw me on TV.  They feel familiar with me and are more likely to call me.  How many times have we heard that "word of mouth is the best advertisement"???  Well, that's nice, but first you need some mouths that will talk.  Silly me, spent the money advertising in the paper and the mailers, thinking that this was the way to get those clients in the door so I would have some that could talk to others and get more people in the door.  What I now realize is that instead of spending money on advertising, I should have spent more time talking.  When I didn't have clients to talk for me, I should have done far more talking than I did.  I guess I just wasn't comfortable tooting my own horn.  I don't just rely on my clients to talk for me, I do also do a lot of my own talking, much more than I did in the beginning, but I still need to do more.  

 

[stephyy1019]

I agree, there is some FANTASTIC advertising out there.  Who can forget the budweiser commercials with the clydesdales?  Oh, I love the Geico commerical with speedracer.  Remember the kitty litter commerical "I still think they're diamonds!"  But, this great stuff is very few and far between.Fresh, creative ideas are what grab consumers.  Most are in it for the money, and target consumers on a huge national scale.  Not many people are in tune with their own communities enough to know what's going on locally.

 

[smilenow]

I do chair massage at a local bank.  Almost all of their branches.We gave out "free 30 min. massage at our office" for them, as a small gift.  I think all in all we made 186 coupons, but I'll try to get back to you on exact numbers.  They were good from March until July 30th.  No strings attached and they knew it.  (This particular bank gives its employees some sort of coupon or freebie with their paycheck each month.)Right now, as you know it is June.  So far, I think we have only had 30 or a few more coupons come back.  Of those, maybe 15 upgraded to the full hour (for an additional $30).And of all the ones who came in, I think  we have 2 or 3 people who have become "regular clients".  One is once a week.So, I'd say, the promotion was a bomb... but on the other hand, I love the 2 clients we got who now come in regularly.  Because of them it was worth it.  But to be real honest, it was not near the response we expected.  Of course, it was a gift, so, it wasn't like a heavy duty promotion, but it does get you to thinking.  Hmmm.  All those feeebies and barely any takers.

 

[im l]

Hmmm.  All those freebies and barely any takers.

Amazing isn't it!Coupons have not worked to great for me.  I did brochures with coupons at a Curves for about 6 months.  I went through plently of brochures (coupon was attached to them), but only two clients.One client likes to hop around from therapist to therapist, probably using the coupons!  Wonder if she has ever paid full price for a massage.Other client is a semi-regular.  Her schedule is a difficult one to fit things into.

 

[John Dough]

EVERYTHING is a friggan' advertisment!  I went to a pro baseball game a couple weekends ago...on the big screen - TV commercials!  Not goofy looking fans or the players stats or whatever goes up there - TV commercials that I recognized because I sat and watched them earlier at home! Then in the stadium bathroom! Went to a movie the other night - not preveiws for upcoming movies...more TV commercials!  We are even getting adds when we are in the middle of a show or a movie - that little animation and the bottom the screen, not during commercial time but during the actuall SHOW!  Ugh you cant get away from this stuff!  Buy this, Get that, Watch this UGH!   *whew* okay rant over...here is what I have to add...I did a blind mail out that was 100% unsuccesful.  I purchased names and addys from the phone book or something (it was a few years ago)  I mailed a brochure about the benes of massage therapy, FAQ and a $10 off coupon.  Not one came back.  I have heard since then that a few coupons made it to some peoples fridges...but I didnt get any new clients from it.    You live you learn.  

 

[jee bus]

I too did the radio auction gc thing, twice...I don't think I will again. Got a few back, and of course the people have not been repeat clients.  

 

[ehui]

R&R, I know you are mainly focused on money, but please realize that not all of us are, nor do we need to be.  It's an issue, but not the only issue.I'm doing 4 hours of free chair massage on Saturday because I like it, and I think it's a hell of a lot of fun.  Meeting new people, introducing people to massage who may have never thought of it before, talking about why I believe in massage...those are all good opportunites!  I'm not spending any money when I'm volunteering my time, and if I'm lucky enough to get some tips, I'll have my gas paid for.  I want people to see a massage therapist regularly, even if it's not me!I think the response rate is a fine measure for someone who cares about bringing the power of massage to more people.  As much as I'd like to start making some money, increased revenue is not my top priority - my top priority is the wellbeing of my clients and new or potential clients.We all have different focuses with our practices, and that should be respected.

 

[bethwood082]

Let's see..what hasn't worked for me?Coupons haven't worked.Setting up special days for target markets didn't work.Offering a freebie in a print ad didn't work.Giving away GC's for churches didn't work.Yellow page advertising didn't work.Giving away freebies at health fairs didn't work.Magnetic directory listings didn't work.Policeman Calendar's didn't work.To me "worked" means that I get a return of the initial cost plus at least 2 new paying customers.  This makes whatever effort or cost involved worth trying it again.  If I break even or don't even come close...I don't waste my time or effort in that direction again.Now, this doesn't mean I don't provide GC's for good causes.  I just know that the chance of anyone coming to me from that GC is almost non-existent.  Heck, even the people who receive the GC seldom redeem it.