I would like to get some more business by putting an ad in the newspaper. How can I word it so people 1. know I bake out of my home and 2. know they have to place orders in advance, as I don't simply have cakes and cookies available.
"We are a custom order only business working out of our licensed and inspected kitchen in our home. "
Plus whatever else you want to say to entice them.
As a side note, will the ad be run on the newspaper's website as well? Something to think about.....
Honestly newspaper ads are a waste of money. I wouldn't bother if I were you. Very expensive and newspapers are very underread these days.
Honestly newspaper ads are a waste of money. I wouldn't bother if I were you. Very expensive and newspapers are very underread these days.
I would agree based on a thread that is running in the vendor forum on wedding wire about best and worst advertising dollars spent. Newspaper ads are #1 in the "biggest waste of money" column.
Thanks for the responses so far, I appreciate them! The reason I am considering a newspaper ad is because I live in a small town (5000 people) and though word of mouth has gotten me some business, many people are not aware I actually take orders for my product. My town has a 6 page paper published 5 days a week and it's full of local news so everybody subscribes. The going rate for a 2X2 ad for 3 days is $45.
So do I, even smaller perhaps, and I thought the same thing. I wasted $1500 in advertising in our local paper this year, even offered coupons. Not even one returned coupon, call or email from the news ads. Word of mouth, my direct mail, and the event venues are my biggest sources of clients. All the restaurants and convenience stores let you put out biz cards or brochures. Those have also given me consistant return.
I agree that in larger communities, newspapers are a big waste of money these days, but if you're in a smaller community, with a once a week newspaper, they are worth it. Not sure if this applies to the OP or not, but if so, go for it!
Not sure how big the ad would be, but I have verbiage on my website:
To ensure quality and personalized service, I carefully limit the number of orders accepted. This limitation is based on servings and level of detail required of each cake and cookie order. Consequently, it's important to place your order as early as possible contact me today for a quote!
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