Promote Your Publication By Thinking Like An Advertiser
I have been in the newspaper and magazine advertising sales business now for over 12 years. For some of you veterans that may not seem very long. But none the less, it's long enough to learn a couple things... One of which is that most publishers and advertising sales professionals are poor marketers. Here's why I've come to that conclusion.In advertising sales one key task is helping advertisers recognize the importance of brand or product exposure. Presumably this will not be a huge challenge as most marketers inherently understand that to sell more products, services, etc., they need more people to know about their offer. However, the next challenge is a bit more difficult.
In order to make the sale, advertising sales people must show prospective advertisers how the publications they represent will bring to effect the necessary customer connections. Typically this is where advertising sales professionals pull out demographic studies, reader profiles and other statistical data intended to analytically convince the marketer that advertising in their publication is a smart marketing decision.
Throughout this process the good advertising sales professionals learn to function in a sales consultant role rather than as a hired gun. Their job becomes helping rather than just taking; finding business solutions instead of finding just another buyer. Good advertising sales professionals become skilled at coaching their advertising clients toward effective, productive marketing campaigns. They understand something about their advertiser's customers and how to effectively reach them.
Armed with this knowledge it would seem logical then to conclude that advertising sales professionals should know how to effectively market their own businesses. Unfortunately however, this is not always the case. Many advertising sales professionals still rely on publication promotion methods that would be scoffed at among advertisers. Few use press releases to promote special advertising opportunities or the merits of their publications. Few run advertising campaigns that brand their name in prospective advertiser's minds. And relatively few participate in events or functions that help burn their brand into potential advertiser's minds. Why?
Some of the answers are obvious such as the lack of funds, the lack of sufficiently-targeted promotion platforms, the lack of time, etc. However, more often than not it is simply due to a lack of thought or priority. After all, the job is to sell advertising -- right? Here's an example.
In a recent meeting I had with a well-know, well-respected publisher based out of the UK, we were discussing their U.S. advertising program and how best to increase sales. When asked if the company was actively promoting their publications via marketing, pr and events this senior level executive's response was simply, "We really don't do a very good job promoting ourselves." This is in spite of the fact that the company is well-funded and can hire the best sales help available.
On the flip side, let me offer two counter examples. Emap and IPC, two well-known and successful UK based periodical publishers, have taken the job of marketing / promoting their publications to an unparalleled height. Both companies have spun off web properties dedicated wholly to keeping advertisers informed. Both offer regular updates with regard to publication related events, news and upcoming advertising opportunities. And both make a compelling argument to advertisers for why their platforms will help an advertiser's business succeed. All these things catch the attention of prospective advertisers, help build name recognition and instill confidence in the publisher's platform. The end result is when an advertising sales rep calls on an account the conversation generally starts at a higher level because the publisher's product is known and recognized.
Obviously no amount of promotion or marketing you do can guarantee a sale to those who do not need or believe in your product. But not telling your story, without question, increases the obstacles advertising sales people will face. It seems a bit redundant to say that today's advertising market is competitive. Anyone in the business already knows it. But competition requires that we evolve, create better products and make sure people know about them. As much as the Internet has been blamed for hurting the print advertising business, it has also offered an unparalleled, affordable resource for promoting it. So publishing and advertising sales professionals: It's time to start taking a little of our own medicine. It's time to start promoting your publications. It's time to start thinking like an advertiser.
David W. Fouse
President
PrintAdvertising.com
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