I’m passing along some ideas about print advertising and a few more ads I’ve created recently. (They appear on the following page.)

I am now rotating about ten different ads in the same weekly paper. They are producing the results I intended. By focusing primarily on “informal ads”, with a lot of content and high repetition, aimed at the same audience, I’ve created a much expanded awareness of Rolfing in this small state.

Now, when a potential client thinks about the possibility of Rolfing, or hears about it from me, or an acquaintance of someone I’ve Rolfed, it has a familiarity and a legitimacy, as in, “Oh yes, I’ve heard of that.” That familiarity has created a good climate for practice building.

If you are using or considering print advertising, you might consider the following:

1. A one shot advertising exposure in print is virtually useless. You must repeat.

2. You will tire of your copy well before it has lost its impact in the market. Keep using it.

3. Your ads need a “hook,” i.e., Does it hurt? If the hook is not in the title, it must be in the first line of the copy.

4. Your ad needs a “call to action,” i.e., call for an appointment, come to a demonstration.

5. Your ads should fit your larger practice building strategy. Are you targeting a specific group? How do your ads support other efforts to reach the same population? Are you prepared to stay with your advertising efforts for a while?

6. Ads will not bring you many clients directly. However, they will bring some, they will bring people to demonstrations, and they will support your other enrollment efforts if you stay with them.

7. Test the impact of your ads by asking new and present clients how they heard about you. Ask if they have seen your ads and ask them what they think of them. Clients often find the ads supportive of their efforts to share their Rolfing experience with friends and have had some good suggestions about them.

I hope some of this is useful.Printed Advertising