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For many small pizza shops and restaurants, success or failure can be determined by one crucial and often overlooked element: advertising. Proper advertising can push you to the top of your game. Lack of advertising can cause even the best efforts to come up short.

Of course, advertising alone isn’t going to make yours the most successful shop in town. You still need to have all of the other important factors such as great food, fabulous customer service and a clean, comfortable shop in a good location. If you have those and then add appropriate advertising, your chances for success are good.

Here are two of the main ways to advertise your business.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertising includes ads that you pay for in newspapers, magazines and on television and billboards. The cost of the ad will depend on where you choose to advertise and how many people your ad will reach. For print ads, many newspaper and magazines will help you create an ad if you don’t already have one. For television spots, you’ll most likely have to produce the ad yourself which will, naturally, add substantially to the cost.

Public Relations

Public relations efforts involve finding ways to get the name of your business out in front of the public without purchasing an ad. There are many ways to go about this, but one important thing you must remember is that unlike paid advertising, you have no control over what is written about your shop.

Some ideas include hosting a charity event or going for some sort of record such as largest pizza or most people fed in an hour. If a tragedy happens in your area, offer to hold a special event where a percentage of all money raised will go to help the victims.

Once you decide on a special event, send press releases as far in advance as possible. Send press releases to local news stations, newspapers and anyone else you think might be interested in covering your event. If you are unsure how to write a press release, you can have one custom written starting at around $50 on websites such as Elance.com.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the press will cover your event, but local news teams are looking for news just as much as you’re looking for coverage. If your event is newsworthy, you have a great chance of scoring some coverage. Below are some more specific ideas for special events.

• Sponsor local events such as 5k runs. Your name will be displayed on signs at the event, and will be printed on any written materials, such as programs.

• Have a contest or giveaway. Giving something away is a great way to get the attention of a lot of people. Make it a funny contest and you just might get the added bonus of news coverage. For example, everyone who comes to your shop dressed as a slice of pizza gets a free slice. Again, press releases in advance are key!

• Offer a program for neighborhood children who make good grades such as a free slice for every A or B. Let the schools and the press know about your program.

Other ideas:

• See if a local movie theater or bowling alley wants to team up. You could promote each other’s business by selling packages such as “movie tickets and a pizza for only $??” You would sell the packages at both locations increasing sales for each of you.

• Pick a day of the week that is typically slow and make it, for example “Two for One Tuesday.” You’ll want to back this up with some local advertising, but everyone likes a deal. Your slow day just might turn into your best day.

Getting your name out there is an important part of the battle. Doing so in whatever positive manner you can will only help your bottom line.

By: Jessica Ackerman

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You would think that all signs designed and built for the purpose of attracting business are the same; however, there are many different types of commercial signs. Here’s a quick breakdown of various kinds of advertising signs.

Much sign terminology is based on where the sign is physically located on the business establishment. A very common location sign is a window sign, which is a sign that is placed directed onto, behind, or within the direct vicinity of the store window. There is the canopy sign which is a sign above any type of protective awning or cover located over entrances or exits of businesses. There is the roof sign, which obviously is a sign placed onto the roof of an establishment or any of the servicing buildings of the establishment. There is the wall sign, which can be commercially printed or painted. It’s generally considered commercial if there are any types of logos, trademarks, locations, phone numbers, or any other business-related markings. Walls signs made for artistic purposes are generally considered murals. A projecting sign is a sign that extends from a building and is typically targeted at passer-by foot traffic. The billboard is a raised, off-site sign, typically roadside and much larger than other types of signs. People also advertise on mobile vehicular signs.

Advertising signs also differ in size and shape and are hung in different ways. There are commercial banners, flags, and pennants which are usually made of fabric, plastic, or paper. These are usually less permanent and are attached on poles, vehicles, or buildings with nails, rope, or adhesive. There are also bulletin boards which are marker, chalk, or cork boards which display any kind of business information, typically news, announcements, or restaurant menu items. A freestanding sign is unattached to any buildings or structures and stands alone typically on a wooden or metal frame shaped to support its weight. A portable sign is designed to move around from location to location, common examples being for sale or open house real estate signs. A pole sign is an advertising sign independent from a building that is supported by a pole or other upright driven into the ground.

There are also different forms of advertising signs. A neon sign is a bright glowing gas-filled tubular-glass sign, very effective at drawing attention. An animated sign can be a neon, LED, or LCD sign that uses action and special effects similar to video and motion pictures. A beacon is when strong light sources beam into the atmosphere and form a commercial brand or slogan into the sky. Beacons can move or rotate as well. Indirectly lighted signs do not contain their own light source. They have secondary lighting shining on them. The opposite are directly lighted signs, which are signs that have their own lighting built into the unit and projecting from behind the sign front.

There are other different terms used for advertising signs as well, but many are forms of the above described such as flush wall signs, hamper signs, plaque signs, or projecting wall signs. It is important as a business owner to make sure which advertising signs are appropriate and effective for your business and which are permitted in your location.

By: J. L. Willings

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In the past, the saying has always been “don’t underestimate the power of branding” but now the best advice seems to be “don’t underestimate the power of women!” Ignore it at your peril.

If statistics out of the US are any guide for the rest of the world to follow, and in the past this has been the case, then everyone in the advertising industry should give their serious attention to this fact. Jupiter Research has concluded that women influence 83 percent of all purchase decisions. There are more women online today than men.

And looking forward, 70 percent of all US women will be online in 2006, and looking even further ahead, 85 million women will purchase products and services online by 2010.

These statistics are huge by anyone’s measurements. Does anyone out there still have doubts as to the potential of ecommerce? Or more importantly, guys, how do your doubts hold up as to the influence of women on the internet?

US women over 40 are devoting more time online per week than running errands, eating or preparing meals, relaxing, or spending time with friends. Their internet time outweighs watching TV, listening to the radio and other media activities.

So what does this really tell us?

Fact #1 Advertisers in both traditional and new media, have up until now, been seriously underestimating women power Fact #2 Women are the dominant gender when it comes to online spending Fact #3 Women know women better than men know women (I’m sure most husbands would agree.)

Who better to understand the consumer behavior of women than women themselves? This last fact should lend itself to a rush to employ or promote females into the positions of advertising executives and creative directors. Now guys, don’t get us gals wrong, sensitive men can still create great ads for women and vice versa, but if the above statistics can be believed, then surely you should be eagerly encouraging the women in your industry to play a greater role in both decision making and creativity.

This makes such common sense to me, nothing biased about it.

By: Penny Archer

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Print advertising has always played a key role in small business marketing advertising. Newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, even yearbooks all have advertisements printed on them. If you have made an advertisement for printing before, your advertiser may have given you specific prices for different standard sizes. This is what they call display ads.

While display ads may be a good advertising tool for your small business marketing, if you just follow the most common and “standard” procedures of advertising your product, then you will likely end up with a boring, bland, or worse, bad, advertisement. Your ad will just end up blending and looking very much like the ad of your competitor.

How can this be?

The answer is really very simple. Because people tend to copy what the majority are doing. So plumbing services all have pipes in their ads, electrical hardware stores all have the same layouts, hotel ads have the same pictures and your small business may have incorporated what your “peers” in the business are using also. In the end, you are just another tree in the forest. And in this age of information overload, people have already learned how to ignore advertising.

Unfortunately, most so-called experts in print advertising really have no training in advertising at all and will probably just give you an offer on what the standard layouts are. And you can rightfully assume that these layouts are just based on what they have been receiving from their clients. The main purpose of having a standard layout is so that your ad will have the same look and feel as the other ads printed on the paper and therefore blend nicely with the others. But that’s exactly the problem! Your ad will just look and feel the same as any other ad.

So what you should do?

Simple. Be original. Make your ad stand out from among the other trees in the forest. Part of the strategies you will always hear in small business marketing is to keep your advertisements interesting and original so that your target audience will be interested in what you have laid out and printed. So what if your ads don’t look like the usual ads. That’s exactly the point here. You want your ads to be different and original.

Think outside of the box. There are literally thousands of great advertising ideas out there which have not yet been tapped and can give you an edge among your competitors. There is always a better way of delivering your message across your target audience aside from the traditional methods of putting your name, what you do and how “fair” you are with your “quality” service and “affordable” price. This could be true to your small business, but always remember that the words “fair”, “quality” and “affordable” or “cheap” have been used so many times that most customers have learned to be skeptical of them.

Have you ever tried monitoring your ads?

Here are a couple of good question for you: Have you ever monitored the success or failure of your print advertisements? How do you determine if it’s effective or not? If you have a small business and you want to keep track of your expenses, then you should be able to track advertising expenses also. So try maximizing direct response techniques in your small business marketing.

While it is a good idea to put your name on the ad, make sure that it is not the first thing people will see. In direct response advertising, a headline that catches the attention of the viewer should occupy the biggest space in the ad. Make a headline that would require a customer to make a decision within a few seconds after seeing your ad. And the most important decision would be: Should I go on reading this ad or not? Do not overly emphasize the name of your product in print advertising and making it the biggest part of your ad. This is because customers do not really care about the name of the product, they care about what they can get from the product. Instead of giving them the features, emphasize on the benefits!

What has this got to do with monitoring? You can simply ask your customer where they got their information. If you have already done an ad with your product name as the biggest headline, you can compare the customer response with your new ad which emphasizes the product benefits. If this is your first time to go on print advertising, then you can easily monitor the results.

Print advertising is an investment in your small business marketing advertising. You should carefully study your strategies in selling your product via print media. By simply following the tips above, then this investment need not become an unnecessary expense.

By: Tim Bruxvoort

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Create a video blog…instantly.

Every business carries a special division known as marketing. This division’s main aim is to find new customers and hang on to existing customers. To be successful in your business venture you should have a quality clientele and customer base. Then only you can be successful and enjoy the maximum exposure. Both of those jobs aren’t easy and doing both of them within a budget is an even bigger challenge. In this the only way out can be marketing and that too with advertising type gifts.

With the help of such products you can attract new customers and can thank existing clients too. Companies think that using advertising gifts can be a costly affair but this is not true. These products aren’t costly and can be used easily on various occasions.

There are numerous traditional marketing ways to keep your existing customers happy, but why to choose them when you have new and innovative ways. Corporate world is very competitive and the biggest hurdle is that your competitors are trying to do the same thing. So you have to cope up this problem along with finding new customers.

With the help of advertising gifts you can attract new customers and the recipients will be loyal to you too. Try to offer them the best and alluring deal along with other benefits. This will make them only come to you again and again. Many companies try to avoid the usage of corporate gifts mainly due to the budget and cost. In short, we can say that they are one solution that can satisfy both of your needs.

business gifts are truly an excellent way to promote and popularise your business, services, and products to both existing customers and prospective ones. We all like to receive something for nothing and promotional items make you feel good, happy, and contended about the person or company giving the gift. If your products are useful and valuable, they will remember you for a very long time. Whenever they use your gift, they’ll be reminded of that good feeling, and that feeling will be translated into trust and loyalty.

When choosing your advertising or business gifts, try to look for a specialist supplier. There are a range of UK based online suppliers reputed for providing top quality promotional items within the UK. Their advertising gifts actively do all talking for your business and even give your brand name a new identity. With the help of business gifts, you are not just sending out signals to reach your targeted audience. The internet is the best place to know more about advertising gifts, corporate, business, and promotional gifts.

By: Gareth Parkin

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