The Opelousas courier., 1885-07-25
The Proper Way to Advertise.

oil the average, the best and
most satisfactory way for the
business man to communicate
with desirable patrons is though
The advertising columns of the
newspaper. This rule holds
good whether the paper be a
daily, or weekly or a monthly
in any case, the chances are
that, put in this shape and pre-
sented to the public through
these channels, the advertise
n,ents are most likely to be read,
remembered, and when the &C.
casion arises, be acted upon.
MANY merchants and business
men seek custom by sending
|. through the mails private circu-
laas, cards, etc, sometimes very
handsomely printed but in near
n every case these methods are
fl Iitless. They become a bore
All i nuisance to those receiv-
IN them !; and as the same indi-
yidual is as apt to receive fifty
As one of these circulars, he
soon learns to classify them all
AS impertinent instrusions. Not
do, however, with the newspa-
per advertisement. This comes
to the reader in the ordinary
and legitimate way. 1t is just
where he expects to find it if in
search of it, to-wit, in the COL
umns of his paper, and he res
pects it accordingly and enter
tains a proper confidence in the
sagacity and merits of the mer-
chant or dealer who inserted it.
Moreover, the fact that the adj
yertiser does advertise, impress
les the general reader with the
idea that his business is active
and steady-that he is not Ian
gushing in the slough of dull
times" of which so many are
now complaining, and that the
public-the purchasing public
in his special line-have not
withdrawn from him their pa
tsonage and gone to some more
enterprising firm. This impress
sion can never be produced by
private method of advertising
that is through the mail-be-
cause it lacks that living, breath
ing, publicity, as it were, that
the newspaper affords. There
fore If a man wish TO advertise
at all, let him consult his in
terest and select the newspaper.
We know several shrewd and
enterprising business men who,
Notwithstanding the dullness in
trade, have kept we'll to the
front in their dealings with the
public. The secret of their sue
cess had been patent to all ;
they have advertised literally,
persistently and, we may add,
Ostentatieusly in the newspa-
pers.
An intelligent writer on the
subject of the different methods
of advertising puts the matter
very effectively ia the following
words, which advertisers (mer-
chants and other business men
would do well to remember
The newspaper is, in every
sense, the best medium for adj
vertising, and for a given result,
tits by much the cheapest also,
It reaches a far greater number
of possible customers than any
private announcement can ; and
1t is more certain to receive at.
tentIon. The private circular
is thrown aside as a thing which
people have come to regard al
a bore, ard which is neglected
because it's recipients have nc
time to attend to it. The news
paper is used in each days houl
OF leisure and readers find inter
est il reading its advertisements
as we'll as it's news, because Q
the variety they present ant
the. information they convey
respecting a wide diversity Q
interests. &c may be safely es
timated that an announcement
made through the press is no
ticed by fifty readers, wher'
made il a private way it Woul'
reach but one. If, therefore, til
same amount were expended il
either case the result would b
ffty-fold better from the forme
method than from the latter
There are, undoubtedly, cases i
which the circular is a bette
medium than the newspaper
Snch, for instance, as where tn
matter is necessarily lengthy
and the cost Of newspaper spac'
would therefore be very large
III - --@n nvanr