San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-28
hast from parties representing town s

what TO 90, possibly Jew Minus Will
be read with interest by represen ta-
tive men of the many towns which
are beginning to beetir themselves,
not alone in the far West and the
new South, but in New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, and even
up through conservative old New
England. 1 do not claim that my
theory is better than that of others.
My ideas have been gathered while
travelling among the booming towns;
thew are at least honest, and you can
have them for what they are worth.
Primarily there is but one way to
advertise town, and that Is through
the newspapers. BGLsdvertisiDg alone
will not induce manufacturers, capt.
talists, and others TO locate within
your gates, any more than advertising
will sell shop-worn and out-Of-date
goods. You mast have good thing
to show your customers after you
have got them interested, and your
newspaper advertising must be given
all the aid possible.
In this line of aids nothing ls more
important or of more material help
than a good hotel. The hotel is the
pulse by which the observing man
Judges of the health, enterprise and
future condition of the town. A good
hotel draws all Kinds of people to
place and it advertises in many ways.
The drummers stop within it's doors
whenever possible and always plan
10 pass sunday with the host; tourists
hear of its fame and lay over day or
two and view the town; excursion
trains will stop at--an hour or
two for dinner, and so the good hotel
is an immense aid to town anxious
to grow.
But how to advertise? that's the
question and there are lots of ways to
advertise in the newspapers, but
there is but one right way in my
mind, and that is to use q small space
in the large dailies and use 1t early
and often. The old plan of "kesping
everlsstingly at it" applies just as
much to advertising town as to ad
verlising merchandise. Many a town
has suucumbed to the wiies of the
write up fiend, and spent all of it's
money on big write up with no sat-
isfactory 80 .ulUs.
Here is my idea: To have this ad-
vertlsement appear in as many large
daily papers as is possible and as
many times as is possible:
Manufacturers, capitalists and
others are invited to inspect the al
vantages offered by Smithville, Penn,
and is board OF trade. Descriptive
circulars sent on application. Cor
respondence invited. Address john
Smith. Secretary Board of Trade,
Smithville, Penn"
such an advertisement as above
could be we'll displayed in q two-inch
space, If not less. II is pertinent, to
The point and husiness-like, and could
hardly fail to attract the atten ton of
any one who was likely customer
To my mind this little two inch adj.
Nertisement would appeal more strong
ly 10 the manufacturer aud be- Just as
productive OF general results as an
elaborate twO-column write up.
l assume that any town that is pro-
gressive enough to advertise Is pro.
gressive. broad. minded and liberal
enough TO make con cessious to manu-.
facturers Ii they are not they had
better drop out of the procession, for
they won't be In it" with their COM
petitors. Any town which wishes
manufacturers to locate within it's
limits can afford 10 grant an eXemp-
ton from taxes for long term of
years, to build factory building and
furnish it rent tree, and also, if neces-
sary, take little stock in the corpo-
ration If more money is needed. These
may appear Ike great concessions,
out they will more than pay in the
long run.
Right here wish to say, look out
for the wrie-up fl nd. He is abroad
in the land, and as soon as it is
known that you are advertising you
will have dozen of him in your
town. He is very slick i for he has to
De, and will talk like q silver .tongued
orator of the benefits your town will
certainly receive from a write.up In
his paper. He will charge you from
500 to 5000 column and will, beyond
doubt, give you very pretty little
article. He will give your town the
finest climate, the most fertile soil,
the best churches and schools, the
best water power and the lowest
freight rates. He will also print a
picture OF the man who subscribes the
most money. The article will be
pretty to look at, and that is the
most that can be said of it. It will
be better to have $50 two.inch display
advertisements than one two column
write up.
Don't spend hundreds of dollars on
an expensive pamphlet to send those
who answer your advertisements I'M
ess you have money to throw away.
Instead, put $40 into q neat little
two page circular of 1000 words,
honestly and tersely describing your
town in all it's details and the induce
ments you offer manufacturers who
will locate with you.