The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-01-23
Local Advertising.
SOME POINTS OF INTEREST TO THE LOCAL
ADVERTISER.

SOME POINTS OF INTEREST TO THE LOCAL
ADVERTISER.
Without advertising it would be impos-
sible to publish paper like The journal,
except at serious loss. Without adver-
Using the city dailies would have to reduce
expenses and raise their subscription
price. That advertising pays the ad-
vertiser is an established fact-not IN all
cases, of course, for advertising is an
art, and printers ink must be used jul
diciously to bring about the best re-
suits The Journal has made a study of
advertising with a view to making it pay
those who use its columns. 1t does not
recommend the use of column when one
fourth the space will answer the purpose.
1t believes that continuous advertising in
space proportional to the business ad-
vertised brings the best results to the
advertiser. There are many concerns in
Belfast to- day that would find it pay
handsomely to run small advertisement
throughout the year, There are occasions,
of course, when display advertising is
desirable and profitable. Other points of
interest to the advertiser will be found
in the following article from the National
Advertiser:
The local advertiser has this great adj
vantage over the general advertiser-that
he does not have to please SO many peo
pie He is in less danger of treading on
somebody's corns. He studied the tastes,
the whms, and the prejudices of men
and particularly of women, within limit
/ ed area He adapts his advertising to
the fancy of his public just as he adapts
his stock to then needs and their purses.
Wise local advertisers read the news
columns Of the papers In that way they
learn what topics are uppermost in the
minds of the people. and get many sug-
gestions that are valuable in the prepare
ton of copy. By comparing ttgo accounts
Of q fire, for e,rdmple, the adeertiser mary
see the djterence between a good story and
q bad one. Reporter No. / manages to
get in all the essential facts, but they are
badly arranged, and the style is cumber
some. dull and spiritless. No. 2, with
out any approach to eXaggeratiou OF
taking, is full of animation and movement.
Now, let The advertiser take the lesson
to heart and make the matter as interest
ing as anything else in the paper, SO that
the house wife keen eyed and alert for
bargains, will turn to his column the
first thing, saying, II wonder what Blank
u Co. have to sell to- day
The day of reckless overstatement is
gone. The idea that people will believe
all they see in print is dying. A success
full advertisement is reasonable and cred
ible. Bankrupt stockn' ''clearing out
at cost"' dreadful slaughter in shirt
waistsn' These are some familiar ex-
pressions over which the moss of ages has
grown.
Nobody whose custom is worth having
will believe you are in business for fun
Of course you make money on your sales
Why insult the good sense of readers by
protesting that you are making painful
sacrifices? But you may, for a day or so,
advertise speciality of some articles, like
gloves, canned vegetables, or kitchen
chairs. If, having established reputation
for square dealings, you announce bar
gains in some particular line, you should
have no difficulty in filling your store with
purchasers.
Simple, plain language is best Having
made draft of an advertisement, 90
through it without pity and strike out
every high sounding adjective Do not
suppose that in so doing you ''weaken''
what you say. Consider that the weakest
takers you know are those whose re-
marks are embeilished with the frequent
iteration of such words as grand
''glorious,' ''wonderful,'' ''unparallel-
ed Language is like a piece of India
rubber: Stretch it all the while and it
loses its power.
The best advertisement says so1aethinq
in particular. 1t is not tissue of glitter
ing generalites. Take, for instance,
sofas. One dealer advertises "a soft and
body of an emperor" and the reader
laughs or yawns. Another dealer SAYS
that his sofa is covered with velour or
corduroy, is stuffed with hair of best
quality, contains sixty finely tempered
springs, and may be opened, so that the
lower part is convenient place for keep
ing clothes free from dust and wrinkles.
in this case definite idea is presented to
the reader. He has a clear cut notion of
what is offered for sale
In the matter of display, it is important
to avoid the two extremes of spraying
and overcrowding. Sometimes YOU see
column blank except for the words,
''This space belongs to Snip & Findings,
the OnePrice Clothiers'' Such adver-
Using is, in the opinion of experienced
judges, like throwing money into the fire.
On the other hand, see that your adver-
tisement is not SO long as to be tedious.
Imagine that you wanted a salesman, and
got letters from two applicants. The
first letter you open may contain strong
evidence of the writer's ability. He may
be man of talent and of spotless charac-
ter, but his writing is about as legible to
you as fire cracker label; so you pass
him by.
Here is another lesson. If you want
every word in your advertisement to help
draw trade, see that every word is
plain as day. Avoid huddled paragraphs |
in small type, and lines that are too long.
People will not tax their eyes for the pur-
pose of finding out what you have to sell. |
If they cannot easily read your message.
they will turn 70 your neighbours which is
palmer.
You should welcome criticism. even if
it be rather tart sometimes. 1t should |
help you greatly to know just what your
customers think of your advertising.
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