Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-06-01
HOW TO ADVERTISE,
The "Iron Age" Gives Few Valuable
Hints on an Important Subject

The "Iron Age" Gives u Few Valuable
Hints on an Important Subject
One should select for his use the best
paper in his locality. That is, the paper
that reaches the greatest number of the
class that he wis hes to reach. The best
paper for an advertiser is usually the one
with the largest bona-fide circulation, but
this rule does not always hold true. The
paper with the largest circulation often
goes to a class that the merchant does
not wish to reach.
When the relative value of the papers
has been decided, and the best one
chosen, certain number of lines or
inches of space should be contracted for,
to be used within given space of time.
Just enough space should be used in each
issue to express ones self clearly and OBJ
tain good display. After the advertising
space has been obtained. it should not be
neglected. The announcements should
be changed often. Advertising is bust
ness. and unless it is kept newsy. the
public will soon cease to read it. There
are thousands of different articles of per-
chandse in the average retail store, and
IL
subject matter for frequent change in
advertisements.
Every merchant should set aside a GER
tain amount of time for his advertising
work. If he cannot find time to give this
branch of his business the attention it
requires. he should make it the duty of
one of his assistants.
Nearly all merchants find it difficult to
write advertisements. If each merchant
would remember how he talks to the pat
ron in his store, and talk to the public in
his advertisements in the same honest.
simple. plain English way. there would
be much more good advertising. Very
few men can write a good humorous adj
vertisement Therefore the temptation
to be funny or cute should be avoided
The aim should always be to bring out
the good points of the goods advertised,
but not to exaggerated them. The adj
vertisement that strikes the happy me-
dunn between inadequacy and eXaggera-
ton will be very nearly perfect. Sent
ences should he short. and the W hole adj
vertisement should be as short as it pos 81
bly, can he without losing any of its force.
Above all things, an advertisement should
tell the truth.
The setting of an advertisement has
much to do with its effectiveness. Good
| display can be obtained with two or three
STYLES of type. More than this number
of faces should seldom be used. Good
strong headlines, with perfectly plain
body matter, makes good display, White
space sets of an advertisement much bet
ter whensit is all in one or two places,
than it does when scattered heller SHELTER
among number of lines of different
sized type. Headlines which are set
with capitals and small letters are usu-
ally more attractive iand easier to read
than those set entirely with capitals. If
the writer of an advertisement is not fa-
miliar with the different sizes and faces
of type, he had better not designate the
STYLE to he used. He had better tell his
printer how he desires the advertisement
to appear, and then trust to the printer
! to set it up correctly.
It's much more important to make
plain the goods advertised than to bring
out the firm name. If people are inter
ested in the goods. they'll see the firm
name-they'll make it point to see 1t.
Space is too valuable to be used up by
printing firm names with the biggest
type in the office. Illustrations are a
great help toward effective advertising
that is. the right kind of illustrations
They attract attention TO the subject mat
ter. Neat outline cuts, which accurately
| Illustrate the goods advertised, can be
profitablv used.-Iron Age.