Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-07-22
Business Success.

Business Success.
If the money that Is spent every
year by occasional advertisers were
added up 1t would be found to amount
to a large sum by occasional ad-
vertising mean the using of space at
irregular periods in your newspaper.
Local publicity is often doae this way
under excuse of helping the paper, but
the real reason, if the advertiser could
be got TO admit it, is that he is half
hearted about the matter. He partly
looks upon advertising as a luxury
anyhow, and so curtails his eGpendi-
ture ON it to the lowest limit.
Although the retailer may regard
publicity as luxury, it yet seems to
be a dream on his part that one day
he will make some real success and a
handsome fortune through advertis-
ing. Indeed, down in all retailers
hearts is feeling that money can
positively be made through advertis-
ing. They know that huge fortunes
have been and are being piled up by
retail merchants with the aid of this
iimitless force, and they have secret
hopes that one day they also may
strike the royal road to success. If
they but knew it that road hes stright
and plain before every retailer in the
country if he would only open his eyes
to see 1t.
John Wanamaker, the great New
York and Philadelphia retail merchant
on one occasion said: Advertising
doesn't jerk; it pulls" 1t begins very
gently at first, but the pull is steady.
1t is lilzened to team pulling a
heavy load. A thousand spasmodic,
jerky pulls will not bulge that load.
while one-half the force in steady ef-
fort will start and keep it moving
Here is the solution in nutshell
steady effort. The merchant who
uses newspaper space occasionally
is simply wasting his efforts. 1t is the
steady pounding-ald pounding again
that makes success in advertising
as in everything else. All advertising
is good in proportionate degree to
how it is done, and even occasional
advertising has some value, but to be
successful to the point OF permanent
ly increasing your bank account, 1t
must be done persistently and syste-
matically.
What would you say about a clerk
in your store who waited on your Gus
toners for day or two and then sat
down to rest Dor few more days,
leaving the customers to attend to
themselves? You know how long
your business would last under such
conditions. 1t is the same with news
paper advertising. Publicity in your
newspaper is simply craftsmanship ON
paper, and the same rules apply to it
as apply to craftsmanship in your
store. Continuous effort and eternal
polishing up of ideas and methods are
necessary to make success either as a
personal salesman in your store OF as
salesman in your newspaper.
You advertise to sell your goods
and keep your name in front of the
people. II is only reasonable TO sup
pose that you will be better able 70
do this with persistent effort than
with spasmodic attempts. II you we're
to tell a man or woman daily about
the quality and prices of your wares
you would produce more effect than If
you were TO talk to him or her at I'M
certs I intervals.
The question of changing the sales
mo r,-btyN nv UrrNpxy't IN, Cd to-
ing space is an important one 1t
acts tbs way. Suppose you had pile
Of some special goods for sale. Sup
pose YOU were determined to sell
some OF those goods to some particu-
lar customer After you had asked
that customer to buy those goods
would you, the next time you approach
her. use exactly the same language
and arguments? You knew you would
not. Yoa would hunt up new ideas to
attract her attention, new ways of
convincing her and new methods tol
get her to buy. You must apply the
seme principles to your advertising.
You must be continually hunting up
ideas, new arguments and new ways
of attracting and holding attention.
Craftsmanship in newspaper space IS
just the same as salesmanship behind
your counter.
The trouble the ordinary storekeep-
er is up against is securing this sales
ma ship ON pepper have outlined. He
can purchase advertising space readily
enough and so long as he buys enough !
space for long enough period to
make successful display he has
done all that the successful merchant |
can do in that respect. But when 1t
comes to filing the space the question
assumes different shape.
Advertisement constructing is a pro-
fession like medicine or law. When
you are sick you go to physician. |