The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-11-08
PLAIN TALK To BUSINESS MEN

Pertinent Observations Concerning
Value of Newspaper Advertising
| Costs Money and Takes Tinles
But Gets Results
| Below is an article taken frem the
editorial columns OF the Port Arthur
| (rexas) News. The statements there
in made are just as applicable to
Donaidsonville as they are to Port
Arthur, SO We reproduce the article
IN full and commend it to the care
tul consideration Of our business
men:
Whenever the News endeavors to
say something concerning retail busi-
ness conditions in the city it has to
Ihat, OF course, means boosting our
own business. And as there are
those who believe that in advocating
advertising the News is talking
solely for its own benefit, this paper
feels some hesitancy in having very
much to say on the subject, and very.
seldom INDUCES in remarks Of this
character. 1'he News would proba-
bly, receive a greater degree Of Gre
dence as to at least partial dislnter-
estedness if the average business
man would stop to realize the
amount he might contemplate spend
ing for advertising would play but a
very small part in this papers
gross revenue. OF course every
little bit added to what you've got
makes just a little bit more;;' also
Many a mickle makes a muckle,' etc.
But the News will continue to
get along whether any Of the pres
ent non-advertisers ever spend q
dollar with this papeer or not. It
has an established business which
depends on no one individual for its
success, and the fact that Merchant
.Jimson doesn't advertise hurts no
one except Merchant Jimson.
ANY business man has the right
to run his business to suit himself;
if he finds it is losing money, Or,
at best, simply breaking even. it
would, of course, be the part Of Wis
dom for him to make an effort to
improve things; but he doesn't have
ito do SO. He has a perfect right to
continue right along in his present
course just as far as he likes or Just
as far as he can go. He can im-
prove the volume of his business by
Just one method-that of getting
more people into his store, and SELL
ing more goods. He is not going to
get them in by standing at the door
with mournfuI look on his face. or
by sitting at his desk scratching his
head Neither of these systems viii
bring anyone into the store. The
bunch going along on the sidewalk
are not worrying about Mr.. Jimson's
troubles. They have troubles OF
their own. The sight of a mournfuI
face isn't going to cause them to
rush frantically to the counter and
demand to be shown this or that.
Neither is the sight Of a window dis
play, however attractiyely arranged.
/ If you will notice, window displays
get but small chance to draw trade.
A window display needs artificial
| lighting to be most attractive. The
| lighting is given only at night
when the store is closed. Mr.. JIM
| son-or any other merchant-can
1
| ing anyone of just how much goods
his windows sell, if he will check
over his sales and see how strongly
| they correspond with what he had
| on display in his windows at the
| time the sales were made. You
don't need to go around telling 9TH
er business men of your discovery OF
how little good you reaped from the
displays on which you or your clerks
spent SO much time. Just remem-
/ ber it for your own guidance.
| ssBut, if your own somewhat dismal
| personality doesn't attract any trades
and If your windows attract but very
little trade, how are you going TO
bring about that increase of bust
ness which you need in order to
make money? You have been try
ing the personality game and
window display advertising for some
time. And they are not getting the
business, are they? Well, what are
you going to do about it? You have
already tried two systems, and find
they don't work. There is just one
method remaining. That is real
advertising. 1t costs money. It
takes time. But it gets results.
And that's what you want, il you
want your business to grow.
| "You don't have to ask anyone
about the result-getting ability OF
| newspaper advertising. Without ex-
ception, you will find the concerns
which are doing the biggest busi-
ness in retail lines are the concerns
| that are using newspaper advertfs-
ing space. That rule holds good not
in Port Arthur alone, but in every
city in the y. S. And you know it.
The trouble with you il, you haven't
the nerve to jar loose from ten or
twenty or thirty dollars a month in
an effort to make your business big
i ger. Il one of your children was