Reaching the young demographic

If you read the news, you would think that the eyes of young people never stray from the screen of their laptop or their phones. If you handed them a piece of paper, they would wonder what strange material they were holding. This is not quite the case. It is true that young people as a rule do not read the daily newspaper. This migration is not due to the format of the paper, young people have turned their back on the dailies because they no longer find them relevant. A recent study conducted by the research firm Exact Target (2009 Channel Preference Study) found that 75% of 18 to 34 year olds made at least one purchase from direct mail. Like anyone else, young people are looking for deals. Community publications and direct mail give young people information they can not find on the web and savings from the local businesses they frequent. If businesses want to reach out to the very desirable 18 to 34 demographic (and pick up a few bucks from us oldsters as well) they shouldn't put all their money into web advertising. Community papers and direct mail may just do the job better.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling.

Thanks Jim Busch

Customers on the move

A lot of customers feel they don't need to advertise because "Everyone knows them." According to the research firm Melissa Data the average business loses 20% of their customer base every year. (Some businesses lose even more--the average for dry cleaners is 40%) According to the US Census Bureau 46% of Americans moved between 1995 and 2000. Every time someone moves businesses loses a customer. The old customers may know them but they need to advertise to introduce their business to the "new neighbors." By the way these newcomers are "hyperspenders," A USPS survey found that new residents spend an average of $7100 in the first few weeks when they are establishing themselves in their new neighborhood. Since they are new to the area, they have to rely on advertising to locate sources for their needs.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch