Will my ad get much response?

How long is a piece of string?

I�ll be honest here (as I always am!) and say some adverts will not get much response - Why?
An advert has to give people a good reason to call.

There are several different types of advertising that can work for your business and I�ll try to explain as best I can.

For some businesses, a simple and small ad in the classifieds will suffice. If you offer a basic service that foreigners (by this, I mean non-Dominicans) need and would expect to find advertised in the local paper, then a small ad will do. Examples would include Gregs Garage, who I hope won�t mind me saying gets a lot of response to his ad. All he really needs to say is that he�s one of the few English speaking mechanics who knows what they are doing -  which from the feedback he gets - he is.
For Greg, taking out a full page ad every week would be too much. He�d struggle to get enough jobs in to pay for it. But a small ad every week, gets new clients who then become repeat clients and recommend him to others. He wins � and so do his new clients.

A large ad works best if you have a special promotion and want to make an impact. In conjunction with special offers, which you can illustrate on the page, a large ad attracts attention. If it�s well designed it will draw the eye and prompt the reader into action.

But remember, never expect people to call immediately they see your ad. Most people will see an ad, partially remember it and subconsciously store it somewhere in their brain. They probably don�t need your product or service right at this moment, and even if they did, people are often busy or preoccupied. Normally the ad will be put to the back of their mind, and recalled later.

As an example, let�s say you sell inverters and batteries. Most of us here have an inverter system and rely on it. Let�s say that your inverter is exhibiting problems. Maybe the batteries are dying; maybe it doesn�t always switch over quick enough. Now you see an ad in the local paper for a local company that installs and repairs inverters. Do you call them immediately and start the sentence with, �I�ve just seen your ad in the Adscene, and��?

It�s possible if the company was advertising an absolutely fantastic and unrepeatable offer - but normally that�s not the case. More typically, you would subconsciously (or consciously) make a note to call or visit that company when you next have time � which could be in several weeks.

That�s why a one-off ad is unlikely to get much response. Assuming the readers noticed it, when they go back to the Adscene several weeks later to find the number or address, the one-off ad won�t be there.

If the ad says they have a small number of top brand inverters at $XXX (an obviously low price), and that next week the price goes back up to $YYY, then you will be more likely to call them.

On the basis, that the advertiser also offers repairs and installation, such a company should be advertising every week, with a prominent contact number. The ad doesn�t necessarily need to be big, but it needs to be visible.

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