1) Target Your Market.
Pick media that reach your most likely audience of potential customers with classified ads, calendar listings, directory listings, display ads, flyers, e-mail blasts and electronic media.

2) Set an Advertising/Marketing Budget.
Create a yearly budget for your advertising and marketing. Set it at 5-10 % of projected receipts, or $5000-$10,000 if you project $100,000 in income. Some events promoters set their marketing budget as high as 60% of projected ticket receipts.

3) Blanket Your Targeted Audience with Repeated Exposure.
Repetition creates awareness and increases results. Many people won’t respond the first time they see your ad, they may need to be prompted five or six times before they call. We recommend placing your ad a minimum of three successive editions of Maui Vision Magazine before evaluating results. To repeat your exposure in the same edition, consider placing your message in multiple areas of the magazine, such as a display ad, calendar listing, classified listing and directory listing running simultaneously. Also, consider placing ads in other publications, doing e-mail blasts and hanging flyers to increase your exposure.

4) Elements of a Successful Ad.
Use catchy headlines, a photo of a person or people or interesting graphics to draw attention. Stress the benefits of your product or service versus the features. People want to know how it will help them and what’s in it for them, not what college you graduated from. Make an offer, it could be a discount, or special. Give readers a directive or call to action and tell them what you want them to do as a result of seeing the ad. (“Call now,” “Call for free brochure,” “Call for more information,” or “Stop in today.” “Call for appointment” is a turn-off and discourages people from calling and asking questions. If you are good on the phone you can always book them when they call, they are in a buying mode.

5) Answer Your Phone Live.
As much as possible, answer your phone live when prospective customers call. Call forward your office phone to your cell phone when you are away from your business. Many people will not leave messages, resulting in lost sales. Return phone calls promptly and answer e-mails within 24 hours as much as possible.

6) Advertising Works in Mysterious Ways.
Your successful ad campaign brings measurable response in increased sales, customer awareness, etc. (Yes, I saw your ad.) But many times new business arrives via other avenues not directly related to your advertising campaign just because you’ve put a message out to the universe that you are open for business!