November 2009

On Thanksgiving: "Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds." — Theodore Roosevelt

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It's the time to launch your holiday advertising plan

Now is the time to get that ad plan in place. This year has been economically challenging, but a targeted advertising strategy could help to keep your business moving. It can be hard to see the solution amid so many choices, but we can help. Here are three advertising ideas that could boost your success this holiday season:

1. Print Advertising: Special Group Pages. Isthmus offers several group-page opportunities for targeted gift ideas. Full-color and in print at very attractive prices, you can feature your latest and greatest holiday products.

2. Web Advertising: Isthmus offers high-volume, short-term runs. Need 30,000 impressions in just 3 days? We can do that! Need more? We can do that, too. This is a great way to promote your time-sensitive sales or events.

3. New Year's Eve Advertising: Isthmus has an excellent package available to promote New Year's Eve events, in concert with our comprehensive guide to everything happening in Madison. If you're planning a big night, we can bring the revelers to your door.

Your Isthmus sales rep is ready with more ideas to help you see success, from simple and inexpensive marketing ideas to all-inclusive marketing plans. So get the most you can from the holiday season. Contact me today to get started. Email Colin Murray, or call 608.251.5627 ext. 186.

The "Lipstick Effect"

Change is taking place everywhere we turn, most publicly in the federal government with the massive approach to health reform. Bringing healthy change to your business model could mean changing the way you advertise.
Consumer trends and purchasing power are evolving. What ways have you developed to adjust to these trends? For instance, when consumers look for higher value in a purchase, seeking more for the money, what can you point to that adds more value to your product?
You may be fortunate enough to offer a product for which there is a pent-up demand. Consumers have cut back in the past year, but many are now ready to buy again. Are you ready to accommodate this desire?
Your advertising strategy is the key to bringing them into your store. When a customer visits, you can offer them a full array of choices. The question is what will motivate them to visit you. How will you position your product in your advertising message to make customers seek you out?
In hard times, an offer that makes people feel better, giving them a little pick-me-up, may be the answer. This was called the "lipstick effect" during the Great Depression. While women could not afford new clothing or items for their home, something small like a new shade of lipstick, was enough to brighten their spirits. What's your "lipstick"? Here are some ideas to help create an emotional connection to your product:

Furniture: People are spending more time at home, so a new piece of furniture may brighten the same-old environment. Position your message to connect to that desire.
Jewelry: With the nesting trend, family is more important than ever. Position the purchase of precious treasures as family heirlooms.
Books, Music, Video: Inexpensive recreational and entertainment opportunities are all the rage. Draw attention in your message to these easy-on-the-bank-account path to enjoyment.

There are many ways advertising can make an emotional connection, and turn that impact into real response. Isthmus Advertising understands how to develop those creative messages. Contact me today to learn more. Email Colin Murray, or call 608.251.5627 ext. 186.

Isthmus FAQ: How long have people been reading Isthmus | TheDailyPage.com?
Quick answer: A long time! We found that 84 percent of Isthmus readers have been following Isthmus in print and online for more than three years. Since 1976 in print and since 1995 online, we've built a huge community, and we're sticking with it — committed to getting better every day. Want to know more? Email me, Colin Murray, or call 608.251.5627 ext. 186, for more details.

Isthmus Holiday Printing Schedule

Early deadlines apply for the print weekly the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. We will distribute the weekly newspaper a full day early in each of those weeks, so our loyal readers have something to occupy all that free time! Plan now to reserve space early. Contact your sales rep or myself for more information.

Jacqui’s Sales Tip of the Month

Fall and winter are times of reflection for many people.
They can be a great time to think about client relationships. Do we actually know what is happening within the companies we serve, or do we just think we know?
Making the time to sit down with clients once or twice each year — not to discuss an order but to simply listen to what is changing within their business — can be a powerful step toward minimizing vulnerability and maximizing opportunities.
Consider your own company; how much has changed in the time you have worked for it? How much has changed in the past 12 months due to the economic crisis? If change is happening within your company, it is reasonable to assume it is happening in your clients' companies as well.
How will your business be effected if your clients develop a new mission, discontinue or introduce products and services, enter or leave markets, buy out their competitors or get taken over? Sitting down with your clients and discussing what they are experiencing shows that you are more than just another vendor. You are a partner committed to helping them achieve their goals.
Jacqui Sakowski is president of Sakowski Consulting, LLC, a sales coaching, training and consulting company here in Madison, and founder of Selling ExtraNet Groups. Jacqui brings more than 25 years of sales and management guidance to companies across the US. In this column, she will challenge us to think differently about important aspects of the sales process. If you have a question you’re burning for an answer to, send it to Jacqui at Jacqui@sakowskiconsulting.com, 608.218.9003.

I couldn't have done it without Isthmus!
Isthmus Testimonials
Isthmus wasn't born yet when I opened in Waunakee in 1974. When I moved to Regent Street in 1977, Isthmus was new, and we helped each other grow. When I moved to Monroe Street in 1983, Isthmus kept my very special clients informed and in step with me. Thanks Isthmus, and all your loyal readers. I couldn't have done it without you. — Katy Schalles, Katy's American Indian Art

Get to Know Your Sales Rep

Linda Baldwin
Linda Baldwin joined Isthmus in 1991, creating a family enterprise at the business her husband, Vince O'Hern, began in 1976. Steeped in advertising, Linda started as sales manager and currently serves as associate publisher. In this role, Linda oversees public relations, marketing, and product development.
Linda has embraced the technology — and the challenges — introduced in media over the past decade, and understands the attachment Madison still feels for our trusty community weekly. "Being a part of the Isthmus community is a real benefit in terms of living in Madison," she says.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Linda says if she had to partake in a current reality show, she would opt for the critically acclaimed, location-jumping Amazing Race. While she's a big fan of Dancing With the Stars, she says she's not cut out for that kind of work — or those judges!

Social Network Marketing: Flickr and Your Business

By Andrea Barber: Why should your business adopt a social network marketing strategy? Social network marketing allows businesses to interact one-on-one with customers and prospective customers, facilitating an open dialog with your clients. And it's popular. A recent study by Experian Simmons indicated 54% of adults have visited an online social networking site in the past month.
Flickr is a widely-used free photo-sharing website. Flickr puts a human face (or faces) on your business. Like the other social network media, Flickr is another path to interaction between your business and your customers.
Flickr is not about the hard sell. Examples of how a range of businesses have used Flickr include: Jet Blue, Witt Istanbul Suites, IBM, and The Light Group.
To set up a Flickr account, click "Create Your Free Account" and follow the directions. You first be asked to set up a Yahoo account, as Yahoo owns Flickr. Pick a user-name that reflects your business name. You will be directed to pick a Flickr-specific name, again choose a name that represents your business. Flickr will ask you to pick an avatar, ideally your business logo. Flickr will next ask you to pick a custom Flickr domain; your business name would be an appropriate choice here as well. Finally, you will be requested to provide a short profile, in this case, of your business.
Now you can start uploading images, including pictures of your business, your employees, your customers, and perhaps most importantly, your product. For instance, if yours is a retail store, post the items you carry, pictures of your store, and pictures of customers with items from your store. If you are a restaurant or a bar, take pictures of your food or your specialty drinks, in addition to your customers.
If you choose to include pictures of employees or customers, be certain to have each sign a talent release giving you permission to use their pictures in association with your business, and keep the signed release on file.
For each uploaded picture, you need to complete three components: Title, tags and picture description. The title is simply a very short description of the picture. Tags reference several possible search keywords. Include who, what, where (your business). Think broad AND relevant. The picture description is just that, a chance to describe the item. Keep the description factual, but not a hard sell.
Now you can link to your Flickr photostream from your website or blog with the Flickr icon, and you should search out like-minded groups on Flickr, submit pictures to them, and comment on the photos uploaded.
Next Month: LinkedIn and Your Business
Andrea Barber is the owner and lead alchemist of Apothecary, a full-service marketing communications agency based in Madison. Follow her Tweets here. Next Month - Flickr and Your Business

The power of email — it still packs a punch

Isthmus email newsletters are reaching a wider audience every day. Have you signed up for more than one? Not only do we provide Isthmus Advertising News, specifically for our Isthmus|The Daily Page advertisers, but we currently publish two others weekly:
Isthmus On Tap: Every Thursday, Isthmus Promotions offers the latest event news, local happenings, ticket giveaways, and more, along with links to top Isthmus stories.
Isthmus Movie Times: From the multiplex to the obscure, get the comprehensive movie times for the Madison metro area, in your inbox every Friday.
Isthmus Marketplace: Sign up to get hot tips on super sales and specials from Madison-area retailers.
To sign up for the newsletters of your choice, CLICK HERE.

Isthmus Sales Staff Contact Information

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Visit the weekly Business Model Innovation Blog, by Kay Plantes
It's getting much harder to manage daily business and focus on the longer term. Kay's blog provides a short, vital time-out to think strategically and unearth previously hidden growth opportunities.
Bookmark it today!

Isthmus Marketplace is online at TheDailyPage.com. CHECK IT OUT. Isthmus Marketplace is a searchable online list of businesses and organizations serving our community. There's more than 1,000 listed so far, and we're adding more every day! You can get YOUR business listed, for FREE! CLICK HERE to sign up your business today.

Isthmus Marketplace Email Alert: Advertise your deep discount deals, sales, new product offers and more in this e-newsletter delivered the first week of each month to Isthmus readers who have signed up to receive it.

Isthmus Marketplace Coupon Page in Print: Coupons are an excellent marketing tool. They can attract new customers and enhance the relationship with your existing client base. Isthmus is offering full-color print coupons the first week of each month for just $99. Plan now to be a part of the December page.

Isthmus Marketplace specialist Craig Cady is prepared to help you with details and deadlines for both of these opportunities. You may email him, or call him at 608-251-5627 ext. 151.

Run your classified ad on TheDailyPage.com for FREE! You don't have to turn to an out-of-town service to sell your goods and services, or find a new employee, or promote an upcoming event. You can do it locally at TheDailyPage.com. CLICK HERE to explore Isthmus Classifieds online.

Did you notice the ad at the top of this newsletter? You can get your message to more than 7,000 businesses monthly, just like that. Drop us a note and we will make it happen. Email me, Colin Murray, or call 608.251.5627 ext. 186, for more details.

Thanks for reading!

This newsletter is specifically devoted to Isthmus advertisers and supporters, designed to provide quick information about advertising opportunities available with Isthmus newsweekly, TheDailyPage.com and various other Isthmus products that are continually being developed.

If you would like someone else to receive this newsletter, please follow the link at the bottom of this email. If you are not interested in receiving this newsletter, you can change your subscription at any time by following the link at the bottom of this email.

Your comments are always encouraged. You can contact me directly by phone at 608.251.5627 ext. 186, or by email at cmurray@isthmus.com.