Pushing your business, a text-book of advertising, giving practical advice on advertising, for banks, trust companies, investment brokers, real estate dealers

Introduction

ADVERTISING^ once looked upon by some business men as an expense, is now quite generally regarded in its proper light — as an investment.

The primary purpose of most advertising is to increase business.

Some advertising is done with other objects in view, but in most cases now-a-days every dollar spent in advertising is expected to come back, sooner or later, bringing many others with it.

Advertising is by no means a fixed science. There are no set rules the observance of which will insure success to the advertiser.

But experience is a good teacher, and it need not all be your own experience. In the past few years there has been a wonderful advance in advertising knowledge and progress has been made in the facilities for the preparation and distribution of advertising matter to such an extent that advertising means much more than it did even a decade ago.

The fundamental principles involved in financial advertising do not differ from those of advertising in general. However, there are some things in financial publicity that require special emphasis. Hence this book.

All advertising should be confidence inspiring, but, more than any other class of advertising, that of financial or investment institutions must have this quality.

When a man turns over his money to the care of another and in return gets for the time being nothing more tangible than a promise to return it with interest at some future time, he needs the strongest kind of assurance concerning the integrity and business ability of the men who make such a proposition to him.

A good deal has been said about the necessity for dignity in financial advertising. It is right, there should be dignity, and the chief reason is because that helps to inspire confidence.

At the same time the advertising must not be so dignified that it lacks in human interest, persuasiveness and the power of conviction. In short, the problem is how to combine the right amount of dignity with the requisite "pulling power."

It is to help solve this problem that this book has been written and is placed in the hands of those upon whom falls the responsibility of promoting the business of financial and investment institutions by advertising.

The value of advertising is not to be measured only by the direct returns from advertisements.

Honesty continuous advertising and making good on promises helps to create for advertisers good will — an asset of intangible but very real value.

There are many other things that go to create and maintain prestige or good will for a business, but the right kind of advertising is the principal means to that end.

While it cannot be measured by the yard stick nor expressed in dollars and cents, good will has an acknowledged value. A recent court decision placed a valuation of $1,000,000 upon the trademark of a certain very large advertiser. A considerable expenditure for general advertising, continued over a period of years, gave that trademark its great value.

It will work just the same in your business if you are a persistent advertiser and everybody connected with your institution uses his best efforts to carry out the promises of courteous and considerate treatment made in the advertising. All employes must have a proper conception of the importance of each customer's good will and a sincere desire to gain it.

There is such a thing as the cumulative effect of continuous advertising. The first time a person reads your advertisement he may not be in a position to act favorably upon the suggestion you make. In fact, he may not be ready for months, but if you have kept your name before the public and used your advertising space to good advantage by filling it with interesting, informing, convincing copy, frequently changed, you have held that man's attention and when he is prepared to do as you suggest you are very likely to get his business.

There is a secondary advertising of much value that comes to the regular and steady advertiser. It arises from the daily talk of the community when the name of your institution or company has become a household word through persistent publicity. When you have reached a point where the people take up your advertising and voluntarily help to make your business better known, you are fortunate indeed.

It is the hope of the author that in setting down in this book some of the results of wide experience and observation in the field of financial advertising from the standpoint of advertiser, agent and publisher — he has done something which will prove of lasting value to others in this field.

T. D. MacGregor.

New York, March, 1908.

Preface to Second Edition

No radical changes have been made in this second edition, but the book has been enlarged 37 pages by the addition of new matter in several of the chapters. This has been done in view of suggestions made by readers of the first edition, who thought that the book could be made more helpful if more examples and illustrations were used. The author is gratified at the favorable reception accorded the first edition, and takes this opportunity to acknowledge the good things that have been said about "Pushing Your Business. " Thanks are due to all the gentlemen whose ideas are quoted herein. In each case proper credit has been given.

T. D. M.

New York, November, 1908.

Preface to Third Edition

In this third edition of "Pushing Your Business" a new chapter has been added — that on "Insurance Advertising." Corrections and additions have been made in other chapters and a number of new illustrations appear elsewhere in the book.

T. D. M.

New York, October, 1909.

Contents

INTRODUCTION.

The purpose of advertising. Fundamental principles. Inspiring confidence. Building good-will. Cumulative value of continuous advertising. Dignity and results.

Chapter I

The importance of copy. How to write advertisements that pull. The "outside" attitude. The personal element. Originality. Study of proposition. Talking points. Space. Display. Illustration. Headlines. Condensation. Value of trademark or emblem. The strength of simplicity. Harmony in style. The type layout. Proofreader's symbols. Complete glossary of advertising and printing terms.

Chapter II

Full discussion of the relative value as advertising mediums of newspapers, magazines, street cars, billboards, novelties, etc. Morning and evening papers. Appealing to women. "Quantity" and "quality" circulation.

Chapter III

How to prepare effective advertising literature of a more pretentious nature. Choosing the title. Exciting interest and holding attention. Making the message personal. 'Hie use of the imperative. Value of the coupon. "Do it now." Getting cash-with-order replies. Specially interested readers. Good typography essential. Simple words. Enthusiasm.

Chapter IV

Deposits the life blood of a bank's business. Inspiring confidence and educating people about banking. Advertising inertia and momentum. Advertising is insurance. Telling people things they already know. Human consideration. Individuality. Advertising to other banks. Illustrations of "educational" bank advertising. General publicity not enough. Changing copy. Several score of effective talking points

and how to develop them.

Chapter V. „.„„ Page

The broad field of the savings bank. Possibilities of human interest. Space and frequency of insertions in newspaper advertising. Form letters and circulars. Concrete examples of how real people save money. How interest makes money grow. Many talking points. "Inspirational" copy. Interesting the children. Home banks as advertisements. Advertising for the future. Large scale saving. How not to do it. Banking by mail. Telling the whole story. Strong savings literature that has won out. Full illustrations.

Chapter VI

Most successful trust companies are good advertisers. Explaining the services offered. Planning a complete series of advertisements. Exploiting various departments — savings, women's accounts, banking by mail, etc. Sample advertisements, booklet, and full list of talking points. Illustrated.

Chapter VII

Knowledge of proposition and human nature. Literary skill. The appeal to self interest and ambition. Use of portrait. Study of logic, psychology, legal rules of evidence and principles of argumentation. Stock brokers' publicity. New idea in bond advertising. Telling about investments. Scientific advertising. Kinds of financial advertising. Outline of campaign. Properly constructed advertisements. A talk on confidence.

Chapter VIII

Land a fundamental necessity. The broad field before the real estate advertiser. The situation in New York City and suburbs. Outline of a successful campaign. Getting the inquiry. Turning prospects into customers. The buying plan. Presenting case thoroughly. Tell the truth. Importance of clearness and enthusiasm. The dealer and the broker. "See the property/' Advertising mediums. Classified advertising. Booklets and follow-up letters. Photographs. Testimonials. References. Buying lots on the instalment plan. Houses for homes and rental. Selling farm land. Complete list of talking points for all classes of real estate. Samples of effective ads. and some result-getting literature for farm land and suburban residence property advertising. Wood, Harmon & Co. Good and poor realty advertising illustrated.

Chapter IX. Page

Insurance a strongly competitive business. Helping the solicitor. The Hartford Fire Insurance Company's plan. Advertising provides an introduction. Uncovering prospects. Creating a demand. The local agent's advertising. The limits of personal influence in business. A fire insurance advertising campaign. Newspapers, circulars, window displays. "Who carries your insurance?" Facts about companies. Service rendered. The Prudential advertising. An aggressive agent. Good and bad insurance advertisements. Some talkingpoints.