How to advertise printing

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Advertising to Sell Printing , 1

II. Newspaper and Magazine Advertising ... 10

Author's Preface

he most interesting preface of a book that I ever read is that in the front of "Eccentricities of Genius," written by my friend, the late Major J. B. Pond, of New York. After stating that he had three thousand volumes in his library, but that none of the prefaces suited him, he proceeded to take extracts from a half-dozen or more of these books, using those paragraphs, all more or less suitable, as the preface of his own book, telling of his association with great men and women.

I could hardly follow such a course in the preface of this volume, however, because it is, in a sense, a pioneer in the field of books. Nothing like it has ever been written, to my knowledge. There are books devoted to the advertising of some other lines of trade, but none dealing particularly with the advertising of the printer. For that reason I can hardly claim that my work "fills a long- felt want," and we do not have many long-felt wants of any kind in this progressive age. Wants are not felt very long before they are filled, and many needs are even anticipated before the public really knows that it has them. My work need not be the less acceptable for this rea-

PREFACE son, however. There is a growing interest in their own advertising on the part of the enterprising master printers of this country, and it is this interest which has led to the publication of this book. The publication of much of the matter contained herein in The American Printer awakened the trade to a realization of the special opportunities which they have before them for increasing sales by advertising, and the spirit in which these articles have been received indicates that a work containing practical suggestions, with ready-made copy and its use and application clearly shown, should appeal to printing houses that are aggressive in other lines as well as their advertising.

It has been said that if an accurate knowledge of costs is the first step in the reformation of the printing business, more advertising and better methods can well be the second step.

This, then, is the purpose of this book: to place before the heads of printing plants — the managers, the advertising and sales heads — a comprehensive view of the opportunities that are present for advertising the product — printing; and to show in a practical way how to go about the matter of planning and carrying out this advertising. Much of the suggested advertising copy is ready to use, either in whole or in part. Other copy can be adapted to use by slight changes. My main idea has been to make the principles of successful advertising for printers plain and of real everyday use. Practice as well as theory is represented in these pages, and the experience of many others as well as myself has been drawn on to make the work of the greatest practical value.

Harry M. Basford.

HOW TO ADVERTISE PRINTING iMWMWTi ' : ^ -nrrxw^nrF^rrrT^nrr^s

IT IS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE TO ADOPT AN ADVERTISING POLICY AND SYSTEMATICALLY TO PLAN A CAMPAIGN

I. ADVERTISING TO SELL PRINTING wmmm i

WMZRZm n considering the preparation of a series of practical articles on advertising for the printing trade, I was struck with the lack of information in the form of books on this subject which are available to the trade. Printers' advertising has been neglected by writers on advertising subjects, and there are few if any books dealing with the problems of the profitable spending of money for publicity. One of the leading books on advertising deals with the advertising of thirty-nine different trades and businesses and devotes considerable space to telling advertisers technical points of printing; but there are no pages for the benefit and help of the printer who wants to do some advertising himself. As further illustrating the little attention that is given to the advertising of printing, let me cite a really valuable article which was published on the subject in a leading advertising journal. Being unusual, this article was considered notable enough to be republished in one of the printing trade journals. It was exceptionable for an advertising trade paper to devote space to printers' advertising. Even at national

A DEFINITE ADVERTISING POLICY conventions of the leading printing trade organizations there has often been no place on the programs for the discussion of advertising.

It may be that the printer is generally considered as already knowing all about advertising ; but my study of the subject has shown me that he does not, tho he is glad to learn. Every employing printer knows something of advertising display; truly, but in many cases he knows more about producing good advertising for his customers in other lines than he does about turning out some profitbringing publicity for himself.

I, therefore, found little precedent to guide me in preparing the matter for a series of articles on good advertising for the printing trade. I must largely pioneer the way, treating the subject in a manner that seems best suited to be helpful to ambitious printers who want to do more business and who rightly believe that the proper kind of advertising may be made an important factor in accomplishing this result. While there must necessarily be frequent reference to the principles and theory of advertising, it is my intention to make this series of a practical nature, with many examples showing how certain things have been done or may be done instead of merely stating a fact or an opinion and leaving it to the reader to work out all the details.

Value of a Definite Advertising Policy

In deciding to advertise or in making advertising changes (for every printer does some advertising), it is of first importance to adopt an advertising policy and to systematically plan a campaign involving the expenditure

THE VALUE OF ADVERTISING TO THE PRINTER 6

of a certain amount of money and covering a period of time of at least several months. Many advertisers spend money because of a momentary inclination to invest in a certain kind of publicity ; but results do not justify the rosy claims of the solicitor and disappointments of this kind can be largely avoided by deliberately planning a campaign along lines which seem to promise the best results and then adhering closely to this plan.

Advertising is just as important to a printer as any other part of his business: the selling end, the producing departments or even the cost-finding system. It is also as important a force at his command as it is for merchants and business men in other lines of business. The mail order dealer makes perhaps the fullest use of advertising, because the success of his business depends entirely upon the advertising. And a printer is too apt to overlook the powerful influence of printed advertising for success because he sees orders coming to him from regular customers without advertising. Business comes to the printer thru reputation or prestige, but both of these things are built up and fostered by advertising. The printer who enjoys a good trade, but who cannot see the necessity for expending time and money in systematic advertising, may see his business and his prestige of being the leading printer in town leaving him together, largely because some more energetic and ambitious competitor has conducted an aggressive advertising campaign and can back up his forceful advertising with a product and service that are as good and satisfactory as he says they are.

An advertising policy should compass the amount of money to be spent during a given time; the kind of

4 TRUTH THE BACKBONE OF PUBLICITY

advertising to be done ; the departments or kinds of work that are to be advertised and the prospective buyers that it is desired to reach. A proper consideration of each of these things should result in the outlining of a plan designed to produce the greatest possible results at as economical an outlay as possible. Time spent in preparing the advertisements should not be curtailed, however, because the success of any advertising depends first of all upon the matter that is put into the advertisements, and carelessly, hastily written advertising is one of the principal faults of the printers' publicity in this country.

In printers' advertising as well as that of all other legitimate lines of trade, truth should be the back bone of all the publicity. It is not honorable, nor creditable, nor is it necessary to advertise untruthfully, and the efforts of our leading advertising workers for truthful advertising should have the support of advertising printers. Misleading exaggeration and soliciting certain kinds of printing when the printer is not able to deliver the quality of work expected is not good advertising, and it is much better to present as impressively as possible the service that can be satisfactorily carried out.

A new campaign of advertising may be slow in showing results, and persistency is required; but if the right principles that make for success in other advertising are adhered to, the printer may receive as great benefits from his expenditure for publicity as any other advertisers.

How, When and Where to Advertise

It is important to know how, when and where to advertise; and as suggestive of the best way to solve these

HOW, WHEN AND WHERE TO ADVERTISE O

problems, as each printer must solve them for himself, there are certain things to be considered.

First, being a producer of printed advertising, a printer should be a liberal user of his own work in the form of folders, cards, form letters, booklets, etc., which he can print in his own plant. Aside from this printed advertising, the local papers are often suitable for advertising for local business; a house-organ is an excellent means of reaching patrons and prospective buyers ; calendars, envelop enclosures and package slips may often be used to advantage; magazines and publications of general circulation may be used to secure mail orders, and other mediums may be carefully weighed from the standpoints of clientele reached and comparative cost. The fullest - use should also be made of the imprint.

The best time to advertise has been said to be All the time," and to a great extent this is the right time for the advertising printer; but there are seasons when certain advertising will bring better results than at others. Much printing being for advertising purposes, it is well to consider this in the preparation of copy so as to present the idea of buying printed advertising at the time when the particular kind of work advertised is naturally wanted.

The place to advertise that is the territory, should ordinarily be that which can be best served by the plant advertising. In direct advertising by mail it is of prime importance that the mailing list be composed of persons who may reasonably be supposed to be prospective buyers, and printers* publicity should be directed as nearly as possible in the preparation of copy, selection of medi-

GOOD ADVERTISING COPY ESSENTIAL

urns, etc.,. to that part of the people whose business is particularly desired.

The amount which can profitably be spent for advertising is dependent upon many things : the available capital, the size of the plant, its location, etc. Five per cent of the gross business done would not seem to be too much to invest in advertising, if the work is well done, and much more might be profitably spent. The appropriation should be apportioned in advance to the various purposes and the mediums selected. Money spent foolishly for advertising, or in forms of advertising which are not expected to bring returns, should not be included in the appropriation, and such amounts would be better charged to charity, vanity, pride or any other real or imaginary account representing the real reason for the expense.

Where a plant has a number of departments or is doing a wide variety of work, it is probably a good plan to take up one department or one kind of printing, then another and so on thru the plant, not necessarily in rotation, but handling each department or line of work by itself, so as to reach the most people likely to be interested in each.

Good copy is essential to any advertising, and, if the head of the printing house does not feel inclined to write the copy himself, or if he has no one among his employees to whom he can delegate the work, it may be advisable to call on an advertising agency or a free lance ad-writer. And in this connection I wish to say that money paid for good advertising copy is exceptionally well spent, for the success of a single advertisement or of a campaign hinges upon the copy more, perhaps, than upon any other one thing. An advertising agency

1 Zm tbz printing Press

I am the printing pres3, born of the mother earth. My heart is of steel, my limbs are of iron, and my fingers are of brass.

I sing the songs of the world, the oratories of history, the symphonies of all time.

I am the voice of to-day, the herald of tomorrow. I weave into the warp of the past, the woof of the future. I tell the stories of peace and war alike.

I make the human heart beat with passion or tenderness. I stir the pulse of aations, and make brave men do braver deeds, and soldiers die.

I inspire the midnight toiler, weary at his loom, to lift his head again and gaze with fearlessness into the vast beyond, seeking the consolation of a hope eternal.

When I speak, a myriad people listen to my voice. The Anglo-Saxon, the Celt, the Hun, the Slav, the Hindu, all comprehend me.

I am the tireless clarion of the news. I cry your joys and sorrows every hour. 1 fill the dullard's mind with thoughts uplifting. I am light, knowledge and power. I epitomize the conquests of mind over matter.

I am the record of all things mankind has achieved. My offspring comes to you in the candle's glow, amid the dim lamps of poverty, the splendor of riches; at sunrise, at high noon, and in the waning evening.

I am the laughter and tears of the world, and I shall never die until all things return to the immutable dust.

I am the printing press.

The above beautiful appreciation of the power of the press is taken from the publicity of one of the leading manufacturers of presses. It is an earnest endeavor to impress upon the swift-living Americans the importance of the printing press to our modern civilization.

But, now-a-ilays, literature and business are so closely associated that we must make an application of the above sentiments to things near at home.

The printing industry is one of the largest in Colorado; thousands of men earn their living through the medium of the printing press. And you who believe in home industries (and who does not?) will be both consistent and loyal il you will remember that Colorado printing builds up Colorado and the West. When a big house like The W. H. Kistler Stationery Co. does your printing, you are helping to build up the West, where you live and where you work. And our product is as good as you can secure anywhere.

Think this over and write us about your printing needs We give correspondence of this kind the most careful and intelligent attention.

THE W. H. KISTLER STATIONERY CO.. Denver

Page from a printer's house-organ, in which Robert H. Davis's masterpiece, "I Am the Printing Press," is reprinted and applied

AN ADVERTISING CLASSIC will also be found ready and able to give good advice regarding campaigns and in selecting mediums where a number of newspapers or magazines are to be used. In the case of the printer who is also a publisher, it might be quite a novelty to have business relations with an agency other than in handling the advertising of others thru the agency.

An Advertising Classic

The article, ' I Am the Printing Press," is perhaps the finest thing that was ever written to exploit the machine which makes printing possible. It was originally written by Robert H. Davis, editor-in-chief of the Munsey Magazines, for R. Hoe & Co. , and has been widely copied and used by printers in their advertising. The accompanying reproduction shows how one printing house made the application in its house-organ.

Examples of Advertising Copy

As examples of some of the advertising copy to be presented in these articles, the following paragraphs are offered, with the suggestion that they can be used in advertising in newspapers, folders, house publications and in many other ways:

DID you ever hear of a business man recommending the work of his printer? Perhaps so, but very likely your own and your friends' opinions of printers in general have been quite the opposite. Good printers are scarce, but at the risk of seeming egotistical we want to tell you that our customers are our friends and they are good boosters for our business. Wouldn't it be worth your while to try a printing house like this?

EXAMPLES OF ADVERTISING COPY 9

IS YOUR printing bill fifty dollars or five hundred dollars a month? We handle the orders of both large and small buyers and we want to show you why we think we should be your printers. If there was not a good reason we would not waste the cost of this advertisement.

WE DON'T advertise for rush orders, but when you have an order of printing that is really urgent, we can complete it for you on time — just when you want it, because our organization is trained to work without waste effort. Our promise to deliver is an obligation that means delivery on time. We don't often have to make excuses for delay.

THE customer is boss with us. We do as you say and you can have anything you want by asking for it. Our one and only requirement is that you allow us to make a price that will permit us a moderate profit on the work we do for you.

THE cost of printing is largely represented by the value of men's time, and our systematic method of handling work saves time and makes just prices. We keep an accurate record of the work of every man every minute of the day and our printing costs you the exact value of the time and material required, neither more nor less.

t( SALESMANSHIP on Paper'" is one of the best and most O economical methods of selling that you can employ. Are you working it to the fullest limit? Even if you have the finest corps of city or traveling salesmen, you can make their work more productive by adding printed advertising to your selling forces. Let us show you how to do this.

ALL PRINTERS ADVERTISING COPY SHOULD BE

PLAIN, STRAIGHTFORWARD, HONEST BUSINESS

TALK, WITH PERTINENT SUGGESTIONS

II. Newspaper And Magazine Advertising

B oth newspapers and magazines should prove good advertising mediums for printers in connection with printed advertising which can be produced in their own plants. As a general classification, there are city newspapers and country newspapers, monthly or weekly magazines, farm and mail-order papers and local magazines. The printer, whose appropriation for space is often limited, must use good business judgment in selecting those publications most likely to prove profitable to him, and if he does not feel competent to judge of the relative value of different papers, the advice of an advertising agency or competent free-lance advertising man would be valuable. Generally speaking, the recognized leading daily and Sunday papers in the large cities should be good mediums for the printer with a plant of fair size. In the country the small dailies do not usually circulate much beyond the confines of the town where they are published. The weeklies are read by the farmers.

A job printer in a small town would naturally not care to advertise in a local paper which also operates a job

SELECTING THE ADVERTISING MEDIUM 11

department, and for him there are other methods of reaching the buyers in his territory, such as folders, form letters, booklets, etc. The magazines of national circulation would not be useful in soliciting local orders, and are valuable only in selling printed specialties by mail, or in marketing some kind of printing which might be ordered from all parts of the country. The same value attaches to the agricultural and mail order papers. The local magazines, such as college, school, club and society publications are sometimes good mediums for a printer in reaching out for local business.

As a general principle, a good medium is one which is known to circulate generally among the class of people it is desired to reach, and whose rates are not prohibitive, considering the inquiries or orders they will bring. In contracting for newspaper or magazine space better rates can usually be secured on a contract running a stated length of time, and where an advertising campaign is well laid out a considerable saving can be made by agreeing to use a stated amount of space within a certain time. If an advertisement is to be placed in a number of publications outside of the printer's own city the services of an advertising agency will be useful, as customarily they will place the advertising at the same rates charged by the publishers, and will attend to all details of checking, correspondence, etc., at no charge to the advertiser.

Many printers who wish to advertise thru newspapers or magazines find themselves in trouble as soon as they commence to get the copy ready for an advertisement. They don't know what to advertise or what to say, but there are many things about printing which can be

12 WRITING THE ADVERTISEMENT

presented in interesting form to the public — always bearing in mind that the thing advertised should be a kind of printing or a line of work which is likely to be used by readers of the paper in which the advertisement appears. As suggested subjects for advertisements, some of the following might be exploited in a way that would make good reading and should really produce results: I'm a Letterhead Specialist," Printed Advertising With a Punch," "Why Not Advertise by the Direct Route?" "Why Some Advertising Doesn't Pay," Who Is Your Printer?— Try Us," "Let Us Talk to You About Your Fall Catalog," "Scientific Prices With the Cost-Finding System," etc. Any one of these topics should suggest arguments and points that will not only interest, but will also convince the readers.

In sending advertising copy to publishers, it is often advisable for the printer to lay out his own advertisement and have it set with the display which he wants, in his own plant, so that he can then send proofs to the papers or have electrotypes made, in which case there would be the rather odd condition of an advertiser actually showing a sample of his own work in a newspaper advertisement printed and published in another plant.

A point which should always be considered in preparing a newspaper advertisement is to make the advertisement of real, readable interest. One way to do this is to select some particular phase of printing, or a certain kind of work, and talk intelligently about this, always remembering that the advertisement must be written to appeal to the reader's point of view.

In all publication advertising there are six principal

STRAIGHTFORWARD BUSINESS TALK things to consider. They are the medium, the subject, the size, the copy, the display and the position. The comparative value of different mediums has already been considered, also subject matter for advertising. The size of an advertisement should be dependent upon the amount and importance of the matter in the advertisement. It is not a good plan to confine an advertising story to a certain fixed space, and it is much better to make the advertisement large or small, as needed.

All printers' advertising copy should be plain, straightforward, honest business talk — the news of the plant, with pertinent suggestions by which the reader may make use of equipment or facilities. Display is the way in which the copy is presented, and it is one part of advertising in which the printer should be most competent to do good work. The position of an advertisement in any paper is important. If an advertisement is run at top of column next to reading matter, it always has a better chance of being read. It is a question, however, whether these preferred positions are worth twenty-five per cent extra, as is often charged; and if the advertising printer can secure the co-operation of the publisher to the extent that he will agree to give a good position on request this arrangement is an excellent one.

Illustrations, borders and ornaments can often be used with good effect. They make an advertisement attractive. Anything in the way of display that makes an advertisement look different from other advertisements on the page is good display, and striking effects thru the use of white space are often better than any other arrangement.

14 USING HIS OWN PAPER

To make a success of newspaper or magazine advertising for printing, it is only necessary to follow the principles and to devote the same attention to the subject that other advertisers are doing in many lines of trade.

The Printer-Publisher Should Use His Own Paper

The job department of a printing plant publishing a daily or weekly paper or any other kind of publication, should be constantly advertised in the publications controlled. If the space is good enough to sell to other advertisers it should certainly be valuable enough to use in advertising another department of the business, considering all the advantages that the printer-publisher has over any other advertiser.

Display advertisements should be preferable to readers and the copy should be frequently changed, if not each issue. Too little attention is given to the opportunities that printers have in advertising in their own papers. I have often seen the job department advertising treated merely as a filler to be run when there was nothing else at hand to fill a certain space. An advertisement of this kind is usually hastily written in as few words as possible and hurriedly thrown together by the compositor, who may receive the copy at the last moment before press time. Such a system is all wrong and naturally leads the publisher to belittle the value of his space in his own mind. These advertisements usually read something like this: "Send us your orders for job printing and they will have our prompt attention. The Tribune, Bingtown, Ohio." This copy would be set in large type, all the same size, and might occupy (it could not fill) any sized

INTERESTING COPY CAN BE WRITTEN 15

space from six inches double column to three full columns. This is not advertising as we are coming to know the science. It is worth next to nothing, and any real advertiser who sees a frequent repetition of such an exhibition is bound to lose faith in the paper permitting such a grossly careless misuse of space.

Some very interesting copy can be written about the job printing department of the average country newspaper. The purchase of new equipment can be told of, the cost-finding system can be advertised if there is one, nationally advertised brands of paper can be offered printed up into letterheads and other forms, and various kinds of printing that can be consistently produced may be advertised as well in the country paper as in any other way, and at the smallest possible cost. The copy for these advertisements should be written with the thought in mind of the people who are to read them. Their point of view is the one which must be reached if the advertising is to be successful. The printer-publisher is usually very familiar with the class of people reading his paper; he knows many of them personally and he ought to know what their printing needs are and what they know or think they know about job printing. Close information like this is often denied, by force of circumstances, to the professional ad-writer; but if the ordinary advertising man who makes copy writing his business w T ere allowed to write some of the advertising for the job departments of country papers, or city papers either, he would create a sensation in the communities where these papers are published and he would materially increase the sales of their job printing departments also.

16 STOCK COPY FOR ADVERTISEMENTS

I have been a country newspaper publisher and I know that a man in this position must be a paragon of all around knowledge and a demon for work to make a success. He has little time to write advertising copy for his job department ; but I believe it would pay even the busiest publisher to take the time to himself, or get some competent person, to write some really good advertising copy for his job department to be printed in his paper.

Stock Copy for Display Advertisements

The following matter, written in fable form, was used in an advertisement of printing and it contains an idea which might frequently be used in connection with advertisements for printing. It should be followed with some strong copy directed to some particular kind of printing :

The Busy Man and the Printer

IF YOU want to get a favor done by some obliging friend, and want a promise safe and sure on which you may depend, don't go to him who always has much leisure time to plan, but if you want your favor done, just ask the busy man.