Tuesday, May 27, 2008

First Business Ad

Having as many children as I do, I've experienced many "firsts" in life: first tooth, step, haircut, doctor visit, day of school, etc. In June, we will have another first--this time it's with my writing and our promotional products business.

The local Temecula publication, The Bugle, will publish the first Whine Country Chronicles column written by yours truly entitled, "The Difference Between Boys and Girls." It's an original short article that I haven't published on my blog yet (but will do so after it comes out). Since the byline will have my name on it, with a short bio at the end (which will not contain the name of our company, per the newspaper's policy), I thought we could make our advertising dollars stretch further by placing an ad adjacent to my column--our first ever. Up until now, our business has been growing by word of mouth and cold calls.

So a couple of weeks ago, I had our graphics person design a black and white ad that will be published in the June edition with my article. Initially, I wanted to have my name on the ad so that readers will make the association, but A) my husband is the initial sales contact for our business, not me, and B) I couldn't find a good place to slip it in. I felt that the ad stood on its own. It's very well done.

When I sent it to the publisher, she was kind enough to ask me if she could place my name in the ad for me. It's a jpeg file, but she's able to insert a box "on" it, so I told her to go for it. I think it'll look fine, and I trust the publisher's vision in this matter, but I am worried that it may make the ad too busy. I asked her to include my husband's name, also, so that clients will expect to speak with him.

The column that I wrote doesn't refer to the business in any way. My husband and I debated this point in detail. He felt that it may be a good idea to write an article about juggling business and babies. Initially, I drafted one that did just that, but it didn't work. It's important that our business always maintain a level of professionalism. If I relay a funny account of my children interfering with my work activities, it may send the wrong message to our customers. We operate a first-rate promotional products company, not an amateurish attempt at running a business. If someone reading the column isn't familiar with what it's like to work from home, the article could be misinterpreted, our reputation could suffer, and we may, unwarrantedly, lose business.

Therefore, I chose to introduce myself and my family in a way that would interest readers enough to call our company because they feel that they know me on a personal level, and, therefore, can trust me. Once contacted, we'll prove to the customer that we deliver the best product and the lowest price in the fastest time.

I'm most comfortable with this approach because it only requires that I be the real, honest me--and that's what I do best!