Facebook is a voracious beast that needs constant feeding, for little reward if you have a page for business. But then there was yesterday.
There was a surprising discussion on our Facebook page and I want to capture it here permanently. Because another annoying thing about Facebook is how fleeting posts are: now you see them, now you can’t ever find them again.
I posted: “Just musing: when a new potential advertiser wants a free ad to gauge response as a way of deciding whether to pay for an ad in future, it seems to be a bit like someone buying a dress in the hope of getting a marriage proposal and saying if it happens, the dress ‘worked.’ Hmm. Wondering if that’s fair.”
Actually, I should have said someone taking a dress from a clothes store and only paying if it “worked.” Or truer still, only buying a dress from the store in future if the last dress was a success. Or someone getting a suit tailor-made for a job interview but only paying for the next suit if he or she got the job. But you get what I mean. And so did our Facebook followers!
The first comment was:
“If you believe in the value proposition of your magazine, and can provide potential advertisers the reader information (demographics, location, etc.) they need to decide, then a mature business-person should not expect a freebie to make their advertising decision. Don’t give it away!”
A second comment was:
“Make a deal for a new advertiser/customer – book four ads for the price of three…just make sure you get the three ads paid for in advance of the initial free one…”
I replied that we already have a similar program in place that is working well, but that in this case, the business doesn’t want to pay anything.”
The same person elaborated this way:
“Having been in the advertising business for 30 years, one of the basic fundamentals I always tried to explain to clients, is that advertising is effective with a consistent ongoing campaign. One should not put expectations on a one-shot attempt – continual exposure and reinforcement to the consumer is what builds a following and patronage. You have a fine product that has grown over the years, and no doubt represents value to your repeating client base of advertisers. A one shot ad will never meet your potential clients’ expectations… No doubt you folks have already explained that – don’t give away freebies…your magazine is of value…”
A third person wrote:
“Never give away your product; it tells people what you think it’s worth.”
Another comment was:
“My experience in radio and print has been when a potential advertiser makes this type of request they don’t see the value in the service you provide and you will never meet their expectations (which are typically unrealistic). The price is the price. Giving away your product diminishes its value and isn’t fair to your loyal, paying customers. Just my humble opinion.”
These responses were swift and all favourable to the magazine. No one wrote anything negative. Getting all these comments, some from people I didn’t even know are following our Facebook page, was a real boost to the spirit. Some days bring disappointments. This day ended with powerful encouragements!
