Promote Safe Holiday Driving in the Classifieds

According to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration Bureau of Transportation statistic, “the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday periods are among the busiest long-distance travel periods of the year. During the Thanksgiving travel period, the number of long-distance trips (to and from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 54 percent, and during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period the number rises by 23 percent, compared to the average number for the remainder of the year”.

With these kinds of statistics, it's clear that winter is a great time to educate drivers about how to stay safe on the roads, while also advertising related services and specials offered by local dealerships and garages. Advertisers can take advantage of this time of year by running ads on the following topics:

• Check your wheels
• Car winterization and general maintenance
• Safe driving: staying alert, sober, and wearing seat belts
• Strategic trip planning: best times, days, and routes

Ad/Promotion Ideas:

• Create a checklist for holiday travel and what to do and where to go for assistance with vehicle issues.
• Create a signature ad of the different dealerships and garages in the area and all the different winterization sales or discounts they are offering.
• Provide a list of top safety picks for cars, and have those respective dealers list specials they are running on those models. The Institute for Highway Safety lists all 2010 models that meet their standards for safety performance.

Target New Real Estate Agents

Are there new real estate agents in your market looking to set themselves apart? Show them how to create their brand image through a customized ad campaign. Here are some tips:

• Make sure they know their brand. Focus on their strengths, values, passions and purpose.
• Bring the brand to life. It should be seen or felt in the market.
• Ensure their recognition in the market. "Image" is a tangible reminder of a real estate agent’s services. Help them express themselves and their business with a personalized message.

Ad/promotion ideas:

• Create a branding campaign that doesn't just promote the features of each house for sale but the personal value. For example, include a quote from the selling owner about what they'll miss most about the house.
• Suggest agents provide (and advertise) informational workshops, possibly in partnership with your media, to attract potential buyers. Workshop topics might include: how to determine when buying makes more financial sense, how to successfully invest in real estate, how to make the most of foreclosures, how to determine how much to list a home for and/or determine how much you can afford, etc.

Key Words:
Real Estate

Public Safety Ad Opportunities

October is National Crime Prevention Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Fire Prevention Week. These three events offer a plethora of advertising opportunities for a variety of businesses and services.

• Work with the local shelters, police department, and other city officials to do a shared campaign sponsoring events related to National Night Out against crime.
• Create a special section about safety, covering a broad range of safety issues and solicit advertisers related to the topic: home insurance, life insurance, home protection, firearms, city fire and police, and self defense.
• Design a signature ad about safety with a list of fire prevention businesses, home protection businesses, and companies that help you protect yourself.
• Approach your local shelter to do a vendor section which showcases their service to the community, while providing an opportunity for the vendors they do business with to advertise their own services and show support for the shelter.
• Examples include: banks, attorneys, facilities maintenance, insurance providers, etc.

Businesses to Contact:

• Shelters
• Police Department
• Fire Department
• Insurance
• Home Protection
• Fire Arms
• Self Defense Instructors

For the Vendor Section:

• Banks
• Attorneys
• Facilities Maintenance
• Insurance

Sell Classified Ads to Meet College Students' Needs

Whether headed off to college for the first or fifth time, students have many needs, including:

• Housing
• Vehicles (cars, bicycles, etc.)
• Part-time jobs/internships
• Loans to help pay for vehicles, housing, tuition, etc.
• Furniture and household goods

Ad/Promotion Ideas:
Create a special classified section featuring all the items college students are looking for as they start the fall semester.

Sell Classified Display Ads to Lenders

Who’s advertising in your classified section? With all the big ticket items like cars, boats, houses, etc., this is a prime area for financial institutions to advertise their lending services, too.

Ad/Promotion Ideas:

• Vehicle loans
• Home or new construction loans
• Home improvement loans
• College/education loans (employment or apartment section)
• Small business loans (employment section)
• Create a sponsored loan advice column in your classified section.
• Encourage lenders to promote the advantages of pre-approved loans in the buying process.
• Put a sponsored loan calculator on your website.

Share your experiences!

Are you selling classified display ads to financial institutions? Are there other business types you have advertising in your classified section?

Selling Motorcycle Safety Ads in May

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Warm weather is accompanied by a peak in motorcycle, motorbike and moped sales.

Ad/Promotion Ideas:

• Encourage local dealers to promote their motorcycles in congruence with safety tips (Motorcycle Safety Foundation tips).
• Create a space on the first page of the automobile section to feature motorcycle listings from independent sellers in addition to dealer products.

Share your experiences! Have you tried a promotion dealing with motorcycle or road safety? Was it successful? Have you seen positive response in your area? Post your experiences as a comment and let’s increase ad sales together.

Auto Recalls Present A Competitive Opportunity

2010 recalls in the auto industry have given car manufacturers an opportunity to increase their market share. With the recalls fresh in auto shoppers’ minds, now is a great time for other dealers to push the benefits of their brand. Act soon because Business Week predicts that the sales freeze caused by these recalls won’t last long. Help your advertisers boost ad sales now!

Share your experiences! Have you increased ad sales during a period of heavy auto recalls? Have you seen positive response in your area? Post your experiences as a comment and let’s increase ad sales together.