Get 80%-95% Off All Your Advertising – GUARANTEED!
A few years ago I went on an awesome trip to the Philippines. The flight from JFK was quite long. 19 hours from JFK direct to Tokyo Narita, then another 3 hours to Manila.
So what does that have to do with getting ads below cost? Everything! You see, I only paid $450 round trip for that flight on a courier ticket. The only drawback was that I could only take 2 carry-on pieces. But what a bargain! I know because the gentleman sitting next to me was complaining about the crowded condition of the flight and how he’d paid $3,300 for his ticket.
I just nodded in agreement. There was no way in hell I was going to say, “Too bad chump, I only paid $450!” So how did I get that seat so cheap? Remnant space. For every piece of luggage or merchandise in a commercial flight, someone HAS TO accompany that merchandise. In my case, the company was shipping some crucial information to Tokyo that couldn’t get there fast enough via Federal Express because of the Customs delay.
So rather than lose the deal, the company sold me the seat on a last minute basis (you get the ticket cheap because it’s difficult to get someone to go at a moment’s notice) for a fraction of its face value.
And it works the same with advertising. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations and yes even internet sites, all have space that is dedicated for ad revenue must be accompanied by a paying client! If that space is not filled by the time of publication – it’s lost revenue.(not to mention the ad manager’s behind!) So rather than get nothing, they will run your ad for pennies on the dollar.
The downside? Well, you cannot choose where or when your ad is placed. It will have to be placed wherever and whenever there is a “hole”. And it’s mostly in the least desirable section, but sometimes you get lucky and an ad in a great spot cancels. So much for a downside.
I remember working for a small newspaper in Bogotá Colombia, and 9 times out of 10 our Advertising Director was scrambling to fill all the ad space for the current issue. Many times the Editors had to shorten their articles, or even cut some as last minute ads came rolling in. It’s an everyday fact and the nature of the beast.
Even some of the most prestigious publications have remnant space, though they’d never admit it for a second.
So how do you go about getting your ads published for less? Well, it’s quite simple. But first you MUST have an in-house ad agency. [See the article SAVE AN AUTOMATIC 17% ON YOUR ADVERTISING COSTS for information on how to set one up.]
Then make phone calls to the publications in which you want to advertise and speak to someone involved in selling ad space. Tell them who you are, what your product or service is and how their publication would be a great fit for you. In other words, butter them up!
Ask for a Rate Card and ask what kind of discount they have for Remnant Space. Ask them what size ad usually comes up for remnant space in their publication. Also ask them what format they require artwork to be in, bleed size, etc (although they’ll probably refer you to the XXXX.)
Then go ahead and create your ad, and submit it to be used in remnant space only. Be sure you pre-negotiate the price, and know the exact size you are submitting. Request a tear sheet (a copy of the ad) when it’s run.
Do this at 10-15 magazines and newspapers and you’ll probably hit pay dirt on one or two right away. So you see, you don’t need to have deep pockets to advertise. Just the right information.
If you would like to have a company place remnant ads in newspapers for you, go to the following web site: www.mss-standby.com I can’t vouch for them, but their service looks quite interesting. As a matter of fact, there are so many magazines and newspapers; it’s a service you may want to start too!
