Grab Your Share of Untold Amounts of Advertising Dollars

--> Grab Your Share of Untold Amounts of Advertising Dollars Title: Grab Your Share of Untold Amounts of Advertising Dollars
Author: Kathleen Gage
Email: kathleen@turningpointpresents.com
Word Count: 851
Copyright: 2004 by Kathleen Gage
Web Address: www.kathleengage.com

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Grab Your Share of Untold Amounts of Advertising Dollars
By Kathleen Gage

If you advertise in any way, the following information could show you
how to find and utilize untold advertising dollars you may not be
aware of.

In the mid 80's I was an account executive for a radio station
located in Santa Rosa, California. During that time I became very
familiar with what is referred to as co-op advertising.

Co-op advertising is a great source of advertising dollars. And there
is so much of it available to people, yet most people know very
little, if anything, about co-op dollars.

Interestingly, I was one of the only reps at the station who made
sure my clients knew about this benefit. The reason was simple, there
was more work involved in getting my clients set up, and yet, there
was financial gain for both my client and myself by taking time to
help them stretch their marketing dollars.

Co-opting is where you put in money for advertising and the
manufacturer of a product you sell also puts in money. Often it is as
much as 50% of the campaign. It is a great way to stretch your
advertising campaign and to beef up your campaign.

Unfortunately, even though the money is available if conditions are
right, many people either aren't aware of this or if they are
they think it's too much work to meet the criteria. Granted, in some
cases it is, but often utilizing co-op money is a great way to stretch your
marketing budget.

There are many co-op-advertising opportunities available if you plan
to do advertising on the Internet. Not all are good investments
though. Check opportunities out very carefully before making a final
commitment.

Using co-op dollars is an excellent way to build a stronger
relationship with your retail suppliers and to generate a lot more
traffic in your store or on to your web site. If the overflow of
business is handled correctly you will increase your sales and
profits.

The great thing about using co-op dollars when you are dealing with
standard media is that your account rep can handle the paperwork for
you. Many retailers hesitate using the "hidden" dollars due
to feeling intimidated by the paperwork, the unknown.

Not only can the rep help you with the paperwork, they can also help
you to build the campaign. However, before you trust them completely,
find out what their experience is, what successful campaigns they
have spearheaded and get some references. Take the time to do some
research upfront to save money over the long run.

The reality is, if they are professionals in the truest sense of the
word, they will be more than willing to take much of the paperwork
burden off of you by handling it. After all, the more value an
account rep creates for their clients the greater chance for an
ongoing business.

Co-op dollars are not limited to retail businesses. Often, there are
hidden dollars for non-profits. There are city and state funds that
are set aside to help various organizations increase their visibility
and reach.

One nice thing about using co-op dollars from a large manufacturer is
that brand names do attract customers to your business