Okay, so last week I got this idea stuck in my head: “Newspaper ads still exist, right? Maybe they do work for something local?” I run a small gardening service, mainly fixing up folks’ yards in my town. Needed a boost, figured why not try the old-fashioned way. Boy, was I clueless at the start!
My First Attempt Was… Bad
Honestly, I kinda just winged it. Grabbed my phone one morning, pulled up the local paper’s website, clicked “Place Ad.” Thought, “Easy peasy!” They gave me this little box online, barely bigger than a stamp. I just typed in:
Gorgeous Gardens – Need help with your yard? Call me! Mike – 555-1234 (Replaced with real later, duh!)
Felt decent enough. Paid my ten bucks for the week, patted myself on the back. Figured folks would see it and call. Well…
Crickets. Seriously. Like one faint chirp the whole week. Nada. Zip. Zero calls. Kinda embarrassing, really. What a waste of coffee money.
Time For Some Serious Messing Around
Right, I clearly messed up. Needed to figure how to mess up less next time. I started actually looking at other ads in the paper – like, really looking, you know?
- Some were impossible to read: Tiny text squished together, all caps shouting gibberish.
- Others were just plain boring: “Bob Smith Plumbing, Licensed and Insured.” Zzzzz.
- A few actually popped: Short, punchy words, not crowded, offered something specific.
That got me thinking. My stupid ad? No reason to read it. Didn’t tell anybody why they should call me. What’s the benefit for them?
The Re-Work Plan
Okay, deep breath. Time to build a better mouse trap… or ad. I scribbled down what I thought it needed:
- Headline that hooks ’em: Needs to grab their eye faster than their cat knocks over a plant.
- Say what they GET: What problem do I fix? What do they walk away with?
- Make it easy to act: Phone number HUGE? Maybe a tiny website? Something.
- Don’t crowd it: Need breathing space, even in that tiny box. No wall of text!
Started brainstorming headlines:
- “Struggling with Overgrown Landscapes?” (Bit negative)
- “The Easiest Lawn Cleanup You’ll Ever Book!” (Better!)
- “Gorgeous Yard Without the Work?” (Ooh, hit a nerve? Hope so.)
That last one felt right. “Gorgeous Yard Without the Work?” It asked a question folks in my neighborhood probably ask themselves every Saturday morning.
Building the New Ad
Got back into that tiny online ad creator. Felt like building a ship in a bottle! Every word counted.
This time, I went for:
GORGEOUS YARD WITHOUT THE WORK?
Your answer: Expert Lawn & Garden Care by Mike!
Weekly Cut & Trim Cleanup Mulching Planting
Fast, Friendly, Local Service. FREE Estimates!
CALL MIKE NOW: 555-GARDEN (555-4273)
Okay, way better! It starts with a hook, mentions specific stuff I do, offers the big FREE estimates thing (who doesn’t like free?), and screams my easy-to-remember number. And I left some blank space! No cramming.
The Click (And The Calls!)
Hit that “Place Ad” button again, winced slightly at the cost (this time $15 – bigger headline font costs a bit more). Sent up a prayer to the printing press gods.
Difference was night and day.
First call came TWO HOURS after the paper landed. Seriously. An older lady needing her spring flower beds cleaned out and mulched. Booked her! The next day, three more calls. One guy just wanted his wild lawn tamed, another wanted a quote for regular cutting. Even got a call about planting some new bushes!
Felt like a genius for about five minutes. Then realized it’s just about doing it less badly and focusing on the person reading that tiny little square amidst all the noise. You gotta show what’s in it for them, right away, easy to see, easy to do something about. Simple, but man, you gotta force yourself to think like that.
Maybe newspapers aren’t dead after all… if you know how to yell politely in the crowd.