GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION THEY WANT! by David Margolis, President Syndicated Ad Features

Since the 1970’s, technical advances in computer microminiaturization and the proliferation of the Internet have given birth to the “information age”. As energy and interest shift away from making widgets and toward the dissemination of information, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the written word remains king. After all, what are we using these digital devices for? We Google for consumer information and Bing for travel facts. We want to know how much calcium we should be getting in our diets and how long a hip implant can be expected to last. Is acetaminophen toxic in large doses? If so, how large of a dose poses a risk? What is the single most common cause of low-back pain? What exactly is a cataract? What does LASIK entail? What is the most common wood used for kitchen cabinets? How much life insurance should I have? How many years will a face-lift erase? Can a physical therapist recommend effective prevention and treatment for heel pain?

Readers of our advertising copy know the answers to these questions and thousands of

others that they haven’t yet asked. This certainly is a source of pride for our clients, whom readers regard as experts in their fields. The fact is that Syndicated Ad Features provides its clients with well-researched content related to their specific businesses and professional endeavors, which they then run as their own weekly columns in newspapers. We provide information that readers want. The columns can also be run on our clients’ Internet websites. The media may differ, but all require worthwhile information to keep readers engaged. Much may have changed, since the invention of the printing press, but the need for quality content has remained constant. 

HOW DID YOU GET HERE? by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

The Internet is a vast universe that must be knowledgably navigated. Otherwise, it is possible to arrive at a destination by surfing the ‘net and relying on chance. So, unless you can guide someone directly to your business’ website, you are relying on potential customers/patients/clients ability to type just the right search words into their search engines. Your business or profession is too important to leave your Internet advertising to chance.

The key to unlocking your Internet website can be found in your local newspaper. That is where the weekly column provided by Syndicated Ad Features can direct readers to your website. 

Does it seem odd that a traditional medium can prove so effective in wringing the most potential from one of the newest? Odd or not, local newspapers draw readers that advertisers value most- local readers, who want goods and services in close proximity.

Local newspaper advertising is also cost effective. It only takes the money needed to purchase a few inches of space to attract reader attention and direct it to the Internet where advertisers are free to provide as much information as they choose. Syndicated Ad Features does its part by putting their clients’ faces and names before readers’ eyes and keeping their attention with timely and interesting copy. If readers want more, advertisers need only direct them to the associated website. 

This way, our clients have their cake and eat it, too. For relatively little cost, they attract the readers they want and give them all the information they need.

BIG SPLASH OR CONTINUOUS FLOW? by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

Business owners and professionals should not make the mistake of committing their entire advertising budgets to a few big, splashy ads. Oversized ads may look impressive but, unless they are being used to promote a one-day sale or event, the money may be more effectively spent on smaller ads that run with greater frequency. The goal is to reach the greatest number of people over the longest period of time. This can best be accomplished by regularly placing smaller, eye-catching ads in local papers over an extended period of time. Readers may not respond to even the greatest offer made in a large, splashy ad. The timing may not be right for any of a number of reasons. On the other hand, smaller ads, placed with greater regularity, ensure visibility whenever the reader decides that he or she is ready buy what the advertiser is selling.

What constitutes an eye-catching ad? Few images are more compelling than the picture of

a face. That is why each advertisement placed by our clients features his or her face and name. Next, we provide our clients with a bold headline that introduces interesting and succinct advertising copy related to his or her business, profession or service that changes weekly. In this respect, our clients assume an editorial status that puts them in a category that readers identify with other widely-read syndicated columnists. As such, readers know who our clients are and look forward to reading what they have to say. Isn’t that effective advertising?

TIMING IS EVERYTHING, by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

It is often said that “timing is everything,” and, indeed, it is sometimes the case that chance, desire, and opportunity converge in a single moment. However, it is more often the case that “persistence pays off.” This quote linking success to steadfast effort is likely to have more resonance with professionals and business people because it reflects the reality they know to be true. Sure, it is possible that the driver of a car with an overheating engine will spot a billboard for an auto mechanic at the next exit. But, it is far more probable that vehicle owner will already have an ongoing relationship with an auto technician locally, based upon the technician having established a reputable business and advertising it consistently. 

According to the report “How America Shops and Spends,” very few consumers have a need for a particular piece of merchandise (or service) on any given day. Thus, the likelihood that an advertiser is going to appeal to their needs with spot advertisements is very low. Advertising needs to be regular and consistent so that it directly appeals to consumers when they are ready to buy, not just when advertisers are ready to sell. With this in mind, Syndicated Ad Features enlists clients to participate in weekly advertising in local newspapers in a format that is designed to promote trust and familiarity. That way, consumers, patients, and those in need of specific services know where to turn when their needs arise.

A BLACK-AND-WHITE MATTER, by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

Are you old enough to remember when 8-track tapes were all the rage, and you spent more time in your car listening to tapes than sitting in your room enjoying your vinyl records? If not, maybe you are old enough to remember when compact discs were the must-have new technology. These sleek disc, filled with digitalized information unleashed by laser technology, were so cool that they made vinyl records and a scratchy stylus look like antiques! That is, CDs were all the rage until MP3 players came along. Now, no one would be caught dead without an iPod feeding music into their ears and MP3 connectivity in their cars. What’s next? Here’s a hint: I hope you didn’t give all your vinyl records away.

It seems that a growing number of stereophiles prefer a turntable, vinyl records, and tube amplifiers over the newest technology. They make a good case for the fact that vinyl contains more information than digital music and that old amplifiers produce a “warmer” sound that newer technology can’t duplicate. Are they right? Well, try telling that to the average ten- or twenty-year-old. On the other hand, educated music-lovers of all ages are falling all over themselves to get their hands on vinyl.

The point is, the Internet is great. But does that necessarily mean that newspapers are dead? Hardly! Each medium not only has its place in the world of information dissemination and advertising, each can co-exist and supplement, complement, and enhance the other. This “battle of the media” is not necessarily a winner-takes-all matter. In fact, it isn’t even a battle. 

Savvy advertisers understand that the best way to reach readers is a multi-pronged strategy that captures eyes every way possible and directs them to where the advertisers want them to go. Whether that means newspaper advertising directs readers to a website or a website points readers to another platform, there are many ways to garner readership and interest.

Syndicated Ad Features supplies its clients with copy worth reading. Where our clients choose to place our content is not necessarily a black-and-white matter as long as it ultimately gets read.

DON’T GET BLOGGED DOWN! by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

Blogs are immediate, fun, and interesting to read. Keeping a running web journal of thoughts, ideas, and information pertaining to your business or profession also invites reader scrutiny and comment, which helps build a bigger consumer/client/patient base. These digital forums are not only cost-effective and easily accessible, but they also help build credibility in the public’s eye. On the other hand, they can be difficult to compose.

Not every business owner or professional has the time, energy, and/or inclination to write and edit a carefully researched piece of interesting copy. It can also be argued that, if you are conducting your business successfully, you should keep doing what you do best and allow others to attend to the advertising, bookkeeping, etc.

That’s where Syndicated Ad Features comes into play. We dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s” on timely and interesting blog content that is carefully selected to be appropriate to your business and appealing to your audience. It is designed to inform readers about your product, service, or field of expertise and increase their awareness about products, ideas, techniques, and procedures pertaining to your line of work. 

Let’s face it. Blogs are entertaining to read, but writing quality pieces on a consistent basis can seem a bit more like doing homework than conducting a fun conversation with the cyber audience. Blogs are work. Don’t you have enough to do in your business, practice, or profession without having to write your own advertising? If so, let us do the work for you. If not, you need us more than you might realize.

APPOINTMENT PREFERRED, by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

There is a term in television circles known as "appointment TV." This refers to a viewer's commitment to tune in at the same time (every day or week) to watch a favorite TV show that they would not think of missing. If one does not attach such loyalty to a television show, the term can be widened to encompass other forms of entertainment and pursuits. For instance, many people can't wait to read their favorite newspaper columnist or indulge themselves with the weekly special at a local restaurant. In each case, the public is engaged enough with a particular provider that (s)he wouldn't think of missing the next episode, column, or serving. As an advertiser, what wouldn't you give for such a loyal following?

We at Syndicated Ad Features view our role as something of "star makers" as well. Our goal is to make our clients both instantly recognizable and worthy of reader interest and devotion. By taking our clients' images and pairing them with interesting and informational copy that appears weekly in the local newspaper (and Internet), we create an appealing image and attention-grabbing content that most readers find worthy of their time and interest. As people read our columns week after week, they find themselves learning a great deal about many aspects of our advertisers' services and goods. As a result, our clients often hear that the information in their columns motivated readers to schedule an appointment or to simply "drop by". 

NEWS YOU CAN USE by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

As an advertiser, your credibility and reputation are largely tied to the status of the media in which you choose to make your appeal to the public. As a result, it pays to make your advertising choices thoughtfully. As a local professional and business person, where do you think your investment in time and advertising dollars will best be spent? According to one survey of over 1,100 users of Internet news sites, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they trust community news sites more than mainstream media. It seems that the pages of local weeklies and other community publications are the places to be if you want to be taken seriously.

Another significant benefit of concentrating your advertising in local newspapers is that it attracts the very people to whom you wish to speak. As a general matter, readers of local newspapers are better educated, have higher incomes and have more money to spend. All of these characteristics that retailers and service professionals find so desirable may be attributed to the notion that people in this demographic simply like to read. If so, our clients may take advantage of proper media positioning and readers' thirst for interesting and useful information by putting them in the right place and providing them with the content they believe they need to succeed.

WHO GETS IT RIGHT?, by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

When a local news story breaks, Internet tweeters may beat traditional print reporters to the punch, but how reliable is their information? The fact is that many of the breaking stories posted by amateur reporters would never get beyond the editor's desk of a local newspaper. Without access to local official channels, amateur Internet providers often rely on unconfirmed reports, unidentified sources and their own ability to piece the story together. On the other hand, local newspapers must adhere to strict journalistic rules when it comes to investigating a story. As a result, the local newspaper and its website are far more likely to get the story right. Which one therefore is more trustworthy?

There is little question that various media battle one another "to get the story first." However, accuracy should not be sacrificed in the name of speed. In this very important respect, local newspapers wait until they can confirm a news story from its source or through official channels before being put out for consumption. As a result, readers know where to turn for verifiable information. This is why it is so important for advertisers to associate with local print media. Syndicated Ad Features works with its clients to place their advertising where it will be noticed, read, and trusted—in the local newspaper, along with all the other news and information that is too important to get wrong. 

WHAT MAKES YOU THE EXPERT? by David Margolis, President, Syndicated Ad Features

Sometimes, as I watch the myriad of talking heads populating the TV screen from the studios of various news media, I wonder just who these people are. It seems that their mere appearance on television programs with ambiguous titles posted beneath their shoulders provides them with instant credibility. The fact is, viewers are all too willing to unquestioningly believe what they see and hear. As far as I (and many others) am concerned, they best be able to back up what they say.

The same may be said for the type of newspaper advertising we offer. Our advertising is designed with our clients' pictures and bylines to appear as though they are guest

columnists in their local newspapers. As such, readers accept them at face value (pun intended) to be experts in their particular fields. On this basis, they garner reader interest and trust with the goal of cultivating future business. We also back our clients by providing them with verifiable content that assures them that they can be taken at their word.