Help with Charity magazine wants paid advertising

I get at least 4 calls a day from this and that publication trying to get me to advertise.

Print advertising is all but dead imo, it!!!8217;s simply too expensive for too little results, that are difficult to measure.

HappySad

I feel for you - the proposition as it currently stands is going to get you nowhere. Without wanting to rain on your parade, I'm going to outline the problems as I see them and then recommend a few things. Trying to sell print ads by cold calling is going to alienate the supporters you do have - this was the suggested approach back when dinosaurs roamed the earth; cold calling has been getting harder and harder over the last 10 years with many companies refusing to put any such calls through or even inventing fictitious names and even departments to handle such calls where you can never speak to anyone; and there are new laws coming in this May covering GDPR which handles the use of personal data even in business contexts.. I have 30+ years of sales & marketing experience and have been on both sides of the equation. I've also been an event organiser and if you want to solicit donations at an event, you need to contact the show organiser and come to an agreement as if you roam the aisles"briefcasing" (ie soliciting without a stand or any agreement) you'll be escorted out of the show pronto and banned from returning.

So, what I would do is:

1. Tot up how many people the charity serves - is it 6000 total or is that just the number that get the mag. That will tell you something about how the mag is perceived and you might well suggest another way of talking to all stakeholders. I think what would be worthwhile is to look at all the channels the charity uses and put together a package that isn't just about print, but also social media etc. If they have no such channels, then they need to start on Monday morning.

2. Could you put together an event yourself, or even a road show to reach your clients? It could well be better to offer a sponsorship package that includes a stand at such a show, backed up by print advertising and social media messaging to paying sponsors.

3. Consider who could offer services and products to your clients. Are you in touch with each of them? You could try making connections on LinkedIn - you can search by company name and then try messaging relevant contacts, usually in the marketing dept.

4. How good is the contact data you have for potential supporters? Is it up to date, with relevant contacts? There's been a swing back to the old-fashioned postal letter as people are very tired of emails and many aren't even read, just caught by spam filters or deleted outright. If the data is old or you have no contact names, then call them or get an agency to do it as letters addressed "to whom it may concern" or with just a title will usually be chucked in the bin.

5. A complete appraisal of the charity's relationships with its community is indicated. is everyone relevant being reached; and what is the opinion of the clients?

Sorry HappySad, I don't want to be discouraging - but this is a tough gig you've got and ruthless realism is needed here to have any impact. If I can help with any questions, please let me know.

Humdinger

The problem is you need advertisers whose products/services are nationwide and obviously do not clash with your charity's ethics. Do you know the demographic (or likely demographic) of your readership.