Gilbert Escobar of Manufactured Housing Consultants in Corpus Christi says advertising in Corpus Christi Business News has allowed him to expand his sales beyond the Coastal Bend area.
Advertising works. Ask the businesses placing ads with Corpus Christi Business News who have seen bottom lines grow with repeated placement in the city’s only business-focused newspaper.
“It turned our business in a completely different direction,” said Gilbert Escobar of Manufactured Housing Consultants. “It helps a lot.”
A monthly publication, Corpus Christi Business News is mailed free to 10,000 local business owners. Another 2,000 copies are distributed through racks placed around town.
The secret to successfully advertising in the publication is repetition, according to Steve Gambler, owner of Gambler Specialities.
“You can’t just do it once and forget about it,” Gambler said. “You have to do it for a full year so that people learn to recognize your name. They might not need something the minute they read about you, but they will remember your name when they do.”
Also in the promotional advertising business, Gambler Specialities understands the importance of name recognition. The company sells branded novelties such as hats, T-shirts, golf balls and more to put a business’s name in the hands of a consumer. In fact, Corpus Christi Business News is the only outside advertising vehicle Gambler uses.
“We have spread out with Corpus Christi Business News,” he said. “I like it because I know it’s going out to other businesses, and that’s who we deal with. We don’t have a lot of walk-in customers. We sell to larger companies, and they read the Business News.”
Escobar wants in the publication because he knows people read it and see his company’s name.
“It’s a publication that promotes what’s going on around the city, and I want to grab those customers who are looking at that,” he said. “We want people to know where we’re at. Corpus Christi Business News gets our information out there.”
Print is not the only way the publication delivers information. Stories about small-business owners are posted online and promoted on Facebook and Twitter. Escobar is particularly pleased with the social media feedback he has gotten from his exposure in the local business newspaper.
“We get a big response from social media,” he said. “The same day our story was posted, we got a call from California and made a big sale. I asked the caller where he found out about us, and he said he saw it in the Business News through Facebook.”
Repetition in print and posts in social media are not the only considerations when advertising. The message is just as important as ad placement.
“You have to present a message that relates to the largest percentage of your target audience,” said Bob Hotchkin, sales manager for Texas Publishing Co., which produces the Business News, Corpus Christi Living direct mail, Corpus Christi Area-wide Telephone and Internet Directory and 101CorpusChristi.com. “The message is as important as your name.”
Texas Publishing can help determine the best message and design to use in an ad because of its 20-plus years’ experience in the business.
“We are marketing experts, and in a short period of time, we can find out what your strong points are and make recommendations about what to present to the public,” he said. “We also have some of the best graphic artists in Corpus Christi.”
He agrees with Escobar and Gambler that repetition is key to getting that message out effectively.
“Coca-Cola is one of the pioneers of mass marketing,” he said. “It’s the biggest soft drink in the world because it spent a fortune to make sure the brand is always in front of everyone all over the world all the time.”
The power of repetition can be seen on TV especially.
“It’s the same with any type of advertising,” Hotchkin continued. “The more prospective customers see your message, the higher-percentage sales you’re going to make.”
Escobar said he never knows when his advertising will pay off, but it always does.
“It could be something from six months ago and they just now saw the ad,” he said. “You have an ad in a newspaper, it puts people in the action. A lot of people are on the sidelines. They don’t know they are in the market for what we have, but when they see what we have, it makes them think. We are looking for those people. We are looking for future business.”
To advertise in Corpus Christi Business News, call Hotchkin at (361) 991-1306.
