Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

It's All In A Name...

Posted by Anonymous on 12/31/2009 at 10:45 AM ET 250 Points
I am starting a direct mail magazine in the Midwest. It will be striclty ads, no editorial. I will target all types of businesses. They will be allowed to offer discounts, coupons, advertise upcoming events, etc. They will not be limited in what they can do. So it will not strictly be a "coupon" piece. I need a catchy name. Any brilliant ideas out there????
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  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 12/31/2009 at 11:58 AM Accepted
    Dear Michellelester68,

    Isn't what you're describing here more of a directory rather
    than a magazine?

    Is there, in your region a DEMAND or a NEED for this kind of publication? Both from advertisers and from readers?

    If it's just a list of ads, what's the reason for people to buy it,
    or pick it up, or flip through it? For the last few years, fewer and fewer people have been pulling their service information from printed directories: they instead are going to the Web.

    Which means you need to answer a few questions:

    Who is your intended audience in terms of advertisers?

    Why would/should/will these people advertise with you?

    What coverage, geographically, do or will you offer?

    Who will read this magazine?

    And what makes your magazine any different to the Yellow Pages?

    Why are you targeting all kinds of businesses?

    The other thing to bear in mind is your request or requirement for a catchy name. A catchy name alone will not save or elevate what might be, to many readers, a superfluous publication.

    Catchy Is Not A Selling Strategy™. Think about this for a second. To be effective, any service or product, and professional service or array of goods need to be marketed to people's compulsions, they need to tie in to people's deepest emotional and material needs, wants, desires, aspirations, and dreams.

    I urge you to consider the following questions before you go any farther:

    Will ads alone be enough to pull this off?

    If your publication contains no editorial, are a series of ads ALONE compelling enough in terms of reasons to draw people in and RETAIN their attention? Will ads alone be compelling enough reasons to make people read your offering?

    Why will this publication attract advertisers and readers?

    Why is now the right time to be publishing it?

    How will you distribute it?

    Will you give it away and rely on ad revenue alone to cover your costs and generate revenue?

    Or will you sell it?

    And if you are going to sell it, what's the most compelling reason for people to pay for it when they could find the same or similar information online for free?

    You might want to put your search for a name on hold until you can answer these questions and defeat every one of them as potential stumbling blocks.

    I hope this helps.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
  • Posted on 12/31/2009 at 9:56 PM Author
    I will mail to 20,000 households in my surrounding area. I will start with homeowners and highest income and work backward from there. There is not a publication like this in the area. We had one 5 years ago and it was wildly successful. I use the web all the time to gather information, obviously. However, many, many people in this area do not. I will not sell this publication. I will count on advertiser revenue to fund me and the publication. I will operate out of my home so my overhead cost will be very low, allowing me to make the advertising very affordable. I have been in media advertising sales for 7 years and have a very good handle on the market. I don't have a doubt that this will be a successful venture. I have done all of my research and now all I need is a name.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 1/1/2010 at 10:45 AM Accepted
    Business 2 Business
    B2B Direct
    Midwest Business Insider
    Business Value Book
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 1/1/2010 at 3:06 PM Member
    Dear Michellelester68,

    What happened to the similar publication you had five years ago?
    The use here of past tense might be a red flag.

    If that publication is still going strong and there's room for you in the market place, then go for it.

    So, name-wise, how about these?

    Mid West Ad Review
    Business Telegraph
    Business Express Direct
    Directory Express
    Business and Service Times
    Business Guardian

    I hope these help. Good luck to you.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
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