The Mayo Advertiser celebrates its fourth birthday this week and as a big thank you to all our readers, supporters, and business clients, we are throwing a party in the form of lots of competitions and giveaways for you to win. Prizes include a fabulous two night stay in the bridal suite of one of the county’s foremost four star hotels - the McWilliam Park in Claremorris (no, you don’t have to be married or getting married - just loved up ); an amazing €150 hamper from Staunton’s Pharmacy in Castlebar filled with top name beauty and pampering goodies; 1,000 complimentary business cards from Halligan Print in Castlebar to help budding entrepreneurs enjoy further success; a complimentary Aveda natural hair colour and new-look cut at Petals Hair & Beauty in Westport (worth more than €80 ), plus a chance to win a complete new make-over as part of a glamour fashion show supported by our sister paper, the Galway Advertiser. Read our competition page inside for further details - and best of luck!
Now, apart from throwing out feel-good freebies and tantalising complimentaries, obviously to succeed in business you also need to be permanently visible to the wider world where everyone is always in the market for something.
Happily this is where the Mayo Advertiser has been playing a major role for the past four years, during which the businesses of Mayo have come on board to tell the public what they are and what they offer. Their stories are continually unfolding and responding to market factors, such as the current recession, which on the one hand has hit retail sales but on the other has created a bonanza for bargain-lovers.
The need to update the story of a business is clearly a very necessary and ongoing one and this is the one business the Mayo Advertiser seeks to excel in. Even for those who believe their client list is as full as it ever will be or who regard advertising as an additional expense they could do without - we say, think again. The fact is, you never know who is reading the Mayo Advertiser but by not having your business visible in it, not only will you not know what opportunities you are missing - you will also miss out on identifying new markets to target.
One of the biggest learning curves for any business comes through customer feedback and every week our advertisers let us know how their ads are performing. Most clients report a direct link between sales and that week’s ad but of course there are some whose promotions fail to evoke any response at all.
The reality is advertising is an investment in your business but random ads here and there will not deliver much of a message. Long-term planning and marketing strategies are necessary to develop a business with regular information being supplied on special offers, new lines, and what is in stock. Business happens first and foremost because people like people and want to interact with them. Telling customers about your business on an ongoing basis allows them to follow your story and also keeps you interesting. Nobody wants to do business with someone stuck in a rut.
As an advertising tool the Mayo Advertiser proves its worth every week by filling its pages with news and business information for you the reader to enjoy. Currently there are 21,000 copies of this newspaper read by approximately 300,000 people each week, while our on-line edition attracts an additional 75,000 readers.
Successful people invest in advertising that works and we invite anyone interested in being a success in business to join forces with us. Great things continue to happen in the world of business and even if everything outside remains in a spin right now, good news stories like the new jobs at Hollister this week are a terrific reminder that as life goes on, so too do the wheels of commerce. Hope you enjoy our fourth birthday edition and remember - Christmas is only nine weeks away.
Joan Geraghty
Acting Editor [email protected]
