162 FIRST LESSONS IN POULTRY KEEPING. 



Which Poultry Paper, and How Much Space. 



The best advertising medium for the beginner should be the paper having the largest circu- 

 lation in his vicinity and section', for until he makes a reputation that extends beyond his own 

 locality most of his sales are likely to be to people living not far from him. This rule will not, 

 however, always hold good for large and much less for small advertisers. In some papers 

 the small advertiser has little show, every effort of the publisher being directed to drawing the 

 attention of readers to the larger advertisers; in others, small advertisements are relatively as 

 profitable as large ones. In any paper, though, a small ad. may run for some time without 

 attracting attention or making sales, hence the beginner in advertising should keep big adver- 

 tising expense within what he is able to stand though no sales are made, for while it is true 

 that the volume of business done through a paper has some relation to the amount of space used 

 in it, large ads. alone do not always attract attention in the way the advertiser wants them to ; 

 and If a poultryman with no reputation and no experience in advertising relies upon the pulling 

 power of size in his ads. he is likely to be disappointed. In a paper like FARM- POULTRY, 

 with the small ads. classified and given a place in the body of the book on reading pages, the 

 srnaU classified ad. is the best beginning for most small advertisers. 



How to Write an Advertisement. 



Your advertisement should be a brief plain statement calling attention to what you have to 

 sell, and generally giving your prices or range of prices. The object of the advertisement is 

 not to sell the stock directly through the advertisement. It is simply an announcement for the 

 purpose of putting you in communication with persons who want goods of the kind you have 

 to sell. Occasionally buyers order direct from an ad. Oftener some correspondence passes 

 before a sale is made. The prime object of the advertisement is to bring you the names of pos- 

 sible customers, and that is the most that a paper can do for an advertiser; further results 

 depend upon himself. 



Whatever the expert advertiser may do, the beginner should avoid fantastic effects either in 

 statement or in mechanical arrangement of an ad. Make your statement straightforward, to 

 the point, and without a superfluous word. 



Answering Correspondence. 



Every letter received from an ad. should be given some sort of reply promptly. The average 

 inquirer writes to a number of advertisers at the same time, and those who reply at once stand 

 the best chances of making sales. As a rule, the reply should be limited to matters pertaining 

 directly to the business transaction. Many persons in writing about stock or eggs ask for more 

 or less information on other matters. These questions may properly be passed with the state- 

 ment that you cannot take time to reply to them. To decline to reply to such questions, and to 

 give straightforward replies to pertinent questions, is the best policy. 



Have neat and appropriate stationery, letter heads bearing your name and that of the breed 

 or breeds of fowls you keep, and as much general information about them as seems appropri- 

 ate and can be used without crowding too much printed matter on the page, and envelopes 

 with your name, address, and the name of your yards, or farm, or of your breeds. It pays tc 

 be modest in these announcements. Don't proclaim yourself a specialist in any breed or 

 variety until you really have gained some recognition as such. I get many letters from poul- 

 trymen calling themselves specialists in the breeds they keep, asking me the most elementary 

 questions about those breeds, and about the general principles of breeding; and I often wonder 

 what sort of letters these specialists write to their business correspondents, and how the letters 

 read to the latter. I am sure the prospective customer must often see through the pretensions 

 implied in the use of such terms and the exaggerations in the letter head notices of the stock 

 acil a customer is lost when otherwise a sale would have been made. If you are new in the 

 business and feel tempted to make as strong claims in your advertising as some of those who 

 have been at it much longer, remember that only those as new or newer than yourself are likelv 

 to fail to see through it, and you virtually limit your sales to this class, while, if you really 

 have good stock a plain and unpretentious statement of the fact is likely to bring you a pro- 

 portion of trade from those who really know something about it, and know when they get 

 what they order and good value for their money. 



