Buyer's Guides -- An overlooked marketing tool

Buyers Guides – An overlooked promotional tool

Are you selling into a commercial, industrial, or retail market? Do you constantly seek new avenues in which to promote their products?

Old timers are familiar with the Buyers Guides frequently found in trade magazines, but they frequently are unknown to newcomers or companies marketing their products on a shoestring.

Many trade magazines publish within their pages a Buyers Guide once a year. These Guides list suppliers to the magazine’s audience in both Alphabetical and Product Differentiated listings.

Three or four months before publishing these listings, publications send forms to all known suppliers in that arena, requesting current contact and product information. There is no charge to be included in these Guides.

How do you uncover these opportunities?
First, are you aware of all the trade publications read by your target audiences (customers)? If not, go to your library and search through the Standard Rate and Data Services (SRDS) books. These consist of compilations of every newspaper and magazine published in the US, and list all major trade shows, by industry.

Also listed are the editorial schedules for every publication. Spend some time perusing each appropriate schedule to learn when it publishes a Buyers Guide. Contact each publication to obtain and submit the proper forms to be included in their Guide.

Business How-To Book Available from SCORE

Attention Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owner

Business How-To Book Available from SCORE

St. George, Utah - - - The just published How to Start a New Business is designed both as a roadmap for starting a new business, as well as an in-depth review for owners of small businesses.

Southern Utah SCORE Chapter Director Byron Theurer points out that while “owning one’s own business is an extremely exciting and gratifying experience, there also are many serious pitfalls.

“Our How To booklet takes its readers through the necessary start-up process, pointing out those dangers. Further, our one-on-one counselors can help the business owner or entrepreneur with real life experience with these hazards.”
How to Start a New Business is available from SCORE, at the address below, from the St. George Chamber of Commerce, and will be available in Utah at most Washington County Libraries. The cost is $12.00 per copy; $15.00 if mailed.

Further information about SCORE or its free counseling is available at: Dixie College, University Plaza, 1071 East 100 South (Building C), St. George, UT 84770; phone: (435) 652-7741; email: SCORE@dixie.edu.

SCORE St. George Offers FREE Consulting

Attend Our Small Business Workshops
Our workshops cover such topics as business start-up, financing, the acquisition of existing businesses and franchises, and business exit strategies. Past attendees have given them rave reviews. more>