When the economy took a nosedive last year, furniture retailers understandably needed to find ways to cut expenses. Unfortunately, furniture advertising budgets took a brutal beating – even though research shows that those companies who continue to advertise during a recession are the ones that recover fastest and even report sales growth.
Banker and Brisebois Advertising (B&B) recently announced a new program for retailers who advertise on a less frequent basis. The program makes B&B’s professionally planned advertising material available to more independent furniture dealers and allows them to download single ads for their exclusive use in a designated trading area. Dealers can also download the ads with no long-term commitment or monthly fees.
Lee Gilmore, president of B&B, said, “Dealers are looking for ways to advertise most effectively, and they welcomed an opportunity to have a wider selection of newspaper ads and other advertising material without being obligated to enter into yearly contracts.”
This program makes it easier for many dealers, especially smaller independent dealers, to compete more successfully with a larger competitor. Even if smaller dealers cannot spend as much as the larger stores, this program helps them stay visible to their customers during slow times.
B&B also revamped its website (www.bbfurnitureadvertising.com) to include information about other new programs involving email marketing, and added a new www.furnitureadsnow.com website so dealers can register to select from over 600 ads and order the single ads as they want.
“Right now there are plenty of home furnishings retailers who would love to be advertising to kick up more traffic, but they simply don’t have the advertising budgets to do that,” Gilmore says. “With this program, dealers can download a single ad for exclusive use in a designated trading area for only $200. That price is probably a fraction of what it would cost the dealer to have the ad produced by an agency. And the increased response from running professional-quality ads will more than offset the cost of the ad to the dealer.”
Gilmore explains that because the ads are syndicated, other dealers share a part of the cost, making it more affordable for everyone. It works well for the retailer who only runs a few ads a year, but retailers who advertise more frequently can take advantage of other membership packages with an even lower per-ad cost. And with more than 600 ads to choose from, the retailer can find the exact message they are looking for.
B&B’s other membership packages are available to dealers who advertise on a more frequent basis. These packages permit a dealer to download as many ads as needed, and pay a monthly fee. B&B works closely with these members to make sure their advertising programs get the results they should. “Advertising isn’t supposed to cost money,” Gilmore states. “It’s supposed to make money. If that isn’t happening, something is wrong.”
In order to participate in the new, no-cost Furniture Ads Now Program, the dealer is required to register with B&B. This is done to avoid the possibility of there being a conflict with other dealers who are current B&B members. There is no charge for registering; the only charge is for downloading ads.
For more information about B&B’s advertising programs and services, visit B&B’s BBFurnitureAdvertising.com website, or call (800) 456-0210. B&B is located in Troy, Mich., with showrooms in High Point, N.C., and Las Vegas, Nev. The company specializes in furniture advertising, working with thousands of independent furniture dealers as well as many leading U.S. and Canadian manufacturers.