Before you decide to advertise, consider working with the public information office to get a story published. Studies show that a newspaper article has three times the credibility of an ad. Pick your one big story to tell and share it with the public information officer and the student newspaper, The Express. Journalism faculty and students also include ads in the TAB at no charge. The TAB mails three times a year to more than 300,000 residents.

The public information office pays for general college ads, such as second-nine week classes. Individual departments or programs pay for specific ads, such as Career Day. The district designs and pays for regional ads on radio, television and in newspapers. These ads are designed to promote the start of a new semester.

The text and design for advertising may originate with a department or program but must go through the public information office before distribution. Graphic Impressions has ad templates and will help design an ad for $35 an hour.

Advertising may be quite expensive. However, Sacramento City College is entitled to nonprofit rates, which are lower than the general public rates. Also, because of the volume of ads we place with some publications, such as The Connection, a publication of the Sacramento City Unified School District, our rates are even lower. Color may increase awareness but is much more expensive. A well-designed black and white ad can be very effective.

All ads should include some kind of tracking device, such as a special phone number or coupon, so that you can evaluate the effectiveness of the money spent.

When constructing the text for an ad, remember:

• The headline is very important
  
  
• Entice
  
  
• Be friendly
  
  
• Call for action, such as "Register now"
  
  
• Appeal to self-interest-what's in this for your target market?
  
  
• Track the response-provide a designated phone number and e-mail address.
  
  
• Use your Web address. Make sure your page is current and accurate and links are provided, when appropriate, to a schedule (such as assessment times) or a registration form for a special event or conference.
  
  

Advertising Policies

• All advertising, including radio, television, and newspaper, needs to be cleared through the public information office. The public information officer is responsible for accuracy, image and content of all advertising and marketing for the institution.
  
  
• All advertising that goes into another college's service area needs to be cleared through the district office. It is the responsibility of the campus public information officer to clear these materials through the district. Since the district office is responsible for all regional campaigns on radio, television, and print media, campus campaigns should be coordinated with the district and reflect that we are part of a district.
  
  
• If promotional advertising is a condition of a grant, the public information office should be notified immediately. The division dean and the public information officer should work together to design a marketing strategy and timeline that fulfills the conditions of the grant while providing the greatest return in new students for the investment. When compared to radio and television, direct mail (the TAB) elicits more calls than all other mediums combined.
  
  
• If promotional advertising on regional radio, television, and print media is a condition of a grant, the public information officer will notify the district, who will coordinate the advertising so that all information about Los Rios community colleges will go out at the same time, typically at the beginning of the semester when we are trying to get students to register.
  
  
• Some campus publications, such as The Express and athletic media guides, sell advertising to offset the cost of printing or help support the program. In order to avoid publishing ads that promote the competition or are not in compliance with the principles of our institution, all contracts should have a clause that says "We reserve the right to refuse ads for publication." If there is any question about the appropriateness of an ad, please consult the public information officer.