Advertising — The Walnut Creek Patch Way

When he isn't hiking the ridgelines or jogging or playing pickup basketball, Aric Martinez is crafting advertising programs that meet the needs of local companies for Walnut Creek Patch.

Martinez, advertising manager for Walnut Creek Patch, knows what it's like to be an entrepreneur. He once started a business in the wedding registry industry. "I never had a large marketing budget but in some ways I'm the the perfect person to talk about Patch because I know what it's like to have $100 to spend and try and get results in 30 days and have to be accountable," said Martinez, 34, of Walnut Creek, a graduate of Acalanes High in Lafayette and Chico State.

Martinez knows how small businesses need to be smart about social media strategies. He will share those ideas at , where businesses and community organizations will have a chance to talk about social media's role. Main Street Meet-up is at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Oak View Room on the second floor of the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 North Broadway.

Participants will also hear from Walnut Creek foodie blogger and social media consultant Heather McNeil. The official sponsor of Walnut Creek Patch Main Street Meet-up is Alamo Capital.

Dicey climate

It's a dicey time for advertisers. Some small businesses are participating in the recession recovery and have a little more money to spend. Others, Martinez said, are still struggling but coming to the realization that they need to rethink their ad program.

"Something might have worked five years ago with a certain vendor and they're realizing the same efforts just don't work today," he said. "Most advertisers are really savvy. They understand it's a competitive environment … The viewpoint I take with every client is that they should look at their marketing budget —whether it's $1 or $10,000 — and decide the best ways to spend that money. Because Patch is really tapping into their local customers, it should be included.

Martinez also manages advertising for Berkeley, Danville and San Ramon Patches. Before joining Patch in September 2011, he worked on several startups, looking at advertising data online and offline, and seeking to provide actionable analytics for advertisers.

Contact Advertising Manager Aric Martinez at (925) 548-5671, or aric.martinez@patch.com.