Advertising in the press and in directories can be an affordable and effective marketing tool for small businesses. Advertising offers a targeted way of spreading the word about your business to large numbers of people.
There are thousands of different publications. These include national newspapers, regional dailies and weekly papers, free and paid-for local papers, general interest magazines, special interest magazines, trade, technical and professional magazines and in-house magazines. Most people have local directories and also use online directories such as Yell to source local services. Many areas also have local lifestyle publications that are delivered free to targeted postcodes.
The advantages of advertising in newspapers and magazines
Rumours of the death of the printed word have been exaggerated. People still read newspapers and magazines. They buy them on news-stands, they subscribe to them and they welcome their arrival on the doormat.
Magazine ads allow you to reach a targeted audience. Special interest and trade titles have specialist readerships. Ads in your local newspapers offer the chance to reach large numbers of people in your area.
Producing and placing an advert can be done relatively quickly. Printed advertisements can attract attention and convey a lot of information. Readers spend time reading their favourite publications and often keep copies for reference.
Even if your advertising budget is tight, it can go a long way. Advertising costs can be relatively inexpensive. And with a fast production turnaround, there's scope to try different approaches and find out what works.
Choosing which publications to advertise in
Media planning is a science, not an art. You need to look beyond the top-line circulation figures and study the data in depth. The BRAD directory is an excellent source of data on publications.Get the media packs of all the publications you are considering. Check out the quality and relevance of the editorial content in those titles. See where your competitors are advertising. Ask your customers which publications they read regularly.
Now look at the data. Newspaper and magazine circulation figures are not the same as readership figures. Free papers, for instance, are widely distributed, but are frequently discarded unread. Meanwhile, copies of well-respected paid-for publications can be read by more than one person.
Stan Weitzman