Is print advertising really dead?
Of course Internet advertising is all the rage for small business and the self-employed these days, and for good reason – it works and is very cost effective. But that same popularity means that there is now something to be said for the old tried and true – print advertising. Big fish in a small pond and all that.
To put a little spin on Shakespeare, we have come to praise print, not to bury it.
Is it true the world of print media is changing radically? Of course, no secret there. But I also think reports of print’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Go to any magazine stand and you will see what I mean. There are still hundreds of magazines out there, and newspapers big and small are figuring out ways to carry on.
These changes offer the savvy small business person some tremendous opportunities
That said, it is equally true that there are fewer ads and fewer print options than a decade ago. Let me suggest, however, that the changes offer the savvy small business person some tremendous opportunities.
Here’s Why Print Can Still Offer Serious Bang for Your Advertising Buck
1. For starters, one of the main things you want from your advertising is the chance to STAND OUT. It used to be that advertising in print media made that difficult because there was so much competition. But because there are fewer businesses advertising in print now, and fewer ads in any given publication, your ability to stand out has increased.
Fewer ad pages means that your ads can be stars.
In addition, because print publications need advertisers, there are some good deals to be had. So a half-page ad in a magazine or large ad in a newspaper will not only offer you greater exposure due to less competition, but it will also cost less than you probably expect.
And that’s not all. Print advertising continues to offer some great benefits not shared by its online counterparts:
2. It is highly targeted: Print advertising offers you the chance to catch people by their interests, or religion, hobbies, work, age, etc. Targeting your marketing to the right demographic is fairly easy by advertising in the right place, and it can be highly profitable.
3. It does not evaporate: Magazines stay in homes for months. Newspapers may be around for days. Web pages come and go. In addition, people reading web pages digest information far quicker – and move on – than do people reading print content.
4. It is great for branding: A print ad is a physical thing; it can be copied and placed in your store, or even on your website, for years. Electronic ads do not have the same cachet.
But What About The Web?
All of this is not say that online advertising is not important; it is. But by the same token, as we rush to understand and embrace this new world of e-advertising, let us not forget that print can play a significant role in the mix.
Indeed, ideally, print ads can and should empower your online ads. Research indicates that a not insignificant portion of online searches stem from offline ads – people see an ad in a newspaper or magazine and then search that topic on the Internet.
As such, aside from your URL, print ads today should contain product names, key words and phrases, taglines, etc. By using print ads to drive people to your website, you essentially get a two-fer, benefiting from both offline and online exposure.
Bottom line: Print ads are not only a smart offline tool right now, but can become an effective part of your online strategy as well.