One of the main goals of any advertiser is to reach their local communities. Unfortunately, many businesses, especially start-ups, are working on a very tight budget. This has caused many businesses to focus on digital channels like email marketing and social media to reach their audience. Although online channels can play an important role in an omnichannel campaign, they are not as effective in reaching your local audience and encouraging them to walk into your store. The good news is that free-standing inserts (FSI) in newspaper advertising can. These are the loose pamphlets and pages that fit inside of a newspaper or magazine. They are a fantastic media option to promote your brand message and reach a loyal readership. Here are some important reasons why you should add FSIs to our advertisement in the newspaper.
What Are Free Standing Inserts?
Free-standing inserts (FSIs) are printed marketing materials that are placed in between the pages of a newspaper or magazine. “Freestanding” refers to the characteristic that these materials are not bound to the media they are situated in; they are literally inserted in between the pages of the medium. These inserts tend to fall out when you pick up a newspaper or magazine and often feature special offers, discounts, or important announcements from local brands or businesses.
Benefits of FSIs
Inserts Are Cost-Effective
There is no question that direct mail is a powerful and cost-effective way to convert prospects into customers. With discounts offered through media buying and access to a magazine or newspaper’s loyal readership, there is a huge potential to grow your business at just a fraction of the cost.
Consumers Start Shopping at Home
Newspaper advertisements like FSI inserts are great to incorporate into your marketing mix because they cater to consumers who enjoy browsing and shopping from the comfort of their homes. They might browse Amazon to check the latest deals or peruse the inserts in the newspaper or magazines to see who is having a sale. FSIs are great for people who are ready to buy.
Inserts Set Your Brand Apart
Another advantage of using FSIs is that they help you distinguish yourself apart from your competitors and all the other ads your readers interact with. Today’s consumers are overwhelmed with messages, especially online, so when you use FSIs you won’t blend in with the countless generic ads they are bombarded with.
They Offer a Wider Reach
According to a study about consumer usage of newspaper advertising, 90% of media consumers trust FSIs when making buying decisions. Out of the respondents, 65% said they found the best deals in FSIs. Digital advertising may be cheap and accessible, but FSIs have long-standing trustworthiness with consumers.
Newspapers Offer Staying Power
Newspapers generally have more staying power than online ads because they are not easily blocked or ignored. They sit on countertops and tables in homes and offices for days, weeks, or even longer. This staying power lets more consumers read and absorb the information from your FSI, thus increasing its ability to drive massive action.
Focused Targeting
When you created your offer, you had a specific target audience in mind. If you don’t deliver your message to that audience, you will have wasted the time and money spent on building your campaign. Therefore, FSIs are a great option for targeted marketing and advertising. You can choose to distribute by postal code, market, demographic, category, and more, so your message gets in front of people who are most likely to buy.
Inserts Bridge the Gap Between Online and Offline Engagement
It’s never been easier to bridge the gap between online and print advertising, thanks to technology like QR codes, web portals, personalized URLs, and more. FSIs can leverage this technology to offer consumers an engaging and connected online experience. Even if the traditional print channel is no longer the only way to advertise, it can be the beginning of a two-way conversation with interested customers through your online channels.
Set Up Your Insert Program with North American Media
FSIs in newspaper advertising is an effective way to grab your reader’s attention and encourage them to visit and shop at your online or brick-and-mortar store. FSIs have the potential to boost loyalty with your brand and existing customers and attract new ones. Even small retailers can benefit from the access FSIs give to your target audience. If you’ve never launched an FSI program before, you can grow your customer base and increase sales with just a little direction and creativity from our team.
With help from North American Media, you can improve your marketing strategy by creating an advertisement campaign that engages your prospects and appeals to their curiosity and interests. If you want to experience the advantages of a successful print media strategy, specifically an FSI program, our experts have the connections and experience to help you. We can help you set up a successful insert program, and we can provide all the information and assistance you need to get it up and running. Our services also include print media advertising in newspapers & magazines, direct mail marketing, digital marketing, alternative media/inserts, radio & TV advertising, list brokerage, data solutions, list fulfillment, and list management.
For more information about how we can help grow your business, contact us at (475) 256-0303.
- Boost Your Cross-Channel Strategy with Direct Mail - April 19, 2024
- How Direct Mail Integrates with Digital Channels to Boost Omnichannel Engagement - March 15, 2024
- Maximizing the Impact of Direct Mail by Incorporating QR Codes - February 21, 2024