Are you considering posting your advertisement in a newspaper and want to know how to stand out and gain loyal customers in this environment? You’re not alone. Many companies are going back to print media because it’s an affordable and effective way to reach their target audience. While the digital advertising world is oversaturated with competition, you may have a better chance with a newspaper advertisement. Here are some tips to maximize the return on your advertisements in newspapers.
Choose the Right Newspaper
Depending on where you live, there may be a few newspaper options for you to choose from. Local newspaper advertising may be a good idea if you have a very niche audience, or if you want customers to visit your sole brick-and-mortar store. If you want to reach a wider audience, you can consider national newspapers to distribute your message.
Another aspect you can investigate when choosing the right newspaper is if there are any special discounts each paper is offering. Some newspapers publish separate zone editions for each area of the city. If you only want to target a specific zone, you may be able to get a price that is a fraction of what you would normally pay.
Know Your Customer Demographics
Before you place an ad, you should consider who your demographic is. Whether you are buying advertisement space in a magazine, sending direct mail promotional flyers, or creating inserts in the local newspaper, you need to know who will be reading your content. The average reader of a music magazine will be much different than someone who subscribes to the local newspaper. By working with an advertising agency, you can get access to circulation statistics that are broken down by gender, age, income, and more.
Simplify Your Ads
Although you may have a lot to say, you must remember that your ad is limited space. You should keep your message as simple as possible, only including vital information that will persuade your reader to contact you, visit your website, or redeem an offer at your store. Your product may have multiple benefits, but you should stick to the main one that is bound to generate leads. If you put too much information in your ad, your reader will dismiss it. A simple message that focuses on the strongest aspect of your product with a note of urgency and your basic contact information is the formula to ensuring that your newspaper ad gets conversions.
Build Audience Recognition through Design
After you have chosen your central message and written copy that keeps your customers in mind, you need to design your ad in a way that looks consistent and represents your brand. If you are consistent with your font, ad size, and colors, you will become recognizable by your audience. You can hire a professional designer to create a template that you can adjust for all your future ads, or work with a marketing agency that provides this as one of their services. When you design your ad, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Using borders keeps the reader’s eye on your ad.
- Use only one typeface, but if you must add impact simply use a larger point size. Too many typefaces make your ad look unprofessional.
- Don’t cram in too much information using a small font. Make sure your type size is at least as big as the type used in the newspaper or magazine for its editorial content.
- Leave enough white space in your ad so that it does not look cluttered and overwhelming.
Check Out Competitor Ads
Before you invest in newspaper advertising, you should find out if your customers use that medium to get information about your type of product. Do some research on your competitors. Find out which mediums they use to get traction from their ads. If newspaper advertising is successful for them, hesitate no more.
Run General Ads Frequently
The people who are reviewing and reading the newspaper that you posted your ad in are not necessarily looking for your exact product or service at the time. Therefore, being consistent is the key. You want to ensure that a general ad is run for a certain frequency over a certain period. This strategy is called “flight schedule”. When you run a flight, you will be able to negotiate a lower rate since you are running your ad multiple times in the newspaper.
Buy Leftover Space
Another way to make the most of your advertisement cost in newspapers is to ask your media buyer to put you on a remnant list. If you are flexible with your insertion dates, you will save a lot of money by posting your ad in the leftover space of a newspaper or magazine. Be flexible and creative with your ad size and jump quickly on these opportunities. If you are in a newspaper that has a solid readership, you increase the chances that your ad will be seen even if it is not in a premium space.
Promote Seasonal Offers
As you create your ad, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Research shows that customers respond well to seasonal offers and are far more likely to make a purchase if there is a discount or sale applied. By offering a coupon, online code, or other sale incentives, you increase the chances that your readers will respond to your ad.
Integrate Your Campaign with Social Media and Web Content
One of the biggest advantages of using print to advertise is that the contemporary marketing climate can bridge the gap between this platform and the digital market. Your strategy should not be to get away from online initiatives, but you should use it in conjunction with your digital marketing strategy. For example, you can use a QR code in your print ad where your readers can scan using their smartphone and get access directly to your website, app, or receive a discount when they shop at your store. You can also use this platform to take them to your social media platform where they can share their experience with your product or service.
How North American Media Can Help You Get a Higher ROI
Getting access to the quality newspaper ad space is a challenge of its own. In addition, you may need assistance designing your ad, understanding your target audience, and choosing the right newspaper with the right audience. For all these aspects and more, you can benefit from working with a media agency like North American Media.
Aside from helping you set up a successful ad campaign, we also specialize in direct mail marketing, list & insert brokerage, data solutions, list fulfillment, list management, digital media and radio, TV & Podcast media. Contact us today for more information about how we can help grow your business!
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