Put The Power of Newspapers to Work For Your Business
Ever since Johann Gutenberg invented moveable type in 1438,
the printed word has motivated billions of people to believe,
to do, to buy. Words have given power to ideas; religious,
political, and marketing. Even though we are in the TV
generation print advertising is still as strong as ever.
Some would have us believe that print is out-dated , on the
decline, antique. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Print advertising is here to stay, its powerful, and
it can help you grow your business. On a local basis, newspaper
advertising is the most accessible and affordable of all print
media.
Newspapers are the mainstay of print advertising is the U.S.
As far back as 1690, when the first newspaper appeared in
colonial America, the paper has served as an important
marketing tool for businesses of all kinds. Even though their
overall circulation has declined over the years, newspapers
are a powerful advertising medium that delivers a huge adult
market. No other advertising medium continuously reaches so
many people so often. Over 56 million daily newspapers are
sold every day, with an average of 2.33 readers per copy -
thats over 112 million adults every day. And on Sundays,
over 60 million newspapers are sold, with 2.38 readers per
copy - nearly 130 million adults. These adults tend to be
older; the median age of weekday readers is 50 years old,
Sunday is 47. Baby Boomers who were brought up with TV are
reading the newspaper too. The leading edge of the Baby Boom
generation, born in 1946, is turning 55 this year. They are
in the prime earning years, with more disposable income than
any generation in history. When you look at The Spokesman-Reviews
readership by household income, you find that 65% of weekday
readers earn $75,000 or more annually and nearly 80% of Sunday
readers have an annual household income of over $50,000.
Newspaper readers can be selective. Just because theyre
reading the paper doesnt mean theyre reading the
entire paper. You can target your prospects through different
sections of the paper. Obviously, you can target more men
than women with an ad in
the sports section and more women than men in the Lifestyle
section. But, you reach both men and women in the main news
sections. Main news is divided into two sections: A, national
and B, local/regional. Important local news does appear in
the first section but usually most local items are in the
second section of the paper. Readership studies show that
adults read both news sections with equal frequency so it
doesnt really matter if your ad is in section A or section
B. In his book, Prescription for Advertising, Ed Bruneau advises
to make sure that you place your ad in the section that
is most logical to reach your target. Dont be clever
and think that your ad will stand out if its
in the wrong place. Chances are it will be overlooked.
Another way to target your market with newspapers is advertising
in zoned editions. Most newspapers offer zoning so you dont
have to advertise to the full run of the paper if you dont
need to. If most of your market is in the valley, for example,
you can advertise in a special valley edition for a reduced
cost.
As with every other advertising medium, frequency in print
advertising is vital for success. In some cases newspapers,
including The Spokesman-Review, offer advertisers a
multiple insertion discount on a weekly basis to make frequency
more affordable. The first ad
is full price, the second is 20% off, the third is 30% off
and the fourth is half price. The same ad must be run within
a seven day period. Multiple insertion discount is a bonus
for Spokane advertisers because most other newspapers dont
provide this kind of offer.
The best way to make your newspaper ad stand out is to make
it as large as possible. If that isnt an option because
of your budget, there are other ways to make your ad get attention.
First, it is always wise to attract your market in your headline.
According to the late ad guru David Ogilvy, on average, five
times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.
If you dont sell the product in the headline, youve
wasted 80% of your money. Remember that everyone in your target
market is not ready to buy at the same time. When they are
ready to buy, make sure they know your product is for sale
by making sure the product is in your headline. Other methods
to make your ad stand out are color, white space and reversed
type.
Color is surprisingly affordable in newspapers, but one of
the most effective attention grabbers is white space. Give
your ad some breathing room and it will stand out. Another
way to attract attention is to reverse the headline, making
the type white on black. This is a good technique for headlines,
but not body copy. Reverse type is difficult to read. Photographs
are also excellent devices to attract attention to your newspaper
ads, and be sure to use captions under photos to sell even
more.
There is more than one newspaper in Spokane. In addition to
the daily paper, Spokane has several other papers with selective
audiences. The paper youre reading right now is the
best possible medium to reach Spokane business people. Over
90% of licensed businesses in Spokane County subscribe to
the Journal of Business. With an estimated readership of nearly
55,000 per bi-weekly issue, the Journal was recently named
Best Newspaper of Small Market Tabloids in the US and Canada
by the Association of Area Business Publications. The Pacific
Northwest Inlander is a popular weekly paper that is celebrating
their 8th anniversary in Spokane. This highly successful urban
weekly, reaches approximately 88,000 readers a week.
Newspapers are an important marketing tool that can help you
build your business.
They are even more effective when used in a synergistic marketing
plan with other media. Run a radio or TV commercial and tell
people to look for your ad in the paper. It works.
3/8/01
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