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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, it’s 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 - that’s 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-Review’s 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 they’re reading the paper doesn’t mean they’re 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 doesn’t 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. Don’t be clever and think that your ad will “stand out” if it’s 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 don’t have to advertise to the full run of the paper if you don’t 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 don’t 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 isn’t 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 don’t sell the product in the headline, you’ve 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 you’re 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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