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Is it Worth it to Advertise Your Small Business in Your Local Newspaper?

August 15, 2019 admin Leave a comment

Deciding how to spend your small business’s advertising budget can be one of the hardest things to figure out. Ad sellers offer hosts of reasons on why their venues are right for you, but where is your money going? How can you ensure that you are going to get the returns that you need to succeed?

Is it worth it to advertise in your local newspaper?

The answer is: It depends on what you are selling and how you define your “local” newspaper.

It used to be that on Sunday morning, newspapers would head to subscribers’ homes filled with coupons and ads showing potential consumers all the deals for the upcoming week or month.

Changing Consumer Trends

A small business could easily advertise alongside the big box store and get exposure to those consumers who would clip the coupons and look for deals. They would often clip coupons for deals that they may not specifically have been in the market for, but that caught their eye while they were looking at coupons from other businesses. This was a successful partnership that was used by companies for years.

However, now, readership is in a downward trend for print media, and ad sales are declining even more sharply. A decline like this has been attributed to shifts in reader habits — a daily overload of information that is causing many consumers to bypass ads altogether.

Readers have been known to throw local advertisements into the recycling bin without even a glance. This leaves the small business that is trying to gain notice with little to no value in using large market newspapers to advertise in.

Where Does That Leave Your Business?

With the large newspaper market dwindling, small businesses, especially those catering to consumers, have compensated by shifting their ad spend to alternatives.

These alternatives include using

daily deal coupons
location-aware services like Foursquare
hyperlocal newspapers, like Coffee News
local news websites

Many have also taken to finding advertising space in online sites where the ads can be cheap and where they have access to a much larger market. However, using an online ad platform like this can make it even harder to determine the effectiveness of your ad money spent.

Positive Returns with Newspaper Advertising

For small businesses, positive returns are found when advertising with hyperlocal newspapers because these papers publish specific news about their community and the local events in that community.

By association, your small business ad can find its way into the hands of the very consumer you need to reach.

Hyperlocal newspapers market and distribute their papers in a different way, which enables them to reach the audience you most need to connect with. As an added plus, the ad rates in those hyperlocal papers run on the cheaper side.

Small community newspapers are growing, while their larger counterparts are struggling to maintain readership.

Another thing to consider is if the hyperlocal paper has a local website, then that may also offer you a viable spot for some online advertising.

Is it worth it?

For many small businesses that sell to consumers, the answer is – Yes. It is as long as you think of your local newspaper as being a local community or suburban newspaper and not a major-metro newspaper.

In your local community paper, the ad rates are lower, and the staff is motivated to place your marketing message with more of a thought to where it would be of most benefit rather than just where they had space to fill.

Taking this into account, your small business advertising dollars can go a long way to helping your business succeed if you use not just the right ad, but if you place that ad in a local community paper where it has the best chance of getting into the hands of the specific consumer you are most wanting to reach.

What Is Print Media Advertising?

July 19, 2019 admin Leave a comment

Print Media is one of the oldest forms of communication. In a nutshell, print media advertising in Kansas City is any media that appears in print form as opposed to voice/broadcast, video, or other digital means. This form of media includes weeklies, posters, newspapers, magazines, banners, billboards, and anything that is printed on paper or another surface. When people talk about print media, they are typically talking about magazines or newspapers.

The reason most people think about magazines or newspaper when considering print media advertising in Kansas City is that magazines and newspapers dominate traditional print media are the go-to places for small businesses to advertise. Newspaper and magazines are also top of mind for advertising because they make a longer impact on the minds of the reader. Typically, they are more trusted than digital advertising because the content in a newspaper or magazine tends to have more in-depth reporting and accurate analysis.

History of Print Media

Print media has contributed to the information and transfer of knowledge of humanity over the years. Even after the popularity and rise of digital media, print media is not dead.

IN the past, people used to write printed material by hand. This was a time-consuming process, so the flow of information was limited to the manpower a publisher could hire. In 131 BCE, the Romans would produce a daily ‘paper’ to inform citizens of the crucial issues. Once publishers started having access to the printing press, mass distribution because possible. While regular publishing started out as a means to distribute news, over the years, print media has evolved to include gossip, educational content, entertainment, and more.

Types of Print Media

Here are the most popular types of print media

Newspapers
Magazines
Direct Mail
- Letters, postcards and other mail items
Outdoor Advertising
- Banners on bridges
- Billboards
Brochures
- Where advertisers create colorful brochures and tell a story about their brand
Posters and flyers
- Where local companies use low-cost posters and flyers to let customers know about a business, product, or event.
Yellow Pages
Business Cards

Pros and Cons of Print Media

Newspaper Advertising Pros and Cons

Advantages of newspaper advertising include targeted advertising to a geographic segment. Smaller businesses can use newspaper advertising as an affordable way to communicate with a local audience. It also builds credibility for your audience as they trust the advertisers in the newspaper.

Cons of newspaper advertising include poor creative copy and short shelf life of just a day or at most a week. The best way to get around this drawback is to hire a freelancer to make a fantastic ad for you that will capture the reader’s attention.

When you are choosing to advertise in a newspaper you should consider these three criteria:

Distribution
Size
Audience

Paying attention to these things will ensure that you get the most ROI for your ad spending budget.

Magazine Advertising Pros and Cons

Pros of magazine advertising include advertising to a highly engaged audience with a specific interest. Most people who buy magazines purchase the magazine because they are interested in the topic that the magazine covers. If you are a gardening tool company, you have the option to advertise in gardening specific magazines. If you are a fashion retailer advertising in Glamour can make a positive impression on people who care about fashion and clothing. Another pro is that magazines tend to stay in people’s homes for a long time. There is a longer shelf life in a magazine for your ad than newspaper or digital advertising.

The main con of magazine advertising is the long lead times as it can impact the effectiveness of our ad if you are looking for instant results.

Print Media Advertising vs. Digital Media Advertising

The biggest strength of print advertising in relation to digital advertising is tangibility. Not only that, but print advertising offers a long-lasting message and high credibility.

The biggest strength of digital media advertising is that it offers real-time engagement and lower cost per impression.

Overall, newspapers and magazines are tangible items that sit on a table at a coffee shop or on a shelf at home or business. These physical items attract attention and stick around for a longer time.

If you are considering print media advertising in Kansas City to grow your business, contact us today to explore the options you have to reach a local audience.

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How To Use Print Ads To Build Awareness

June 18, 2019 admin Leave a comment

If you buy into the “print is dead” idea, how well the medium has held on might surprise you. Though businesses give digital marketing priority, it is not the only effective strategy. You can use print in combination with digital marketing. Print advertising in Kansas City is still going strong.

Print advertising in Kansas City

Because of its reputation as out-dated, many business owners and marketers are overlooking the power of print advertising in Kansas City. Print media has been a staple of advertising for hundreds of years. It has remained relevant throughout the rise or radio, television, and even the internet. And it will continue to be relevant because it can do things other media cannot.

Uses of Print Ads

Directly Talking to Your Audience

With print advertising, you can go where your audience already invests it’s time. If you have narrowed down your target audience, you can use publications unique to that market segment. This is an excellent way of getting the best bang for your buck, especially if you have a small budget. Do not use publications that target a large swathe of people. Only utilize print publications that appeal to your specific audience.

Talking about the Details

Print ads are a great way to talk about the details of your product or service. Explain how your solution is the answer to your customer’s problems. It is an excellent opportunity to have more sustained attention from your audience. Use the space to get their attention with the graphics, layout, and the words you use. If it works, they are one step closer to purchasing your product or service.

Tipping the Scales towards Action

Print advertising can build a desire for your product or service in your target audience. It can tip the scales towards action and lead your audience further into the sales funnel. Whether you are trying to raise brand awareness or sell a product or service, the print ad is a great opening act for the rest of your campaign.

Capitalizing on Existing Markets

Despite the salience of the internet, print publications still hold a lot of value. Advertising in respected publications can show your target audience that you are a trustworthy brand. You can tap into the publication’s market and gain legitimacy because of where you advertised.

Which publication you choose depends on where your target audience prefers to get their information. If your product or service is for scientists, a science magazine would be a great choice. If your product or service is for children, a parenting magazine might be an option. Though putting an ad for a hiking bag in a tech magazine might get you some sales, it is likely not a great return on your advertising investment. Not all people interested in technology are interested in hiking. But the same ad in an ecotourism magazine might perform much better.

Attention Grabbing

The digital landscape can get easily crowded and overwhelming. Many people ignore the ads on their screens out of habit. There are also browser extensions and tools designed to block ads on digital platforms. Depending on how the ad is being blocked, you might be paying for an ad that the potential customer can’t even see!

Print media advertising is less invasive, so it might not get ignored out of habit. Print ads must be handled before they can be thrown out, so you did have an impact on your audience. They likely skimmed it first and now have knowledge about your product or service. This seed can prove itself useful when your potential customer needs it.

Another benefit of print ads is their novelty. So many people focus on digital advertising that those that use print ads can stand out.

Capitalizing on how the brain works

There is a fundamental difference in how the brain processes print media advertising to digital advertising. The experience is entirely different as there is a physical quality to print ads that digital media can’t compare with. Research suggests that touching print ads elicits stronger emotional processing than digital ads. Stronger emotions mean it becomes a more salient part of our memory.

This creates more brand awareness and more associations in people’s memories with your brand. And because they personally handled your ad, it has a more personal effect than seeing it on a screen. This can lead to nudging your audience down the sales funnel and towards action.

We have already talked about how a good design can create brand awareness and grab attention. But the strategy you use in your ad campaign can also make a difference. People are naturally resistant to pushy sales tactics. Your readers will not respond to having your product or service shoved down their throat. A popular alternative is “storytelling” where the approach is to tell a story that your reader can connect with. This method reaches further into the hearts and minds of your audience than brute force sales tactics.

Using Print in Ad Campaigns

Digital marketing has not replaced all other forms of advertising. It has only created another tool in the marketer’s toolbox. So the idea that print is no longer relevant ignores the unique effects print media advertising can have on your audience. Unlike in the past, print ads might not be the majority of your ad campaign. But they should still part of any good marketing campaign. With planning and creativity, print ads can add quite a punch to any campaign.

Looking for print media advertising in Kansas City? Give us a call or email, and we can help plan a great advertising campaign targeted for your business. How have you used print media advertising in your marketing campaigns? What is your opinion on print media advertising? Tell us your story in the comments!

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Reasons Print Advertising Is Here to Stay

May 14, 2019 admin Leave a comment

When you are starting a business or you want to expand your existing one, most people will tell you that digital media and pay-per-click advertising is the way to go. While there is significant growth in connecting with customers via their computers, tablets, and smartphones, there is still a need for print media advertising in Kansas City.

Print media advertising has proven to be successful in most markets and industries. Specifically, print media advertising in Kansas City has shown to have a positive RIO and impact on brand awareness among the businesses that use it. From newspapers to trade journals, to magazines, print advertising is here to stay and here are a few reasons why you need to integrate them into your marketing plan and campaigns.

Print Media Advertising is Credible

When your ad is written in black and white and comes in a tangible, physical form, your brand seems legitimate in the eyes of your consumer. In areas like Kansas City, consumers are more trusting of information in the printed form. Print Media is still the most desirable avenue for journalists, large consumer brands, business-to-business organizations, and scientists. Why? Because there is credibility in print.

The credibility is there because many publications have painstakingly created a reputable brand and only publish content that their readers will enjoy and trust. These publications know that when a customer trusts a publication, they trust the advertising in it.

When you are looking for print media advertising in Kansas City, it is in your best interests to advertise in a place that consumers trust. It will help to build your brand’s credibility by piggybacking off of theirs.

Print Media Advertising is Targeted

In advertising, it is all about delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. Print media can help your business do that.

There are highly targeted and specific publications for almost everything. If you sell bicycle tires, there is a print publication for you to reach that niche. A similar principle applies when you are selling industrial furnaces. There are trade publications for commercial builders that you can advertise in. These people are looking for your message and by utilizing print advertising, you can help them find you.

There is no better way to target industry professionals and niche hobbyists than through print advertising. The people who purchase these publications are motivated and engaged buyers. Getting your message in front of them is a sure-fire way to grown sales and brand recognition.

People Who Read Print Are Focused on Your Message

People are exposed to print media advertising in Kansas City are reading your message with focus. Many times, people who read magazines or newspapers are doing so intentionally. This is in stark contrast to people who are browsing on their phones and just want to skim through the content or are bound to get distracted by a notification. People are inundated with digital activity, so when your customer picks up a print publication, they are not distracted the never-ending barrage of digital ads.

Your customer is focused on the page in front of them and your advertisement. They are not clicking between tabs on their browser. Because of this focus, your target audience has their full attention on your message and is better able to resonate with your brand.

Print Media Advertising Has Better Brand Recall

Science has proven that print media impacts our brain on a deeper level than digital advertising. Targeted print advertising has science on its side. A study done by Millward Brown revealed that “Physical materials produced more brain response connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads.”

What does that mean for you?

It proves that print media stimulates sight, smell, sound, and touch, unlike digital advertisements. This multi-sensory experience triggers many areas of the brain. These multi-sensory experiences create emotions that help to create a memorable experience. With a memorable experience, comes better ad and brand recall.

While digital ads can also have sight and sound, it is proven that the brain struggles with processing the information because it takes a significant amount of energy to handle.

Print Advertising Has Longevity

Leaving behind communications in the physical form has existed since humanity started writing. Even through revolutionary new advertising mediums like television and radio, print advertising has continued. This steadfast medium of advertising will continue to be around, and it will only become more credible and targeted.

Not only is print media steadfast, but people also keep large publications around for longer. Many people use magazines and trade publications as resources and for reference and keep them around for a long time. There is something about throwing away a magazine that feels like you are throwing away information. The aversion to throwing away trade journals means your advertisement will be viewed six months or even a year later by your target customer. Adding print advertising into your marketing mix you will ensure that your brand and its message is evergreen.

There are many mediums for advertising in this day and age and that is a good thing. You are better able to reach your customer at the right time and place. When you utilize print media advertising in Kansas City you will gain credibility, target the right niche audience, achieve better brand recognition among your customers, and ensure that your message stays around for longer than a pay-per-click ad.

With all these advantages, it is easy to see why print media is not going anywhere anytime soon. Print media has many advantages and stellar longevity, and you need to make sure that you add it to your marketing mix to achieve the best results!

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How Can You Market Your Small Business With Print Marketing?

April 22, 2019 admin Leave a comment

As a small business owner, you are always looking for cost-effective ways to communicate with your target audience. According to recent research by TrueImpact, if you are looking for better brand recall among your customers, you may want to consider print marketing. This may be counter to all the advice you hear that says digital marketing is the future, but print marketing isn’t dead! Hundreds of companies across the country have noticed that print media is actually an affordable small business advertising option. To be competitive in the market place you need to consider adding it to your marketing mix in order to boost your bottom line. If you don’t know where to start, we have five affordable small business advertising that you can easily implement today.

1. Update Your Business Card
Your business card speaks volumes about you and is your first impression. Business cards may seem like ‘old school’ business tools, but they are still the most important way to communicate with the people you meet. Almost everyone will ask you for a business card in a professional setting, and if you don’t have one, you seem unprepared. Here are some ways that you can easily upgrade your business card to create a positive, professional first impression.

- Incorporate your brand identity
  - You should already have a brand identity with style guidelines like brand colors and fonts. Ensuring that your business card applies those style guides is will ensure that your customer gets a consistent experience when every they interact with your brand
- Use heavy cardstock
  - Using have cardstock on your business card will impress the people that you meet and leave a lasting impression. It may be tempting to go with a cheap paper but using easily bent paper will make you and your brand look cheap. You don’t have to splurge on the most expensive paper but avoiding the cheap stuff will do your brand good.
- Add your social media profiles or icons
  - Let the people that you meet know where to find you online. You should add your social media handles and hashtag that your business uses to physical interactions into online traffic.

2. Try Out Newspaper Advertising
When people think about affordable small business advertising, they rarely think about newspaper advertising. Even if you think that advertising in the paper is expensive, you may be surprised to hear that it can provide significant ROI. To get newspaper ads to work for your business, make sure that you choose a publication that your target market reads. If you are advertising to an older population in a small town, you may notice that you get a significant amount of leads for running an advertisement with excellent creative. Be sure to include your website, phone number, and a strong call-to-action in all your newspaper advertisements to make sure that your ad spend translates into sales.

3. Consider Information Pamphlets
The best aspect of print advertising is that you can provide a lot of information in a small amount of space. If you are a business to business company, consider creating a guide with the pain-points that you solve for your customers. The nice thing about guides is that you can include stunning visuals to aid in strengthening your brand and story. Consider your guide as a useful tool for your customers to use to solve a problem they have. If they feel like your company is knowledgeable about the problem and can provide a solution, you will see leads and sales coming through the door. If you sell B2C, you can consider creating a pamphlet to send using direct mail. Use your pamphlet as a way to generate instant sales by including a strong call to action and a discount.

4. Utilize Magazines
The key to magazine advertising is to use an effective ad in a highly targeted publication. The reach that magazines have is typically higher and more targeted to a niche than any other form of traditional advertising. The other advantage of a magazine is that people rarely throw magazines away, so your advertisement continues to be evergreen months or years after the magazine is sold. If you have a highly visual brand, magazines are a great way to tell your brand story and improve brand recall. Make sure that you are utilizing high-resolution photographs in order to stop the reader immediately.

5. Send Your Customers Postcards
It is so much easier to retain a customer than to acquire a new one. After your customer has purchased your product or used your service follow up with a series of postcards to keep your business top of mind. As with your business cards, make sure that your postcards use your brand guidelines. Don’t be afraid to personalize your postcard with your customer’s first name and by adding your signature. There are several services that will print postcards with a realistic signature at the bottom. If you are looking for repeat business use a discount code or a free gift with purchase offer to keep your best customers coming back.

In this digital age, traditional advertising is being ignored by many small business owners. Now that you know what type of affordable small business advertising options are available to you, you can use this knowledge to create the perfect mix online and offline advertising to bring your business to new heights!

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