The rumor in the media world is that newspapers are a dying breed. While arguments can be made either way, the newspaper and magazine industry has been the backbone of small business advertising for years. Television and radio ads are often pricey and can eat up a small business advertising budget.
So, can a business still run an effective print advertising campaign? Yes, if done correctly.
I’ve worked with print advertising (newspaper and magazines) for quite a few years now as a designer, and more recently as a sales representative. From my perspective, all advertising breaks down into three basic purposes. These categories are applicable to print advertising as well as online advertising….
- To inform – This type of advertising is primarily used for events, such as cancer walks, fundraisers, and concerts. The advertiser’s goal is to let as many people as possible know about the event.
- To sell a product / service – This ad will talk about a product / service and why you need that product. This is probably the most popular form of advertising.
- To build name recognition – These ads generally don’t include specifics, such as pricing. Their purpose is to let people know about the business and contact information. How does name recognition work? When a pipe bursts in the middle of the night, Joe Plumber gets the call because his ad has been in the local newspaper for the past three months, and his name immediately comes to the homeowner’s mind.
The next burning question is what should your advertising purpose be?
If your business is new, concentrate on name recognition. You want people to know that you exist. Mix in some product / service advertising to draw more customers.
If you are well established in the area, go for a product / service ad. In my rural area, everyone knows who the hometown jeweler is, who the pharmacy is, who the florist is, who the car dealer is. The name is recognized, but that doesn’t mean potential customers are beating down the doors. Highlight products for sale. People are impulsive. They see, they want, they buy. They need to see your product in your ad as much as possible so when they need it, they go to you.
Next week we’ll look at what other information should be included in the ad depending on the ads purpose.
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