You want to be able to advertise your business effectively, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about using print ads to promote your business.
The Advantages Of Print Advertising
Even if you decide that online advertising is the way to go, there are still plenty of advantages to using print ads to promote your business. Let’s take a look.
- Easy To Understand
- Highly Relevant To Your Target Audience
- Matching The Demographics Of Your Buyer Personas
- Great For Brand Awareness
- Less Cost-Efficient
There are certain benefits to using printed ads that aren’t found online. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Traditional
One of the major advantages of print ads is that they’ve been around for centuries. Back in the day, people would buy newspaper ads to promote their business. These ads would be placed strategically in the paper to reach the biggest audience. Although the method may have changed, the objective remains the same.
It’s always great when an ad works, but it’s even better when it comes directly from the advertiser. As a marketer, this is known as “brand awareness”. When a consumer sees your print ad, they’re immediately thinking about your brand. That means you. This is why matching the colors, layout, and even paper of your print ad to your website’s design is so important. If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your print ads, you need to hire a graphic designer to help you.
Cost-Effective
Another significant advantage of print ads is that they’re often less expensive than their digital counterparts. This can be a major savings if you’re running a tight budget. You’re getting the same amount of exposure, but without the huge pay-per-click bill that comes with ads on social media sites.
Many companies have jumped on the online advertising bandwagon, but have been hesitant to invest in traditional print ads. This is starting to change as the benefits of digital ads become more clear. If you want to get your ads in front of the right people, then print is still your best bet. It would be wise to invest in a series of print ads before making any serious digital marketing decisions.
Targeted
The last major advantage of print ads is that they can be extremely targeted. This is crucial if you’re looking to drive sales or capture leads. You can put your ad in the local newspaper, but it will only reach a small audience. If you want to be seen by the right people, then you need to put your ad in a magazine that focuses on your niche.
There are numerous publications and websites that you can target with your ad, depending on what makes you unique. If you’re not sure which ones would be right for you, then consult with your marketer or brand manager to find the best options.
How Do I Place An Ad In A Magalog?
Now that you’re equipped with the major advantages of print ads, let’s dive into how you can get the ball rolling on your marketing plan using magazines. You’ll need to decide which ones you want to target and how much you’re willing to spend. Once you have that established, the rest is pretty easy.
To get started, simply contact the magazine’s advertising department and ask if they have an advertiser’s representative that you can work with. Once you have that approved, you can start pitching your ideas to the editor for possible publication. Remember to keep things realistic and measurable. If they agreed to run your ad, then great! You can now start creating the piece.
What Type Of Ad Should I Place?
Depending on your brand and what you’re trying to achieve, you may want to consider adapting your ad copy to suit the publication. One of the most effective and least expensive ways to improve your conversion rate is through effective ad copy. The ad copy you write will determine how your ad is interpreted by the viewer. Always keep the end-user in mind when writing your ad copy, especially if you’re running an ad for recreational use. This is where user experience testing and user behavior science can help you pinpoint what works and what doesn’t.
Knowing what to put in your ad is only the beginning. You also need to consider where you’ll place it and how much you’ll pay to do so. Keep the ad’s goal in mind and work your way back from there.
Where Should I Place My Ad?
The answer to this question will depend on you, your target audience, and how much you’re willing to spend. There are four basic places that you can put an ad:
- In The Newspaper
- On A Web Site
- In An E-zine Or Blog
- Shopping Cards / Display Ads
If you’re running your ad in print media, then you’ll need to decide which publication your target audience matches most closely. You can narrow this down by considering the size of your audience and where they live. If you don’t have a clear picture in mind, then use online tools like Google Trends to find your demographics.
You’ll then want to find a publication that covers your niche. Consider the type of content found on the publication’s website and whether or not this is the type of content that you and your target audience find interesting. Once you’ve found the right publication, go ahead and contact the advertising department and get published!
How Much Should I Spend On My Ad?
This is an often-debated topic among marketers. Some prefer to spend as little as possible, while others believe you can’t put a price on brand awareness and gaining new customers.
Ultimately, you’ll need to consider how much you’re willing to spend and how important brand awareness is to your overall marketing strategy. If you’re not sure, then ask your marketing manager or general manager for help. They’ll be able to give you an idea of what’s reasonable based on your industry and your budget.
You’ll then want to determine how much you’re willing to spend to gain a specific number of leads or sales. This is known as the ‘cost per acquisition’ (CPA). Once you have this figure, you can start creating ad campaigns that are both measurable and profitable. For example, you may want to try and spend $5 to gain 1000 leads. Create a lead capture form or landing page where you can capture the information of these leads and get started building a relationship. As a general rule of thumb, if you can get a return on your investment in advertising within a month, then it’s usually a smart move. Ideally, you’ll want to see a return on investment in 24-48 hours. This is commonly known as ‘Brand Awareness’.
If you’re worried about how much you’re spending, then consider these pros and cons:
- Pro – You’re getting the exposure you need, when you need it, to make an impact
- Con – If you’re spending a lot of money, then it may not be the best idea
- Pro – You’re reaching a highly-targeted audience that has a higher chance of becoming buyers
- Con – The more you spend, the higher the chance of ruining your budget
Overall, it’s a smart move to invest in brand awareness in any form. The key is in how you plan on measuring and tracking this performance. If you don’t have the time to keep up with all of this yourself, then hire a digital marketing agency to help you with this process.