There was a time when a business would frequently, reflexively, and even automatically advertise in a newspaper. Most newspapers got their start two or so centuries ago as vehicles for commercial notices -- before the "news" and "opinion" matter got going. But in the 21st century, I'm convinced that newsprint and small business are incompatible. I can say this as an old newspaper guy, one who saw the practical consequences to advertisers.
First, newspapers are broad-spectrum tools by nature, and there's no real way to target one's ads. And believe me, placement of an ad is not going to happen---the newspaper picks the page. And it may be a poor position! Second, ads get lost. The small business ads are almost always lumped together in one place, making it a chore to differentiate -- something harder to do when one has one color (black) to work with. And third, readership has declined significantly in the past three decades, a trend that is accelerating. I'm of the view that newspapers are essentially in the same position as a yellow pages for a small business. Finally, ads only work at all if they are repeated in the same position, a very expensive proposition indeed.
When crafting your marketing plan, I recommend leaving newsprint out. There are more effective ways to spend your limited marketing dollars.
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