Last updated on March 3rd, 2022 at 10:25 am
While newspaper advertising seems like an old concept, it still has many benefits. If you’re a business owner, you can target a specific audience through a newspaper ad. Depending on your products and services, you’ll choose a specific section in the newspaper to post your ad. For example, if you’re in the real estate business, you’d typically post your ad in the classifieds; if you’re selling sporting equipment, you’d post in the sports section, and so on.
Newspapers can give your brand proper exposure, but they won’t be as effective as other advertising platforms like social media, TV, and radio. However, broadening your advertising scope can be just as beneficial to your business if done properly. Let’s take a look at how you can use newspapers to promote your company.
How to Choose the Right Newspaper
Newspaper advertising is not a cheap marketing option, especially if you choose national newspapers. They don’t target a specific market niche or audience because they’re distributed all over the country. This approach could be useful if you own a big company and want to promote your products nationwide, but it comes at a high cost. For a small-scale business, focusing on local newspapers is the most sensible option.
There are a lot of newspapers available at different sizes and readability grades. Ideally, you’ll find a publication for your marketing campaign that can reach your target audience with minimal waste circulation. Advertising expenses depend on circulation. A major newspaper may have millions of readers, but most of them may not be interested in your services present in another city. If you post an advert in this newspaper, you’ll be spending a lot of money without reaching your target audience. However, this doesn’t mean you have to exclude major newspapers. You should study the readership breakdown to determine whether advertising in a big newspaper is worth the money.
Let’s clarify this situation with an example: if you have to decide between a nationwide and local newspaper, the local one has smaller waste circulation, but a major portion of your target audience reads the nationwide newspaper. Of course, you’ll have to pay for wasted circulation to reach those people but it’s worth it because they’re more likely to get involved with your brand. You can reach more people via a national paper compared to the local one even though the latter has the least waste. In any case, you still have to find a publication within your budget to run a consistent marketing campaign.
Newspaper Advertising Costs
The advertising costs depend mainly on the size and placement of your ad. Typically, you’d first ask about the newspaper’s rate per inch or column before deciding on your ad size. There are two pricing categories: modular and per column inch. Modular pricing is when a newspaper charges you based on a set shape or size in different sections like a quarter page, half page, or full page. The second category is when a paper charges you per column inch, 1 column wide by 1 inch high. The higher your ad size is, the pricier it gets. For example, if a paper’s rate per column inch is $10, a two-column, ten-inch-long ad would cost $200. Both these methods are practically similar, but most publications prefer using modular pricing because it’s easier and clearer for advertisers.
Apart from size and placement, there are other factors contributing to newspaper advertising costs. A national newspaper is pricier than a local one. If a newspaper has high circulation, your ad will be more expensive. Circulation is different from readership numbers, which merely refer to the possibility of multiple people reading the same paper. Some publications include readership in their rate instead of circulation but most newspapers charge based on circulation. If your ad is in color or if you run it multiple times or on Sundays, it will cost more. Some publications offer a discount if you’re a new advertiser, featuring in a low season, or advertising multiple times.
How to Create an Effective Advert
To run an effective ad, you must weigh the expenses against the expected return on investment. A colored ad can grab a reader’s attention much more than an ad in black and white. The number of colors included also affects the price range. For example, a two-color ad is cheaper than a four-color ad, but the latter is more likely to draw the reader’s eye.
Any good advert has to contain sufficient information about the product or service it’s promoting. It’s better to include an illustration or photograph of your product. A visual aid is effective in getting potential customers involved in your brand. If you are advertising a service, add a photo of people using that service.
Contrary to popular belief, ad placement is not solely based on whether your ad is located at the top or bottom of a page. If you incorporate attention-grabbing elements in your ad, it doesn’t matter where it’s placed. This may come as a surprise because almost all newspapers charge a higher rate to advertise on certain pages. However, ads in the middle sections may be less likely to catch the reader’s eye. These ads are mostly overlooked as readers usually notice the first and last ads only.
Your ad’s size, placement, or color may be efficient in engaging readers at the first glance, but without proper content, they won’t do much good. The ad’s content should be clear and concise to give the reader all the information they need about your product or service. Avoid crowding your ad with too many details because it could turn away readers. Add your contact information or a call to action by referring them to a website, for instance, to have a chance to win a discount coupon. This way, you can ensure you gain the maximum benefit from your ad.
When it comes to newspaper advertising, there are plenty of options. Undoubtedly, it’s still an effective method to reach new clients. Before choosing the right publication, you must set a budget and then examine what each newspaper offers in terms of readability and circulation to determine which one is the most beneficial to your business.
