How long has it been since you ran a print advertisement in a trade magazine? For most of you reading this article, it’s probably been a long time. I know most of my clients have turned to the Internet of Things to gain traction for their companies. Shouldn’t we revisit how print ads can work for your company?
Print ads are targeted
On the Internet, you are just a digital footprint across many search engine platforms. But when you use a print advertisement, you may be seeing fewer eyeballs, but they are very targeted assuming you are advertising in the right magazine or journal. I don’t know about you but I would rather have 5,000 very targeted people viewing my ad than having 1 million eyeballs just scrolling on the page and perhaps bypassing my message.
Print ads help you tell a story
If you take a full-page ad in a trade magazine, approximately 8 x 10 size, you have a lot more space to tell your story. With online advertising, about all you get is a headline and an image. With print advertising, you can develop your storyline and get to the meat of the problem that your product solves. I don’t mean being copy intensive. I mean you can tell a story with images, as well. Reading an ad in print allows the readers to comprehend and read more because it takes more time to read on paper versus reading online. Most online readers will skim. But, reading on paper, allows the reader to take in more information on a deeper level.
Print ads are a great way to add a call to action
Yes, I know you can add a call to action such as “click here” or “learn more” or something like that to get people to take action from your online ad, but on a print advertisement you can actually make an offer, show a picture of what you’re offering and give an explanation of why you are making the offer. Yes, you can add this information on to a landing page on the Internet; however, that’s one more step your audience has to take to get the information.
Print ads need repetition
Unfortunately, print advertising may involve higher costs and the need to get in front of that targeted audience over and over again. So, you do need to budget a bit more money for your advertising. Be sure to add in any graphic design costs, as well as the advertising rate costs. Some magazines with a smaller circulation may be able to negotiate a higher ad rate to save you some money. In addition to all of the pros of print advertising, there are a few cons. Whereas with an online ad, you can keep your banner ad up for say, a few weeks or so on a particular webpage. With print advertising, the person needs to pick up the magazine and read it, and how many times will they flip to see your print ad is the question. The other question is when will they see your advertisement. I know some people who stack their magazines in their office and then read the journals several weeks later. So, you may not get instant gratification or feedback from the readers.
Will a younger audience look at your print ads?
I really can’t answer that question. We all assume that since the millennials were born and raised on digital technology they don’t read magazines or newspapers anymore. That’s probably a correct assessment. However, there are always exceptions to the rules. Now that magazines have mostly gone digital you can still have your full-page print ad but now it is online instead of as a physical copy. However, I do think that print is gaining appeal with some audiences. As people learn to unplug from their digital devices, reading print can actually be relaxing and informative.
Safe and non-intrusive
Another advantage of print advertising is that it is safe. You don’t have to worry about downloading a virus or spyware when reading a print advertisement. You also don’t need to log in to a site or fill out your name or other personal information to access the print magazine. Those in the more mature generation appreciate that feature immensely.
The moral of the story…
I think the moral of the story is that each media (digital and print) have their place in your marketing mix. But the real answer is, it depends on your audience, your product, and whom you are targeting.
If you would like more information about creating successful print advertising campaigns, download my FREE resource, How to Develop Compelling Ads. Click the image below for immediate access.
To your marketing success,
Sheila
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