Download Newspaper Advertising Tips

Newspaper Advertising Tips
Product ad tips
Concentrate your product ad dollars in large ads rather than in frequent ones. Develop a punchy
headline and include snappy illustrations or photos. Include sell copy for the serious potential
buyer. And don’t forget to tell prospects where they can purchase your product.
Service ad tips
Run service ads where prospective customers will typically see them. The service directory of the
local newspaper is usually an appropriate spot. Service ads need to clearly state the nature of the
service offered. A great headline isn’t necessary because the prospect is generally already
interested in obtaining the type of service you are offering. But you do need to convey a powerful
competitive message through your ad. This advantage can take the form of a free trial, new
customer offer, special bonus, or free estimate. If your competitors advertise on any particularly
strong points that have great consumer appeal, match those points. And highlight a unique
reason for clients to call on you first. Some service seekers call every service provider for quotes,
some call two or three, and some call one. Make sure yours is the first call made.
Magazine Advertising Tips
Most entrepreneurs find it worthwhile to explore the possibility of magazine advertising.
The upside of magazine advertising can be summed up in one word: Image. While some
advertising mediums (e.g. direct mail and newspapers) limit your ability to utilize highquality images to sell your product, with magazines the sky is the limit.
Magazines allow for more complex layouts than newspapers and other more basic print
alternatives. Even more, they provide you with the ability to showcase your product in a fullcolor, glossy format. This gives your product a more polished feel and boosts your company's
credibility in the eyes of consumers.
Another frequently overlooked upside of magazine advertising is that unlike other advertising
mediums, magazines make it easy for you to target specific market demographics. Most
magazines have a very specific readership based on factors such as interests, age, and
gender. By leveraging readership demographics, you instantly ensure that your message is
being seen by the right people - the ones most likely to buy your product.
The biggest downside of magazine advertising is - you guessed it - cost. Magazine ads are
significantly more expensive than print ads in newspapers. However, smaller businesses can
control costs by specifying the size of the ad. Most magazines offer space ranging from a fullpage ad down to a quarter-page ad or smaller. But even so, dollar for dollar your costs will be
higher, primarily because it is more expensive to print in a full-color, glossy format.
Some other factors to consider are ad frequency and production lead time. The lead time to
place an ad in your local newspaper is usually no more than a few days. Magazines, on the
other hand, often require a lead time anywhere from 1-6 months. And once the ad is in place,
it will only appear once a month compared to a newspaper where it can appear every single
day.
You can save money if you know in advance how many times you want your ad to appear in a
given magazine. The more ads you place, the less expensive each ad will be.
Television Advertising Tips
When pricing a television commercial, you need to weigh the costs of two separate things: (1)
the cost of producing the commercial, and (2) the cost of airing it.
It has been estimated that the average cost of producing a 30-second national TV commercial
is nearly $350,000. But before you panic, understand that like any other form of advertising, a
television commercial can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Not
surprisingly, the cost to produce the commercial goes up as the quality and complexity of the
commercial increases.
Small- to medium-sized businesses cannot afford to invest $350,000 in a single commercial.
But, decent quality TV commercials can be produced for as little as $1,000 if you know where
to look. The best place to start is with freelancers or small production agencies.
A word to the wise: Some local television stations may offer to produce a commercial for you
at a highly discounted (or even free) rate if you agree to advertise on their station. Don't do it!
The quality of these commercials is usually very poor compared to those that are
professionally produced. A poorly produced commercial can have a highly detrimental effect
on your television advertising campaign's effectiveness and may leave viewers with the idea
that your company is cheap, cheesy, and out of touch.
The second cost involved in television advertising is the price you will pay to run your
commercial. Commercial time is sold in 30-second spot blocks. The cost of a 30-second spot
varies according to the number of viewers expected to be watching it.
The standard half-hour of television contains 22 minutes of program and 8 minutes of
commercials - 6 minutes for national advertising and 2 minutes for local. National advertising
is obviously your most expensive option, but even then the rates vary by Nielsen-rated
viewership. Highly-watched programs can command rates in the millions of dollars. For
example, a 30-second spot during the 2005 Superbowl sold for $2.4 million. Commercials
during less-watched programs are more affordable, but the cost of those commercials may still
run in excess of $100,000 per 30-seconds.
Most small- to medium-sized business owners find that local advertising fits better with their
budgets and marketing goals. A 30-second time slot in a medium-sized market can be
purchased for as little as $5 per 1,000 viewers, meaning that you could easily expect to pay
less than $100 per commercial slot. Even cheaper rates may be available for off-hour
programming.
The best advice is to avoid surprises by checking out how much it will cost to air your
commercial locally before you shell out the money to have it produced.
Web Page Advertising Tips
The easiest way to start advertising on the web is to open an account with one of the popular
search engine companies, like Google or Yahoo. They make it easy for you to create ads that
will be displayed when their users search for a phrase that is relevant to your business.
Ingeniously, they also have now partnered with websites across the web to get your
advertising visible, not just in the search engine results but on web pages everywhere that
touch on what you sell.
It's a very effective way to advertise because you don't have to negotiate with hundreds of
website owners.
How to Advertise on the Web
When choosing an internet advertising format, keep in mind that exposure is key.
While click-through rate may not be as high in some instances, getting your message across
to the maximum number of relevant consumers can result in an enhanced bottom line for your
company.