Newspaper Advertising guide: how to get started today by FitSmallBusiness.com

IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?

If you talk to a sales representative from a radio station or TV channel, they will tell you that print newspapers are dead. But that is not the case, tens of millions of people still read the newspaper every day.

This is the Average Daily Circulation (M-F) of Major Daily Local News Papers: Denver Post - 213,800 Houston Chronicle - 231,200 San Diego Union-Tribune - 192,000 Philadelphia Inquirer - 184,800

Your local newspaper might not be as popular as these papers, but the paper is probably read by tens of thousands of people every day.

FIRST QUESTIONS

Is your target middle aged or seniors? Newspapers tend to be read by those over 35 years of age. Over 66% of adults have read a print news paper during the last week. Who should use newspaper advertising? (Find out more here)

Does a large portion of your traffic come from mega sales? A newspaper can get the message out to a large number of potential customers in a small amount of time. Who should use news paper advertising?

Is couponing an important component of your business? Newspapers are the perfect medium for coupons, since the act of tearing out a coupon, increases the probability of readers coming into your stores. Who should use news paper advertising?

How frequently should you run and what size newspaper ads should you use?

With a larger size more people will notice your ad. These are percentages that show how many people remember seeing your ad:

Full Page 42% Three Quarter Page 38% Half Page 34% Quarter Page 26% One Eighth Page 23% (Find out more here)

The price goes according to the size and the number of the page. 1/8th of a page provides enough space for the ad to have a big headline, a couple of sentences of text, and a coupon or photo.

The variety of sizes enables you to stretch your budget farther and run with a greater frequency. You should run ads at least once per week. (Learn How big you need to run here)

Newspaper Advertising Location, Placement & Timing

There are serveral choices, You can buy run of paper or specific sections. The most read section is the main news (at 80% of readership) followed by the local news section (at 75% of readership) and sports section ( at 55% of readership).

If your product or service has a broad appeal, we suggest that you advertise on the local section since you emphasize that you are part of the community. But for example, a paper may have a health section and, if you are a dentist this will be your best choise.

Where do you want to appear? 1.Above the fold (top half of the page) 2.On the right hand page, right hand side is even better. 3.Next to an article; not surrounded by other ads. Points 1 and 2 will help your ad be seen by readers flipping through the paper. Point 3 will keep readers eyes near your ad.

Which day of the week should your ad appear? Monday & Tuesday: Your ad can be noticed but circulation can be low. Wednesday & Thursday: This is when people plan shopping trips, a good day for grocery stores. Friday & Saturday: Goo days for restaurants and entertainments. Sunday: Day with the highest circulation and most ads.

How much does Newspaper advertising COST?

Newspapers have rate cards which will tell you how much advertising will cost. Here is a great article which shows you How To Read A Rate Card.

Here are the components that determine the cost: Circulation of Paper: Newspapers should provide you audited circulation numbers from The Alliance of Audited Media.

Size Of Ad: A full page equals 1, a half page 0.5, an eighth page 0.125, etc. Cost Per Thousand: A full page may cost $100 per thousand readers.

(Circulation of Paper) x (Sized Of Ad) x (CPM) = Cost Per Running on Ad For example, lets run a 1/4 of page in The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. The paper has a circulation of 31,000. 31 x 0.25 x $100 = $775

Newspapers often have introductory rates for the new advertiser. Also newspapers may offer you discounts ranging from 10 to 30% depending on the number of months you want to advertise with them. Discounts and Extras

Creating The Newspaper AD

Writing the Copy

The most important element of your ad is the headline! Those 3 to 8 words have to get the interest of people. You can get great help here and here.

When writing your ads you should do the following: 1. Look at ads from competitors. 2. Get suggestions from your newspaper account executive. 3. Brainstorm ideas with your employees and customers.

Producing Your Ad

Newspapers will have ad builder programs which can create a professional looking ad based on detailed instructions. So you need to be very clear with the instructions you provide them. (For more information about this click here)

You dont need a production department of a news paper to create the ad. But you will need to find a professional designer who you can give feedback and make changes to thead. Creatingagoodlookingadvertisement shouldcostaround$150to$500

You should always request the proof for a newspaper or magazine advertisement. A proof will show you exactly how the ad will look in the publication. So if there is anything wrong you can fix it with them before the ad is published. Requesting and approving the proof (For more click here)

And Finally...

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www.FitsmallBusiness.com (Click the link)

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