Print Media Advertising Basics for Small Business Startups

Every business owner who wants to succeed needs to understand how to develop his print media advertising effectively. If you’re new to print media, or if you’re curious about getting back into it, here’s how to use it in the new age.

Newspapers

Newspapers are the staple print media product, but most people don’t know how to use it effectively. It requires a bit of practice to put together a winning ad because the lifespan of a newspaper ad is so short.

Newspapers can include local, regional, and national publications which target different readerships or have a wide readership in the case of general population newspapers.

The best thing about this print avenue is that there is a lot of support out there for designing the ad, much of it free or low cost. You can also afford to run multiple ads during the month, which tends to be cost-prohibitive with other types of print, like magazines.

The best way to make use of newspaper ads is to publish “advertorials.” These are ads that look like, or appear to be, news items or stories. By publishing real content in a newspaper, you pick up readership that is motivated to listen and act on what you’re saying. If you use a photograph, with a caption, you can really make it look like it blends in and fits with the style and feel of the paper.

Ads that tend to do poorly are either ads that look like ads or ads where there is no compelling content, just a bullish sales pitch.

Magazines

Magazines are a unique advertising medium because they offer you several key benefits over newspapers. While they’re more expensive to run in (usually), you can:

• Use color photos.
• Target audiences better.
• Format your article even more like a story rather than an ad.

Another great thing about magazines is that they have a longer lifespan than newspapers. Usually a newspaper lasts but a few days before being thrown in the trash. A magazine lasts for months, sometimes years before it’s tossed.

Postcards

Postcards are another great piece of printed material. They’re cheap and effective. They can also be printed in-house. In fact, it’s one of the few kinds of print media that doesn’t require expensive inks, paper, or fancy distribution.

You just print up a basic postcard and mail it at the discounted postcard rate. Postcards are great for advertising specials and promotions, but they can also be used to advertise anything – from a new newsletter to a special report you want people have about a new product, a whitepaper, or even something as simple as a new blog post.

Billboards and Posters

Billboards and posters aren’t dead. In fact, these advertisement channels are a great supplement to postcards (especially if you’re saturating an area), T.V. ads, and radio spots.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is still the grandaddy of print media. It’s probably the most effective form of advertising if you need a lot of space to tell your story. Direct mail has gotten expensive over the years, but the response rates are as good as ever. And, once you find a winning piece, you can keep mailing it practically forever.

John Sollars is the owner of Stinkyink.com, from its startup in 2002 to its standing as a top notch printer cartridge supplier in the UK. On the way he’s picked up a wealth of printer knowledge that is invaluable for cutting printing costs.

Image Source: News papers stand