Is Print Advertising Still Effective?

We’ve all heard it before—print advertising is no longer relevant, so prepare your small business for the future by embracing the new digital medium. This may be true in some markets, but research shows that print advertising can be very effective—even more effective than digital advertising in many cases. So how can you decide if your company should invest in a print advertising campaign or stick with a digital-focused plan? Check out the following three considerations to help you decide which side of the fence you need to occupy.

Customer Reach

If you’re shooting for a high number of impressions or views, print may not be the advertising medium of choice for your small business. When you break down the numbers, it’s easy to see how digital marketing has the potential to reach a far greater number of people than print, if only because anyone from any country of the world can access an advertisement online at any moment, but circulation prevents that from happening with print. However, though a digital advertising campaign can reach more people, a print campaign can better target an audience that cares about the subject matter of your ad. If you’re a local business who operates specifically in Cedar City, Utah, for example, there’s no reason for you to spend money trying to capture impressions from Australia. Print advertising allows you to hone in on the customers that matter most to your small business.

Connect to the Customers You’re Familiar With

No one is more familiar with your customers than you are. For small businesses, knowing the target market and how to appeal to the interests of the target market is a valuable piece of information that needs to be taken advantage of. Advertising experts argue that while digital campaigns can reach a greater number of eyeballs, print is easier to personalize and customize to meet the needs of the consumer. Print may not always be the best route, but if you’re operating in a market that features an older group of customers that rely heavily on newspapers, magazines, and phone books when making consumer decisions, you absolutely need a presence in print. In addition print ads, unlike digital ads, normally contain less clutter to wade through, allowing customers to easily see an ad and take action without it disappearing into oblivion. Print ads are tangible, which increases the probability of potential customers taking a closer look.

Interesting Print Ad Statistics

• 78% of customers that use print Yellow Pages actually made a purchase and 35% of those customers were brand new customers
• On average, potential customers look at 5.5 ads when browsing the Yellow Pages
• 75% of consumers refer to the print edition of Yellow Pages every single year
• The print Yellow Pages is looked at more than 12 billion times per year, which equates to more than 32 million views per day

Conclusion

When deciding on a medium for your advertising efforts it’s important to consider the number of people you want to reach, the needs of your customer base, and which campaign is more likely to convert. Though digital ads can be more cost-effective and reach more customers, print advertising is a tried-and-tested formula that brings in leads and can contribute to the bottom line of your small business. If you’d like more information on print advertising, check out The Local Book.