Although marketing professionals are well-versed in the world of digital and print advertising, many tend to rule out print advertising as a viable option because it's not as easily tracked and is more expensive than digital.
However, advertising in publications like magazines and newspapers can be an effective method for tapping into a new or local audience because you can get hyper-targeted based on the demographics and geography of the readers of each publication.
And with a little extra work at the outset, measuring print advertising success is much easier than you might think.
Why Advertise In Print?
We'd be lying if we said that print is a marketing channel that is on the rise - however, it’s a common misconception that “print is dead.”
While it may not be the most popular channel for advertising in today's culture, print still has its benefits.
From higher engagement rates as compared to digital channels to the heightened trust factor that readers experience when consuming printed content - print advertising is still a crucial tactic to consider when looking to reach and engage your audience to drive the most impact with your campaigns.
Want to expand your reach by testing print advertising or find the print options that work best for your organization?
Follow the handy tips outlined below.
Print Advertising Tips To Follow:
1. Find Publications That Fit The Profile Of Your Target Customer
Similar to how different marketing campaigns might target different personas, publications have their ideal “reader,” too.
There is plenty of variation in readership across publications, and it’s your job to play "matchmaker" between what potential customers are reading and how likely they are to buy your product if they see your ad.
Interest-based or industry-based publications, such as Cigar Aficionado or Architectural Digest, have a narrow scope based on a highly specific market.
Other publications have a clear gender or age breakdown--think Cosmopolitan, Allure, Men’s Health, and AARP Magazine.
You can also advertise in a magazine or newspaper with a geographically targeted audience, such as the Roodepoort Times.
Consider what types of publications your customer is reading based on their interests, demographics, and location, and compare different options based on your audience personas and price points.
The publications you are interested in will most likely have a media kit available on their website or through a company representative. Often, you can purchase ads in a few different issues of a publication at a reduced rate per ad.
2. Provide Value Within The Context Of Your Print Campaigns
Value can be defined in a few different ways, such as educating the consumer about your product or providing monetary value. Specifically, retail establishments can benefit from including coupons in their print ads.
A study by RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Company concluded that 96% of Americans use coupons, and this behaviour is not limited to a specific age group, gender, or location.
Best of all, coupons offer a tangible incentive for consumers to take action: according to recent research performed by Valassis, 91% of people prefer to use paper coupons.
And in the 2018 Inmar Shopper Behavior Study, 83 percent of survey respondents reported that coupons influenced their purchasing behaviour, including driving them to a particular brand, encouraging them to buy more than intended, or inspiring them to buy sooner than planned.
If consumers see your print ad and think they are getting a deal, they are more likely to respond positively.
3. Have A Single, Unified Message
When you’re paying that much for space in a print publication, it can be tempting to cram as much information as you can into the ad.
Resist the urge!
Effective print ads typically have one, highly specific purpose that can be communicated through a single image and brief text.
That purpose might be driving brand awareness, informing consumers about a newly launched product line, or reaching a new audience segment.
Regardless, the print ad should be short, snappy, and memorable.
In 1997, Apple launched its famous “Think Different” campaign, a series of TV commercials and print advertisements that was partially inspired as a response to IBM’s “Think” campaign.
Apple’s print advertising featured a single photograph of a prominent historical or pop culture figure, the words “Think Different,” and the Apple logo in a rainbow pattern.
There was no specific mention of Apple products, but the connotation of the ad was that Apple is an innovative company that stands apart from others. In turn, consumers who use Apple products could also associate themselves as innovators.
More than 20 years later, companies and marketing agencies recognize the “Think Different” campaign as one of the most effective in advertising history.
4. Use High-Quality Images And Minimal Text
Along the same lines as choosing a “single message,” simplify the design of the print ad as much as possible. Use white space where you can, choose your colours wisely, and always stick with a bold, clear font.
The old adage “show, don’t tell” applies to print ads because most readers will glance at an ad very briefly without studying the details.
For this reason, it’s helpful to use visual metaphors, appeal to the five senses, and draw upon other visual elements typically associated with your brand, such as your logo and colours.
You should also use a focal point, such as one product, a person, or an animal, that the readers’ eyes will be drawn to.
Regardless of your preferred strategy, all elements of the print ad should tie back to the underlying message.
(Source: Flickr)
Companies like Apple, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola are famous for their minimalist design in their ad campaigns, in some cases drawing upon the minimalism in the design of their products.
McDonald’s often reinterprets its products in the context of a print ad, such as the ad above in which the French fries are formed into a wi-fi signal.
The message to the audience is immediate and straightforward; McDonald’s offers wi-fi.
Readers should “get it” within a few seconds of looking at the ad. If the message is not intuitive, go back to the drawing board.
5. Use Print Advertising As Part Of A Larger Campaign
No marketing channel should be used in isolation.
Digital marketing and print advertising are not rivals.
Instead, they should work hand in hand and complement each other.
You may choose to launch a series of banner ads on the publication’s website in addition to purchasing a print ad, or you may increase your social media spending at the same time as the print launch to coincide with a larger campaign.
Across all channels, branding must be consistent -- same logos, same colour palette, etc. on everything from your digital ads to hanging banners.
Drawing upon your digital channels within the context of a print ad is also one of the easiest ways to drive the consumer to take action.
The print ad should always include a link to your website for more information, while other options include using a social media hashtag or asking consumers to respond to the advertisement through a social media platform like Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat.
For example, the Coca-Cola #ShareaCoke campaign included a redesign of the print label on Coke products to include different names (Jeff, Lisa, Mom, etc.), a series of print ads in newspapers, TV commercials, and a large-scale social media campaign encouraging consumers to share pictures of themselves with Coke products using the hashtag #ShareaCoke.
The campaign’s first year resulted in more than 500,000 shared photos through #ShareaCoke and an additional 25 million Facebook followers.
6. Track The Success Of Your Print Campaigns
Some marketers prefer not to use print campaigns because ROI is harder to track.
While print advertising may not be able to generate an analytics report with the click of a button, there are many creative ways you can determine whether the channel was effective.
Create a vanity URL such as www.abccompany.com/architecturaldigest or a separate landing page to track the print ad as a traffic source in Google Analytics.
If the print ad is the only channel that directs to this URL, you will be able to calculate the exact number of web sessions, users, and other data.
Similarly, you can use QR codes connected to a UTM link that will drive consumers to your website on their mobile phones. With either of these methods, you can also measure conversions and compare the performance of the vanity URL or QR code to traffic generated from other channels.
For new customers who use your product or service, you can also send a survey asking how they learned about your company.
Include “Print ad” or “street banner” or whatever marketing materials you use as an option.
While not all customers will complete the survey and the dataset won’t be as complete as tracking web traffic in Google Analytics, you will also capture a segment of the audience that may not have visited your website.
This method could be useful for brick-and-mortar retailers, especially if you choose to market via hanging banners in or near these retailers.
Print Advertising Tips: Final Thoughts
Ignoring print as an advertising medium means missing out on a lot of potential business.
At the end of the day, print is still a relevant medium in today's landscape that can improve the effectiveness of your overall marketing efforts.
Before booking your first print campaign, it’s important to:
- Do your research about the best publications for your brand
- Define the right message and craft eye-catching (yet simple) creative that draws readers in
- Set up the parameters that will help you measure analytics and determine ROI
- Test and optimise your print ads to see what resonates the most
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Info reshared from https://marketing.sfgate.com/blog/
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