Is Print Advertising Dead?

Believe it or not, print ads are still providing a tremendous return on investment. In days of old businesses relied on the phone book and local papers to advertise. With the internet, more and more people have gone to online methods of advertising as it is generally more cost effective. But does it always work and is it reaching everyone you need it to be reaching?

Despite reports to the contrary, print advertising is not dead. Yellow Page directories and local papers are still more commonly used for local industries such as local restaurants, doctors, dentists, auto repair, lawyers, contractors etc. I know myself, I live in a small town and when my furnace broke down recently I looked for help in the yellow pages. I wanted someone local so they could get to me quickly (January in Canada without heat is not fun) and if there were additional problems, I could get them back here just as quickly. I also didn’t want to be paying unnecessary travel costs for someone to come from another town. I live in quite a remote area that doesn’t have high speed internet. Although I have satellite service because I work from home; many of our neighbours are farmers, stay at home moms or work locally in the car plant. These people generally do not have internet service in their homes and will look to the local paper or the phone book to find services they need and local businesses. This is not to say that if I were looking for a special cosmetic procedure or tooth implants or even looking for a car, that I wouldn’t want to investigate options in other communities. Often for more specialized services we lean toward wanting more options to choose from. For day to day services people tend to want to deal locally. I know I personally like to put my money back into the community by using as many local services as I can.

Online advertising and the internet is important and continually growing but it is important not to spend all of your ad dollars online. You could be missing out on a huge amount of potential customers. We always give our customers the choice of how they find us or get information from us by advertising both on and offline and then giving them the vehicle to search for the information in both ways; either a toll free hotline recorded message or a webpage. Most North American households have some kind of phone service but not everyone has a computer and/or internet connection. People often see advertisements while they’re on the road and call into them while it’s top of mind. I know several years ago I found a painter (who ended up being a general contractor and doing lots of work on my home) because he had a sign on his truck. I was looking for a local painter and there he was at a red light beside me. He not only got the job of painting my whole house but because he had the resources to do other things, he got the other general contracting jobs in my home as well. I ended up being a long time customer that calls whenever I need something around the house done. I have also recommended him to several of my friends and family members and all this because of a sign on his truck. Often people want to use a local business as well so they can get references from people that live in the area. What may work in some areas might not work in others so again it’s important not to rule out this audience.

There are still people like me that like to sit down with their morning coffee and read the paper. This gives me the opportunity to see who’s doing what in the area. I take notice of any new businesses coming into the community and often there is a story on them. I have many seniors in my family; parents, aunts, uncles that are still using the yellow pages to find all of their services (except for the odd one like my mother, who at 80 prides herself on being very internet savvy).

When placing an unbranded type of ad in a local paper, the formula for writing ads is simple. Identify the problem your ideal prospect is having. Agitate that problem by using emotionally driven descriptive examples that they can relate to and give them the solution! Always give them a way to get what they need (whether that’s free information or contacting you directly) and make sure you are using a system that can track your offline advertising efforts.

If you’re placing a branded yellow page ad, it should include things such as; details about your experience, licenses etc. It should include any logos, trademarks or brand names, guarantees, illustrations and your location. You should also make sure your information is complete such as a catchy headline, the services you provide, payment options etc. Differentiate yourself from your competitor. Again, make sure you use tracking numbers so that you know where your leads are coming from.

While there is lots of progress in the world of advertising, some things never change and you can’t completely rule out print advertising!