After word of mouth, print advertising is as old and traditional as it sounds. For centuries, people have been advertising their products in brochures, newsletters, newsletters, and newspapers. With the advent of magazines, companies got a more important way to reach their audience. Radio, television, and online advertising have taken a toll on print advertising revenue, but they have not made newspaper and magazine ads superfluous. And despite what some people may think, the effect of newspapers and magazines is unlikely to be reversed anytime soon.
Newspaper advertising obviously has some important differences compared to magazine advertising. These differences should be carefully considered before deciding which medium to buy. For example:
Because newspapers are read on a daily basis, they are a good medium for sales announcements and coupons. Magazines are published on a weekly or monthly basis and people tend to spend more time reading them so they are good for branding and image building.
Magazine ads are more expensive than newspaper ads, so if you’re on a tight budget, newspapers are your best bet. On the other hand, magazine ads are more expensive because they are of higher quality, especially in terms of images. Newspaper ads tend to be grainy, image resolution is low, and people spend less time browsing through them. Therefore, you must ask yourself what you want to achieve with your ads.
If all you want to do is tell people you have a deal on homemade wood furniture or sinks, a newspaper ad will suffice. Depending on whether your store is national or not, you can save costs by sticking to local newspapers. If you have a little more money to spare and want to sell your business idea rather than a product, then you should invest in a magazine ad. Magazine ads offer more possibilities for creativity. They are more eye-catching and rich and you can use them to create an impression. If you specialize in extreme sports, you can use exciting action images in your ads, leaving people in doubt about the fun you provide. If you’re a wedding planner, romantic (but not cheesy or cliche) images will give the impression of professional elegance.
Newspaper announcements are immediate. They run daily, so you can expect an immediate response. And because their format is simple, it’s easy to change them on the fly. Magazine ads can have more visual impact and longevity, but they are less flexible and because they only appear weekly or monthly, the response rate is not as immediate.
There is a more important difference between advertising in magazines and newspapers. Newspaper ads can provide a broader reach or, geographically speaking, when advertising in local newspapers, a more specific reach. But advertising in trade magazines will allow you to directly target your demographic. Magazines tend to have a particular focus (fashion, cars, horses, and pets) so that you can reach the people who are likely to be most interested in your particular product or service.
When considering which print medium to advertise on, you need to ask yourself:
What are your goals?
What is your budget?
Who is your audience?
Where are you most likely to find your audience?
Answer those questions and you will know if newspaper or magazine advertising is right for you.