As we head deeper into the age of digital media, the mantra of "print media is dead” seems to echo thru the din. This criticism has been echoed since the first computers became a staple of the modern household. But in fact, independent, non-traditional periodicals are, in fact, booming. There are more magazine choices than ever on today’s newsstands.
Last year the independent-magazine subscription service, Stack, reported a 78% increase in revenue, with its number of subscribers growing by 76%. The public’s love affair with magazines has remained relatively unchanged. It’s a tactile relationship; it’s the touch, the feel, the weight of the magazine in your hands, the sound of the turning pages and the smell of the ink that completes the relationship.
Most consumers don’t relate to a print magazine as a personal product, but rather as an escape from reality. A lot of thought, time and devotion go into every printed issue. Conversations with style makers, news changers and product specialists all combine to create the readers overall experience. Everything about magazines exudes quality. Top-name fashion and style magazines are a seductive medium for luxury brands, editorial context and optimal print quality make a perfect fit for such high-ticket products and brands. We can’t deny that the end result is to drive consumer traffic to the lifestyle, products and companies that are located within it’s pages, but the content needs to connect with the reader on a cerebral and heartfelt manner.
In 2014, 56% of all consumers said they trust print marketing more than any other advertising method, and 7 out of 10 Americans reported that they find print advertising speaks to them on a more personal level than online ads. In today’s consumer driven world, 3 out of 4 small businesses use print marketing to reach their target customers. This strategy usually offers the best return on investment and gets the best response rates. (//money.cnn.com)
In digital mediums, ie: Television, Web Videos, Social Media; consumers regularly want to skip the advertising, in magazines it is seen as part of the Readers experience. Magazines are read without distraction; 87 per cent of magazine readers focus on the content. They do not watch or listen to another medium at the same time. This attention offers a major benefit for advertisers, as an important percentage of the readers will digest the ad and the brand name, delivering a higher impact.
A study in 2014 showed that after seeing a magazine ad 35% of readers went to visit the website of the advertiser. This can offer advertisers new ways of measuring the success of magazine advertising. 45% of respondents of an IPC survey indicated that magazines haves inspired them to purchase products that were advertised. Magazine content, covers and ads are also highly talked about, creating a buzz among readers. Ie: Most recently, the Vanity Fair cover featuring Caitlyn Jenner as well as the Kanye & Kim wedding issue of Vogue.
As businesses seek to bring in new markets and untapped consumers, the power of Print a very affordable and creative advertising medium. Advertising in magazines is still one of the most effective ways of building brands at the right time. Print magazines can speak to many different cultures and interests. Print magazines can have a long read life as just one issue can be passed along and shared hundreds of times with consumers from all walks of life. So open your mind to re-embracing Print Magazines as a part of your advertising media budget.
//www.independent.co.uk July 14, 2015
//experts.allbusiness.com/ January 27, 2015
Print ads include direct mail, flyers, and ads in magazines and newspapers. Online ads include pay-per-click advertisements, banner ads, and social media. The two are clearly very different.
But how do they compare?
In the best case scenario, your business would use both print and online advertising methods to reach the highest amount of customers. But when it comes down to it, if you have to choose one or the other, online advertisements are simply the better choice.
Keep reading if you want to learn more, and give us a call at 888-601-5359!
Want to create online ads for your business?
Why online ads?
Online advertising has grown quickly in terms of both options and usage over the past few years, but many marketers still question whether or not it’s really more effective than traditional print advertising. Here’s why so many businesses are making the switch:
- 87% of Americans are Internet users
- Internet marketing allows companies to reach consumers as they’re actively searching for products, as opposed to interrupting them during other activities
- Internet marketing strategies allow for much more advanced tracking and analytics
- Online advertisements cost less
- Online targeting is much more specific
Now, we’ll take a closer look at the advantages online ads offer in terms of your audience, goals, and budget.
Who is your target audience?
Some people assume online ads will appeal to a younger audience, while print will appear to an older audience. This isn’t necessarily true. Internet users are diverse, and even in the age group with the lowest adoption rate (65+), the percentage that are Internet users is still 57%.
Fortunately, no matter who your target audience is, you can reach them with the advanced targeting options that online advertising offers. On PPC platforms like Google Ads, you can target users based on the keywords they search for.
On social media platforms, you can choose your targeting based on age, location, gender, and interests. You can also create several ads with different content, and select different audiences for each.
With print ads, you’re relying on a press kit. The press kit for a magazine, newspaper, directory, or other print medium will tell you how many readers read a specific publication, their median income, their age range, and their location.
Based on this, you can decide where you want to advertise. If you decide to use a flyer or direct mail, you can rely on demographic information based on a specific location or mailing list. And although this can help you get a general idea of who you’re reaching, it’s not nearly as targeted as online options.
What are your goals?
If your goal is to grow brand awareness and reach consumers who are actively searching for your products and services on search engines like Google, online advertisements are the clear winner. If your goal is to drive more people to your business’s physical location, both print and online advertising can be useful.
With search engine optimization, you can optimize your site for keywords that relate to both your services and your location. That way, when potential customers search for what you offer, they’ll not only see your business, but also exactly where it’s located.
Online ads also have the advantage of being accessible no matter where a customer is. Thanks to smartphones and other mobile devices, you’ll always be able to reach them when you advertise online.
What is your budget?
The cost of print ads is hard to gauge, since costs can vary widely. A color advertisement on the first page of the New York Times can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, while an ad in your local paper may cost you well under $100.
Advertising on Facebook, Google, and other popular platforms depends on the keywords in your ad and your targeting. However, you can set your budget ahead of time, and stop advertising as soon as you hit it. You can set your budget to a few dollars a day—provided the keywords you choose don’t cost more than that.
The cost-per-acquisition for mobile and social ads in 2015 was $16-18, according to one survey, compared to $41-50 for display ads, $21-$30 for paid searches, and $11-$15 for e-mail. In comparison, direct mail had a competitive $19 cost per acquisition rate.
Ready to start advertising online?
If you haven’t yet taken advantage of online advertising opportunities for your business, now is the time to start. And if you’d like some assistance choosing the right channels and managing effective campaigns, WebFX can help.
Contact us today to speak with a strategist!
We are now living in an age of technologically-obsessed people, who just won’t feel comfortable, unless they are constantly connected to some sort of digital device. And as a result of this, the entire world has moved online. Some in the advertising industry would have you believe that print advertising is dead and buried. This couldn’t be any further from the truth, in fact, people find that magazines provide quality and accuracy, as they are trustworthy and impartial [Ofcom Report 2018].
Print advertising is very much alive and businesses who do use print in their marketing mix have the potential to significantly increase response rates. Here are five very important advantages to print advertising:
Print publications are still considered to be one of the most trusted forms of media around. Many of us are now finding it difficult to know which sources to trust online, however print publications are known to be unbiased and accurate when it comes to advice, reviews and quality of businesses that advertising – meaning they know what they are seeing and reading is of a certain standard.
In particular, the print publications that consistently offer readers high-quality and reliable content, have developed credibility. When brands place ads in respected and well known print publications, they will automatically receive the same positive, trusting feelings from readers that are associated with the publication itself.
What does this mean for you? This means that any content that you place in a print publication is seen as completely trustworthy and credible, making generating leads and sales a lot easier.
2. Brand Awareness
Branding and awareness is the start of any customer’s journey. It drives consumers’ thought process when making purchasing decisions, especially when differentiating between competing companies.
According to ISPO news, “90 percent of all purchasing decisions are made subconsciously.” Therefore, with a good marketing campaign focused on your brand and business model, you will more effectively narrow in on your target audience and encourage them to feel connected to your brand.
Brand awareness, quite similarly to reviews, affects perceptions and attitudes, which drive brand choice and even brand loyalty. This means that without brand awareness, repeat purchases are less likely. And since print is one of the most trusted forms of media, what’s a better way to push brand awareness than through a credible publication.
3. Attention Span
This new digital age has almost completely killed the human attention span. We now surf the web with 5 different tabs open whilst posting a story on instagram, talking to someone on Facebook IM and attempting to stay on top of the new episodes of ‘Suits’ in the background. Consequently, we just aren’t as receptive to all this digital advertising happening around us.
However, print readers don’t and quite simply can’t multitask when reading a magazine, allowing them to be a lot more engaged and receptive to adverts within the publication.
4. Unplugging is in
Although we are tech-obsessed creatures as previously mentioned, we are slowly but surely realising and understanding the value of ‘unplugging’ every so often. When this rare (now growing) occurrence happens, we do tend to turn to print media as a form of entertainment and engagement.
5. Flexibility and options
Now with GDPR in place, many businesses have turned to print advertising as it allows you to target your ideal audience, without stumbling upon any trouble.
You are able to choose a specific industry focused publication, whether it be lifestyle, weddings, education etc and can also make decisions on where to place your advert based on the geographical location that the magazine is delivered in.
Print also allows you to tailor a campaign to fit around your budget. You can choose from a variety of spaces, whether it be a quarter, half or full page advert. This also means you will actually be working with a human being when buying your ad space, instead of relying on an online algorithm to decide where your ads will live!
Print advertising is very much alive but so is online advertising, and this is how it can help your business grow.
To find out more about how we can help grow your business, book a consultation now.