Just as real estate pros say: “Location, location, location,” small and medium-sized businesses can now add, “Local, local, local.”
According to a new study by Borrell Associates and reported by MarketingCharts, “64% of study participants reported purchasing ads in local newspapers, slightly ahead of the proportion who had bought online ads (excluding mobile – 62%). A majority had also invested in advertising in other local publications (54%), while direct mail (45%) remains popular too.”
SMBs are far less likely to to turn to some other traditional advertising channels. For example, just 3% purchased cinema ads and 5% reported telemarketing. Cable (13%) and broadcast (17%) TV stations also appeared towards the bottom of the list, behind radio (34%) and mobile (29%).
And, according to a Newspaper Association of America study last spring, 44% of local news readers (who read the print format) say they do so because it has useful advertising. These participants claim that the top benefits for print newspapers is the reading experience and complete view of news and advertising – with 66% indicating that it is a relaxing way to read the newspaper.
At this point, you may be thinking… aren’t these people older? Well, yes, and no! Take a look.
Image may be NSFW.
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One other advantage to advertising in local print newspapers is that it is the strongest promoter of digital extensions. In fact, 54% of its study participants said they use two or more platforms to access local news. This ties into previous studies that show a multichannel marketing approach works best.
(Oh, and did you notice that direct mail is still very popular?)
As a small or medium-sized business pro, have you advertised in your local paper? Have you had success?
