When it comes to magazine advertising for small businesses, many owners are nervous to invest money if they haven’t done it before. Without knowing how much it will cost them, or what is entailed, they shy away from something that ‘looks’ expensive and they feel may not work for them.
But despite the rise of social media, digital marketing and radio, magazines (particularly local ones) are still exceedingly capable of reaching consumers so they continue to spend.
Small businesses still rely on magazines to promote and sell their products and services. If that doesn’t convince you that it’s worth looking into, then here are seven reasons magazine advertising should still matter to your business.
- Magazines offer advertisers highly targeted audiences
Whether you’re looking for single ladies that require eyelashes to flutter, middle aged men that wish to invest in a sudden passion for cycling, or a senior couple who need a smaller house to scale down so that their 20 great-grandchildren can no longer come and stay, you can reach them through magazine advertising.
Due to the intense level of knowledge that a local magazine team like Word Gets Around have, we are able to very clearly pinpoint your target market and the ad space in the magazine that would suit you the most. For this reason, magazine advertising results in less wasted coverage and therefore increases return on investment.
2. Magazines like ours have a far longer shelf life than other media
As you probably already know, magazines tend to stick around the home longer than newspapers or direct mail. Magazines are brought out over the course of a number of days to be read alongside a coffee and often kept for useful reference; recipes, events listings, boiler servicing, log delivery etc.
Local businesses that invest in advertising in The Local Directory are basically invited to move in with their target market!
3. Magazines offer advertisers a captive audience – multiple times
Re point number two…that magazine becomes something that is not just looked at by one person once, but often by several members of the family, by multiple visitors to the doctors waiting room, by several people in the kitchen at work. If you invest not only in ad space, but also in some editorial then consumers will seek out the information you have to impart and remember you if it aligns with their own interests.
4. Local magazines are trusted
Our magazine is a family business and many of the businesses that advertise with us are family businesses too. That’s not just applicable to our magazine – but to many local magazines around the country.
5. Local magazines help businesses to stay top of mind
Let’s face it, standing out from competitors in a crowded ad market has never been harder. That’s why being top-of-mind at the early stage of the purchase journey is critical for sales.
Advertisers who invest in magazine advertising can reach highly targeted, captive audiences who will likely hold on to their magazines and potentially re-read them too.
6. Opportunities to trigger a call-to-action
If you’re familiar with marketing speak – then you’ll know that it’s all about the CTA. Getting those that read your ad to ‘do’ something afterwards. That may be answering a competition, using a money-off voucher, or picking up on a special offer before the deadline. It’s also a great way of measuring return on investment and how successful the magazine ad is to your business. Needless to say – we are confident that it will be
7. Local magazines are an emotive media
As protagonists of truth and setting the news agenda, newspapers influence knowledge and opinions. In the same way, local magazines can influence your emotions with stories of local people, local businesses, local news that will directly affect YOU. So make sure that your advertising and your message really hits home with local people – allow them to get under the skin of your business and you’ll find that you inspire loyalty far more effectively than with any digital campaign.
