It seems like I fight an uphill battle with a handful of my clients who think print is dead.
I include print advertising, among many other things, in their proposal every year and then spend an hour explaining to them why keeping some presence in print in their media mix is a must.
They argue that print ads aren’t trackable, they don’t generate leads, it costs a fortune to design and place them, and no one under the age of 50 will ever see them.
“What’s the point of spending what little advertising money is allocated these days on an impossible medium to prove?” my 30-something clients like to ask.
The truth of the matter is that print ads are a very valuable part of almost every campaign. Those who follow my blog posts know that I am a big advocate of a fully integrated advertising campaign that spreads the message to just about every medium a consumer could see it. That’s called finding the buyer where they live. Print is an integral part of that strategy.
Print is certainly not dead, but it is not for everyone.
Ironically, the benefits of print are more relevant today than ever. Here’s some of the reasons why:
- Print ads last longer than a nano-second banner ad. Sitting on a coffee table in a living room or an office lobby, a print magazine could keep delivering your advertising message for months or years. It doesn’t disappear when you turn the page.
- Ads in magazines and newspapers aren’t intrusive. A person reads an article and somewhere on that page or the next is an ad. It’s just there. It doesn’t rotate, pop-up or expand.
- Readers of print media are wrongly defined as over 50 but rightly described with longer attention spans. They aren’t attracted to the fast-paced digital platform to read content but rather want the option to sit back, unplugged, and consume articles of interest. With print ads you can target where you want your ad to appear (a section, a day of the week, near pertinent editorial) and your ad enjoys the leveraged credibility of the magazine brand, the primary reason the reader is reading it in the first place.
Selling print advertising still matters.
Our print magazines are our brand. Adding value with print ads is a unique and visible perk. Think inside the box for your magazine. Then make an offer your advertisers can’t refuse.
And check out one of my previous posts: What Happens When Your Clients Only Want to Buy Digital
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More about Nancy: Nancy has been in advertising sales and publishing management since 1980, starting her career with oil & gas B2B magazines then moving to aviation and aerospace in 1986. She is currently the Associate Publisher at AIN Publications, home to titles Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, Convention News, Airshow News and a dozen or so digital platforms. She attributes her success in advertising sales to the relationships she forges with advertisers by providing them honest recommendations and solid market data.
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