Small Business Marketing Strategies All-In-One For Dummies

Chapter 2

Generating and Placing Print and Outdoor Ads

IN THIS CHAPTER

Writing copy and choosing strong visual elements for your print ad

Understanding print media terms and rates

Running your ad in newspapers and magazines

Advertising on billboards, signs, posters, and sandwich boards

Getting found in print and online directories

When was the last time you opened the yellow pages?

If your answer is typical, it tells just how much directory advertising has changed over a few years. The year 2011 was a tipping point, when more people got their information from the Internet than from newspapers and when online advertising got most of the ad dollars as well.

Yet even though the numbers are declining, four out of ten people say they still get their news from newspapers — so you’d better know your customers before you abandon traditional advertising altogether (turn to Book 1, Chapter 2 for help in defining your customers). If you’re advertising to an older age group, putting ink on newspaper is still an essential way to get your word out.

If your target audience is younger — especially 18 to 29— you’re pretty safe ruling out traditional newspapers in favor of messages delivered via web-connected devices and TV. Even then, there’s plenty in this chapter for you because the younger audience is a primary target for out-of-home ads (covered at the end of this chapter) and ads in highly targeted publications where your message can catch them while they’re flipping through one of some 7,500 ...