Marketing is one of your businesses most important tasks. Make sure you are getting your message across.
One great way to do this is to use newspaper inserts in your advertising campaign.
First, decide where you are going to advertise. I use the smaller weekly newspapers instead of the bigger daily papers. The weekly papers are usually much cheaper.
My weekly paper only charges about $40.00 per 1000 inserts.
Another reason to use inserts is that you can target specific zip codes.
For example, in the 78209 zip code you run an advertisement focused on businesses, while running an advertisement targeting residential customers in the 78248 zip code.
This is a powerful method of targeting your marketing messages.
The benefits don't stop there! With a display ad you only get a small space to promote your products or services. With inserts you get as much space as you need.
You can produce a single double sided page or a multi-page insert. Which do you think has the greatest chance of getting your message to the most customers?
Display Ads All Look the Same
To me, almost all display ads look the same. How do you get your message to stand out from the crowd? You use bold text, borders, and huge headlines work to draw attention to your advertisement. However, they still must compete with every other ad in their section.
Inserts Stand Out
All of these tactics work with inserts, but you have much less competition.
Tip: Use colored paper to make your insert stand out even more!
How do you use inserts to promote your business?
1. Select the markets you desire to target and develop the insert targeting that particular market segment.
2. Locate those markets by zip code.
3. Print the inserts at your local printer.
4. Deliver your inserts to the newspaper and they will insert them into the papers going to the zip codes you select.
For my business, a typical insert campaign looks like this. Five thousand insert divided between three zip codes. Each zip code receives a targeted message printed on bright gold paper with black ink.
The cost is about $80.00 per thousand. Forty dollars to the newspaper and $40.00 to have the inserts printed. I write my own advertising copy. Total cost is about $400.00 per run.
My experience is that I get a much better return with inserts than with display advertising.
The key to an effective marketing campaign is to target your customers with multiple exposures. One shot marketing just doesn't cut it!
Bonus Tip: Create an insert that gives your customers information they want to keep for reference later. Consider a short information booklet to accomplish this. One 11 x 17 inch piece of paper makes an inexpensive, but effective four page booklet! See my article Marketing Your Business with Tips Booklets.
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Parrott Writing Services, a San Antonio Texas company specializing in white papers, case studies, ghostwriting, and technical writing for small businesses.
http://www.rickparrott.com
