Advertising in Newspapers with Times Media
Are you trying to decide whether or not you need to Advertise in Newspapers? This article aims to give reasons why you should definitely look at this option of advertising in South Africa.
Times Media in South Africa is one of the largest media companies in South Africa and has a significant umbrella of Newspapers that fall under it. With brands such as The Sunday Times, The Sowetan, Business Day, Sunday World and Financial Mail to name but a few. The company also has brands that are specific to regions such as The Herald which largely targets readers in the Port Elizabeth area. With this in mind, lets go through what exactly Newspaper Advertising is and the things you need to keep in mind when deciding on this powerful form of reaching new and existing customers.
Newspaper Advertising is essentially the process of a company deciding that they want to get people to see their brand or the product that they offer. This exposure is gained by means of placing, normally in the form of an image, an advertisement on a certain page of a newspaper. This ad however obviously comes at a fee that the company wishing to advertise would then need to pay. This fee is not a set amount and is determined by the newspaper the advertisement is to appear in, the page of the advertisement and its actual size. With this is mind there are some factors that are very important to take into account when deciding on advertising in newspapers:
Make An Informed Decision When Choosing Which Newspapers
When choosing where exactly you want to advertise you should take into account certain factors. These factors include the main geographic areas the newspaper appears in, the overall readership demographics and the costs involved amongst other important factors. These things can all be obtained by viewing a newspapers respective readership figures. By using this information you will be able to decide which newspaper is the best for your particular brand or product and advertise with them accordingly. If this is done correctly you will ensure that your ad targets potential clients who are most likely to purchase your product or service.
Be Aware of Your Competition
There is a high chance that your competition is also advertising in newspapers which means that you need to ensure that your advertisement is not overshadowed by theirs. This can be done by advertising in a different newspaper or purchasing a more favorable position in the newspaper. Another thing that you can do is ensure that your actual advertisement is designed in a manner that will look professional and attract the attention of the reader without being too intrusive.
What Determines The Price of an Advertisement?
Newspaper advertising is most commonly sold by the column size that is normally measured in centimeters. The actual rate is then determined by how many columns the advertisement will fill and where it will appear. An advertisement of the same size will in all likelyhood be more expensive on the front page than another part of the newspaper.
Why Should you Advertise in Newspapers?
Advertising in newspapers is a very powerful way of reaching potential clients. This is due to a number of factors that are described below:
Readers Want To See Advertisements
Surprisingly, a study conducted by Totum Research for Newspapers Canada in 2013 found that the top three reasons that readers bought newspapers was for local news, local events and the advertisements. Over time advertisements have become expected when reading a newspaper and as previously mentioned actually want them as they form part of the actual content.
Readers Have a Degree of Trust in the Advertisements
Due to the reputation of newspapers and the amount of effort that is put into making them, this results in the advertisements in them being more trustworthy to readers. This means that advertising in a newspaper indirectly brings about a sense of trust in an advertising companies brand or product.
People With Influence Read Newspapers
It is common knowledge that most newspapers are read by people who have a significant impact on other peoples lives. For this reason an advertisement in a Newspaper doesn’t just reach the person reading it but also the people around them who they feel could also benefit from the product or service being advertised.
Advertisements in Newspapers Are Captivating
Research suggests that compared to other media, newspaper advertisements are seen to be of more worth and more compelling than other advertising methods.
Adverts on Various Platforms Creates Greater Brand Awareness
It goes without saying that the more mediums that are used to advertise, the more your brand will be recognized. If a person were to see your advert online and in a newspaper that would be more likely to remember and recognize your brand and what it has to offer. This is due to the varying ways in which you are able to gain exposure.
Advice When Creating Your Advertisement
Attention Grabbing Headline
Get your potential customer’s attention by using an appealing headline or caption. Make sure that this grabs the reader without being too intrusive or excessive.
Informed Copy Length
Make sure that you only use the amount of copy that identifies with your potential client. An advertisement with a lot of copy will most liekly appeal to techinal or business minded customers whilst less copy is appealing to other customers. Using less copy will also mean that there is more room for graphics in the ad itself. This graphic can be informative in itself as it could display the actual product and its attributes.
Benefits of the Product or Service
Give reasons why the product or service is of benefit to a person. By doing this you can show the reader how your product will be of value to them and thus improve their lives.
Final Copy
Ensure that your customer has a means to actually contact you by means of a website, contact number or other means of contact. This will ensure that your advertisment can actually lead to conversions by means of an easy to access contact method.