Local News Paper

[FairwayandIsle]

I am getting ready to start an AD campaign in my local news paper. I was just wondering how many of you use you local paper and how well it works for you?

[Malok]

Don't (anymore).

It didn't.

[Eric Blackwell]

Hey Fairway;

I think the key to it is distribution (read:circulation). Papers in many parts of the country are going out of business. Many will switch to online only or discontinue their print Sunday real estate sections. (LA Times did that a few months back.)

From my vantage point MOST newspapers are not a good ROI. Money is better spent IMO building your online assets.

Best;

Eric

[RESteve]

Even the Houston Chronicle recently went through a round of layoffs. Print news is dead.

[SLP-NYCT]

Your money will be much better spent with PPC than Newsprint. If you are looking to "Brand" yourself, that is another thing all together. Branding has nothing to do with getting business, but becoming known. Think of it like Coke and Pepsi. The majority of their advertising is aimed at image rather than sales.

Branding can be accomplished through sponsoring local sports teams, car wraps, billboards, movie ads and commercials. For the same money spent in newsprint, these other forms of branding can really make you stand out so much more.

If it is about getting business, I would definitely go the PPC route or direct mail to a target customer. FSBO, Expired, VAR (Value Added Service) think Apartment buildings and management companies that could use your help in these challenging times.

[GregPDX]

It depends on the paper and the cost. I run a small ad in a local neighborhood paper for $25/month. Circulation is about 4000.

This is a bargain and we do get business from it.

[FairwayandIsle]

Okay, so I'm there, in fact my partner in crime loathes print advertising... he is all about the PR.

Here are the specifics of my situation. The market is seasonal and we are a coastal community. The newspaper in question is a weekly that is published each Wednesday. It's the kind of paper people pick up for the local goings on, fishing reports, golf course conditions, and that sort of thing. There is a large real estate section, I have to believe it represents 90% of the advertising and I have noticed the majority of the brokerages advertise each week.

I am not a follow the Jone's type but I am a give it a shot kind of gal. The cost for 100 column inches is $84.80 with would allow me to run a dozen quarter page ad or so.

So the question becomes $84 for G! ad words or $84 for 6 weeks of new paper advertising during the peek season. I might do both.

[DMG]

I am in a little different situation than many here because I came in to the forum from a different angle. I had no web site nor did I know much about the web about a year ago for the most part and certainly did not know about SEO etc yet I did a ton of business and it was all print, mailers, sponsorships of local clubs etc so I like print. Print is not dead, its not the leader I will 100% agree but it’s not dead by any means IMO.

Depending on the community size, residents expectations and age range of the area you're targeting I say print is something that can be a benefit. Not all buyers / sellers use the web, most do but not all. The idea of marketing is to go after the bulk, which would be web but look at it this way; do you really think the "majority" of sellers in a smaller community jump on the web and Google for a local Realtor to sell their house? No, the majority of local sellers in a smaller market call the person they see through signs, office, billboard, word of mouth and ads in their local paper.

Advertising in the paper is not and should not be, let’s place an ad and they will call, it should be let’s stay in front of people and they will call so for the price I would place the ad IMHO.

[Malok]

The cost for 100 column inches is $84.80 with would allow me to run a dozen quarter page ad or so.

So the question becomes $84 for G! ad words or $84 for 6 weeks of new paper advertising during the peek season. I might do both.

Realistically, its only $100 (or thereabouts).

Try it.

See what/if anything happens.

[SLP-NYCT]

Coarine,

I must retract my statement then. Vacation Spots will benefit from print ads, but keep them in the tourist stuff and not the daily rag or business papers. Those little books the tourists like to pick up to find a restaurant etc. Unless you have an I-phone app for the restaurants, I see a ton of people pick those up.

@ others. No, Newspaper is not dead and yes you will get business, but if you compare the cost of one versus the other, the PPC will do better, but you still need to brand yourself by being everywhere.