Despite all the modern competition, classified ads remain a incredibly cost effective, targeted, fast, and an easy way for businesses to reach consumers. They can also easily be targeted to reach almost any specific demographic. This makes them an ideal component for any sized campaign.
Recent studies show that classified ads still play a vital role in attracting consumers to businesses. In fact, research from the Newspaper Association of America says that “ 8 in 10 U.S. adults ( 79%) took action in the past month as a result of seeing a newspaper ad. In an average week, more than half of U.S. adults ( 57 %) say they have made a shopping decision based on a newspaper ad, whether in print or online.” And when you consider how inexpensive it can be to place a classified ad in some of the biggest national papers in the world, it just makes all kinds of sense to spend at least some of your advertising budget on newspaper classified ads.
Here are just a few tips to keep in mind when creating effective classified ads for your business.
Call to action! Understanding the real goal of an advertisement is key in understanding it’s true value and determining your return on investment. For most ads the goal is not for someone to buy, but actually, it’s to get a person to respond to the ad! Once they respond either by phone call, email or walking into a store, they can then be approached about buying a product, service or signing a long term contract. You will want to make sure the “ call to action” directly alerts your target audience as to what they need to do and how long they have to respond. Most of the time this is as easy as saying “ Go to our website, call now, or respond by email to receive this incredible offer.”
Get to the point! Typically when people read the paper they scan for things that jump out at them. If the first few words of your ad do not catch their attention chances are they are not going to read the rest! Make sure you include something eye catching at the beginning of your ad that draws them in. For instance, giving away something for free, perhaps a chance to win a prize, or a limited time special offer are all great ways to entice the readers to respond to your ad.
Don’t pay more, Abbreviate! Most newspapers charge by either line or by word which means you can save yourself money by using commonly understood abbreviations to shorten your classified ad when needed.
Keep in mind that even the best ad typically needs to be seen several times to really make an impact with the viewer. That’s why it’s very important that you run your ad consistently for several weeks before making major changes or pulling it from the publications.
For more information about strategically adding print advertising to your multi media campaign Contact us and speak with one of our expert advertising advisors