Newspaper Advertising

While newspapers traditionally have had a strong market presence, that presence has been fading rapidly in recent years. Newspapers certainly still have a very loyal and connected audience, and their advertising opportunities allow for detailed messages in a wide range of sizes and formats. However, because readership has steadily declined over the past few decades, newspapers simply can't guarantee the same strong return for your advertising investment that they used to.

When deciding on the smartest way to spend your advertising dollars, keep in mind the following positive and negative aspects of newspaper advertising:

Positive

• Possible to create detailed messages with location, prices, hours and more.
• A range of creative ad sizes, color options and price points are typically available.
• Ads placed in different sections can target specific demographic groups.
• Possible to include coupons and special offers, as well as to create special sales inserts.

Negative

• Readership is down nationwide, and younger demographics are hard to reach.
• Color ads can be expensive and reproduction quality can be inconsistent.
• Difficult to engage and reach new prospects and to compete with the ad clutter.
• A big investment for relatively few messaging opportunities.