Print Media Lives On
Print advertising is still a relevant, effective way to reach consumers. It offers greater recall, strong branding and a highly engaged audience. In the past, the problem with print advertising is that it was untrackable. Well, think again because here are ways to make sure you know EXACTLY where your customers are coming from.
#1 – Story-driven Ads
In order to get the most ROI (return on investment) from your print ad dollars, make the ad personal. Tell your story and engage people on an emotional level. If you are not a writer, hire someone that is. The money spent will bring you many returns in the end and your customers will tell you they saw your “ad”.
#2 – Send a Letter in the Mail
If your target audience is 16 years and younger, take the time to send an “old-fashioned” letter via snail mail (which isn’t so snail anymore). This younger demographic is not used to getting mail delivered to them and studies have shown they get excited beyond belief when the envelope with their name on it arrives. This is very POWERFUL for your business and they will tell you when they do business with you about the letter you wrote to them.
#3 – Ask: “How did you hear about us”
Sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at how many businesses don’t ask a new customer how they came to find them or why they entered the store. It’s important to know exactly where your customers are coming from. You only just need to ask each and every customer and then have a tally sheet at the register to tick off the advertising medium they saw or heard in order to rule out what is working and what isn’t. You’ll be surprised at what you find out — but you HAVE to ask first.
#4 – Track Print Media Advertising Through Google Analytics
The old adage of “Don’t do print media because you can’t track it.” no longer applies thanks to Google Analytics.
In ALL your print media, you only need to entice readers to visit your website with a source code after it. For example, If you decide to advertise in The Clayton News Star, your website address may look like this: www.mystore.com/newsstar.
The landing page for this address could be anything — the home page, a completely separate page that relates to the content of the ad or the Contact Us page — it’s up to you.
Google will pick up on this visit and record it. Then, you can later see how many visitors you’ve gotten and when. Putting digital and social media to work for you from print advertising is a great way to incorporate the old with the new.
Don’t be afraid to use print media again. We can help you with setting up the Google Analytics so you can start tracking your customers so you are successful and be glad you did.
To schedule your personal one-on-one training for Google Analytics, email us at divinemarketinggroup@gmail.com or by calling Cindy at Divine Marketing Group at 919-585-4498.