Seeing your business advert in a glossy magazine is lovely, but does it bring you results? In these days of Twitter, Blogs and Pay-per-click is traditional print advertising dead?
In this series, we look at the ins and outs of wedding/bridal magazine advertising. Should you do it? How to get the best results and how to avoid expensive mistakes.
This 1st installment considers how to decide whether print advertising is right for your business.
Why you should consider print advertising
People who buy wedding magazines are generally looking for ideas and products to purchase. So your advert will be in front of willing buyers.
However much some magazines deny it, advertisers are much more likely to get mentioned in the editorial sections.
Branding and trust – getting your name recognised.
Clare Yarwood-White believes print advertising is an important part of marketing her jewellery business www.yarwood-white.com. “Magazines are important for our business (bridal jewellery), we run regular half-pages in 4 of the national UK titles – I think continuity is important as brides do not have previous awareness of our brand before they are engaged and need to get familiar with us before they make decisions. It also helps secure editorial coverage with the same magazines.”
Why it might not be for you
Cost – not just the cost of the advert itself, but designing the copy and getting great photos.
It takes a long time to see results – you will generally be booking your space a couple of months before publication and to really analyse the results you need to monitor your campaign over at least a 12 month period.
Lots of competition – your advert will need to really stand out to be noticed.
There may be more effective ways to spend your money.
A few Don’ts
Don’t agree to place an advert just because a magazine has rung you up with a “fantastic” last minute offer.
Don’t bother advertising if you can’t track and analyse the responses and sales.
Don’t just book a few adverts and see what happens. Research and plan a print advertising campaign to maximise the return on your investment.
Do Your Homework
OK, so you think it could work for you. Now get as much information as you can to back that up.
Research relevant publications. If you work nationally, look at national magazines. If you cover a particular city, state or region look for local magazines.
Contact the advertising departments of magazines you may be interested in. Ask for a copy of the magazine, their readership data, circulation figures and advertising rates.
Look for publications which reflect the style, budget and aspirations of your target customer.
Analyse your competitors. What are similar businesses doing? Look particularly for established businesses that you know are successful. (Also look for where they are NOT advertising.) Don’t worry too much about the brash newcomer who may be splashing all their marketing budget on a few glossy ads.
Look at your total marketing budget and decide how much you could allocate to test magazine advertising. Remember to include the cost of producing your advert(s).
Use your network – ask associates which publications work for them, and which ones don’t.
Once you have decided to advertise in bridal magazines…..
…. you need to plan your campaign and book your adverts. Our next instalment will take you through the steps.
