Ask an Expert: Print ads can work well with your website

by Steve Strauss Ask an Expert/ USA TODAY

Q: What is your opinion on print advertising? Is it dead like some critics say? I see three potential venues for my ad dollar: print, social media, and online. Where would you spend your advertising dollars? — Charles.
A: To put a little spin on Shakespeare, I have come to praise print, not to bury it.

Is it true the world of print media is changing radically? Of course, no secret there. But I also think reports of print's death have been greatly exaggerated. Go to any magazine stand and you will see what I mean. There are still hundreds of magazines out there, and newspapers big and small are figuring out ways to carry on.

That said, it is equally true that there are fewer ads and fewer print options than a decade ago. Let me suggest, however, that the changes offer the savvy small business person some tremendous opportunities.

Here's why:

For starters, one of the main things you want from your advertising is the chance to STAND OUT. It used to be that advertising in print media made that difficult because there was so much competition. But because there are fewer businesses advertising in print now, and fewer ads in any given publication, your ability to stand out has increased.

Fewer ad pages mean your ads can be stars.

In addition, because print publications need advertisers, there are some good deals to be had. So a half-page ad in a magazine or large ad in a newspaper will not only offer you greater exposure due to less competition, it will also cost less than you probably expect.

But that's not all. Print advertising continues to offer some great benefits not shared by its online counterparts:

It is highly targeted: Print advertising offers you the chance to catch people by their interests, or religion, hobbies, work, age, etc. Targeting your marketing to the right demographic is fairly easy by advertising in the right place, and it can be highly profitable.

It does not evaporate: Magazines stay in homes for months. Newspapers may be around for days. Web pages come and go. In addition, people reading web pages digest information far quicker – and move on – than do people reading print content.

It is great for branding: A print ad is a physical thing; it can be copied and placed in your store, or even on your website, for years. Electronic ads do not have the same cachet.

All of this is not say that online advertising is not important; it is. But by the same token, as we rush to understand and embrace this new world of e-advertising, let us not forget that print can play a significant role in the mix.

Indeed, ideally, print ads can and should empower your online ads. Research indicates that a not insignificant portion of online searches stem from offline ads – people see and ad in a newspaper or magazine and then search that topic on the Internet.

As such, aside from your URL, print ads today should contain product names, key words and phrases, taglines, etc. By using print ads to drive people to your website, you essentially get a twofer, benefitting from both offline and online exposure.

Bottom line: Print ads are not only a smart offline tool right now, but can become an effective part of your online strategy as well.

Today's Tip: Discover Small Business Watch has found a significant uptick in small business confidence:

• Small business confidence jumped 9.4 points from March to April and the percentage of owners who rate the economy good or excellent is the highest it has been since August 2008 — right before the collapse of the financial markets.

• 30% of small business owners say the economic climate will get better in the next six months — up from 20% in March.

Ask an Expert appears Mondays. You can e-mail Steve Strauss at: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com.And you can click here to see previous columns. Steven D. Strauss is a lawyer, author and speaker who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. His latest book is The Small Business Bible. You can sign up for his free newsletter, "Small Business Success Secrets!" at his website —www.mrallbiz.com.