Response rates on print advertising

[nk400]

Does anyone have any experience in print advertising, or can show any case studies on average response rates?

I have the opportunity to advertise in a national publication - not highly targetted (but then the product is financial - fairly popular and available to everyone).

However I can't find any case studies to guage the likely reponse to my ad.

The ad will be around 1/16th of an A4 page.

If anyone could help with rough figures I'd be very grateful.

cheers,

Nick

[Richard Glynn]

The response will depend on a number of factors.

But here's my four penneth.

Let me start by asking when was the last time you responded to and advert 1/16th of an A4 in size in a national publication? Personally, I haven't in thirty plus years. So a word of warning - don't be seduced by immense circulation figures! It doesn't necessarily mean an immense response.

Even if your product is available to everyone you should find ways to segment your market and personalise each marketing (advertising, PR, driect mail, whatever) message.

If budgets are a problem, prioritise and focus on the segments which are likely to yield the highest return most quickly. That means selling to the people who have most to gain from your product first.

Chances are that the media publications read by your priority market segments will offer more space for less money. Admittedly the circulation will be less but it will mean less waste too.

If you must advertise in a world bombarded with advertising messages -advertise BIG. Or not at all.

[10 Yetis]

hello hello,

As ever, Richard is spot on...
I have just left working for a top 10 financial services company in a senior PR/Marketing role so hopefully, although it always sounds like I am making it up, I will hopefully talk some sense :)

Are you advertising in the Personal Finance (PF) section of the national paper? This is where you need to be if you have a financial services (FS) product to push.

There is growing thought that the true financial decision makers in a household don't actually read the PF sections of the nationals anymore and this is evidenced by the fact that larger FS companies are putting "teaser" ads in other areas of the paper directing readers to the main ad in the PF section?

To optimise your ad response rate always try to involve some of coupon that people can mail into you for something free or some sort of discount or alike. I have mentioned this in my freeeeeeee newsletters (watch out, cheap plug coming: http://www.10yetis.co.uk/newsletter.html ), the UK public love coupons in ads... honest!

Obviously there are other factors to consider... are you using good creative for the ad, something that stands out? Have you got a nice big bold free phone number so people know where to come, and if it is a rate driven product, is it a competitive rate? All these are big factors in the response rate.

Regarding your actual question :), as in what is average response rates, it depends very much on the above info and I would say that in my experience, as part of a full campaign, i.e. ads, PR and DM, ad response rates usually weigh in quite well but again, response rates in the FS area are very much rate driven.

hope this helps.

[Kama]

We have just bought a full page print ad in a magazine that is targeted at our market.

Since we are a membership website, in the ad we have offered a special promo code for a free trial premium membership.

I do not know the response right now as the issue with the ad has not come out yet.

[ebonybailey]

what is it that you do, I may have an idea for you.

[nk400]

Thanks for the input everyone - but I really was hoping for someone with a rough figure to weigh in :D

I'm well aware that response rates vary, section of paper matters etc etc :roll:


Just hoping to get a rough handle of the sort of enquiry figures I am likely to receive.

Realise that large circulation figures are not the be all and end all, but it is a quality publication, given a fairly prominent positioning at a good cost. Thus I'm gonna give it a whirl.