Magazine Advertising

[HFE Signs]

Hi Folks,

Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on magazine advertising? Historically, for several years, we've done 1/4 page adverts in various sectors but they seem to perform less now than ever before - it is difficult to track so we tried promotional codes and the results were very poor.

We are primarily using digital advertising across all the usual platforms, just thinking if it may be time to drop the magazines now.

Has anyone got any information to share about this?

Thanks in advance

 

[fisicx]

Depends on what you are selling and to whom.

I get a classic car mag each month. Loads of adverts for car parts, car clubs, restoration companies, insurance and so on. I’ve used a number of the advertiser’s services.

 

[WaveJumper]

The biggest problem with magazine and even newspaper advertising for that matter is reach, they just don't have the circulation figures they once had. Unless like above you subscribe maybe to a specialist mag, where are you going to advertise. Myself heavily into powerboats and I can't tell you last time I bought a magazine its either direct to manufactures website and news updates or following manufactures on social media

 

[cjd]

For generic products where there's a lot of competition magazine advertising is pretty useless. If you have a product specific to a sector - say greenhouses - you may get more interest from a good advert in a gardening mag. Or if you're a local business offering a local service taking a half page in neighbourhood magazines seems to work - and it's cheap.

We find that most forms of traditional advertising are useless though. We've experimented a lot over the last 18 months. By far the most effective has been improving our website, getting what google wants right and doing very low-spend google ads. (Our advisor tells me that without doing the ads, you'll find it hard to get on page #1 - that sounds like the usual google mythology to me but it seems to work. Of course, when you make a lot of changes, it's never really possible to work out what's working.)

We've had limited success with social media but if you can find ways of doing it very cheaply, it does provide some new business.

Recommendation is still our biggest driver of new customers though, good products and good service gets you recommended.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I think the key point here isn't the medium itself, but what's changed.

Stating with any stats the publishers provide on warranted circulation and readership.

Then look at the nature / tone of the content - the significance of advertising will be directly linked to the content.

The broader point of promotion is the universal theme of marketing - where do your customers go to consume information? That will differ for every business.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

In my experience of running themed events, local press advertising is no longer working.

Just run an event at the weekend and press advertised for the first time in a year. Did nothing for attendance.

 

[DontAsk]

Just run an event at the weekend and press advertised for the first time in a year. Did nothing for attendance.

How do you know?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Offered a ticket promo (2-4-1) which used to get hundreds of people take up - 0 this time!

Also, attendance has been pretty flat for the past year plus and any obvious increase would have been noticeable!

 

[DontAsk]

The economy is very different to 12 months ago. Attendance could be up, down or flat for a whole host of reasons. Single people may still have seen the ad and decided to attend (no use for a 2-4-1).

 

[WaveJumper]

@HFE Signs some interesting reading for you over your coffee today:

Magazine ABCs for 2022: Full breakdown of print and digital circulations

UK magazine circulations 2022: The latest ABC data for 2022 including a full sector-by-sector breakdown, with print and digital.

pressgazette.co.uk

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

@HFE Signs some interesting reading for you over your coffee today:

Magazine ABCs for 2022: Full breakdown of print and digital circulations

UK magazine circulations 2022: The latest ABC data for 2022 including a full sector-by-sector breakdown, with print and digital.

pressgazette.co.uk

There's some interesting stats in there...

Radio Times - a must have back in the 60's onwards, still going strong!

I had to smile at the title of the best selling Sports Magazine -'Shooting and Conservation'?, which outperforms second placed 'Today's Golfer' with 4 times their circulation.

Overall, in most categories, circulation of the top two or three titles significantly outperform the rest of the field.

 

[Byzantium]

Specialist subject in a niche market ? perhaps.

A general publication with random adverts ? No.

Print is dead, let it rest.

 

[fisicx]

Print is dead, let it rest.

Some print is dead. Some is still very popular and an excellent source of leads.

What happens to those leads however is a different discussion. Many leads are wasted because the target website or whatever isn’t designed for conversion.

I worked with a business who advertised in a niche magazine. They got website visits but few sales. Once the site was fixed they were converting about 50% of all leads.

 

[Byzantium]

Some print is dead. Some is still very popular and an excellent source of leads.

What happens to those leads however is a different discussion. Many leads are wasted because the target website or whatever isn’t designed for conversion.

I worked with a business who advertised in a niche magazine. They got website visits but few sales. Once the site was fixed they were converting about 50% of all leads.

Every single person who peddles snake oil in the world of SEO, websites and Google Ads says the same.

The opposition has it all wrong, I'm right or even worse, to paraphrase Orwell, all website people are right but some website people are more right than others.

 

[fisicx]

Not really sure what you are alluding to. Optimising a website to maximise conversations is a marketing exercise in the same way an advert, poster, flyer and anything else needs to be crafted.

Whilst I agree there are dodgy providers of services, there are an equal number who are very good at what they do.

Or are you suggesting that everyone is not to be trusted and marketing is something anyone can do!