Message Outlets: Getting to Consumers Where It Counts
There may be buzz about blogs and talk about twitters, but don’t forget some everyday outlets that still have powerful reach to your target audience.
Suburban Newspapers
Revenues may be falling at the big newspapers, but many smaller papers are doing quite well. Reaching consumers through their hometown papers gets your message right where they live. Read the Fine Print: Smaller Newspapers Still Thriving.
A Gallup & Robinson survey for the Newspaper National Network showed that a newspaper’s food section is still important to readers
- 88% are interested in recipes
- 81% are interested in cooking tips
- 65% always consult the food section before shopping
Pitching your message to smaller publications is all about story. This article from the Daily Dog shows you how to get the ink you need.
Storytelling Secrets for PR: Seven Ways to Win Ink in Regional Feature Pages.
Specials
Newspaper special sections and niche publications can put articles about your products into the hands of people with specific interests.
The City and Regional Magazine Association has this to say:
“Despite a fear that younger readers are going online for information, there are more niche publications today than in the mid-1960s, according to Samir Husni a University of Mississippi journalism professor. Only 10% of magazines published today are general interest – down from 30% just 20 years ago. Rather than shooting for 1 million readers, publishers now target niche publications for a circulation of 10,000. Click here for details in the Journal Star "
Custom publishing
A national survey for the Custom Publishing Council (CPC) by Roper Public Affairs found that 85% of people say that if they are going to get information from a company, they’d prefer to get it in an interesting collection of articles, rather than an ad.
Read more: “Americans’ Relationship with Custom Publications and the Companies that Provide Them.”
Free Newsletters are a great way to communicate with consumers. To make sure your newsletters are effective, keep these 10 tips from Biz Report in mind: Newsletters: What’s in it for them?
Other Resources
At the Direct Marketing Association's recent Catalog on the Road Day in Cambridge, MA, speakers shared their ideas on cost-effective ways to build bonds (and sales) with existing customers and prospects. Straight Advice for Tough Times.
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