Newspaper Classifieds Are Old News

Using newspaper classifieds to advertise a product or service has far more disadvantages than advantages. The fact is that most people these days are using the Internet to research purchases and desired services at a far greater rate, than looking in the newspaper classifieds for these same items. The Internet gives you many different analytical tools to research and design your ad campaign, something which you can not do with the same ease using newspaper classifieds. Here I will explain some of the main advantages and disadvantages of using newspaper classified ads, as well as make recommendations for replacing this method.

One of the main advantages to newspaper classifieds is that it can be easier to target a specific geographic area, since newspapers are typically delivered to a large amount of people in a specific region. The other advantage is that you have flexibility to choose where your ad appears in the newspaper. This can help because you have the ability to strategically place your ad in a way that catches a readers eye. However when you use the Internet, you have a lot of optimization work to do in order to strategically place the ad to be displayed in a specific region.

The biggest disadvantage you face with newspaper classifieds is the cost. Placing ads in newspaper classifieds is expensive. You are charged a fairly expensive fee for a space in the newspaper. On top of that, newspaper classifieds offer no analytics. What this means is that you have no way to know if your ad is effective aside from sales. You don't know who is actually looking at your ad either. Another disadvantage to newspaper classifieds is the fact that your ad is placed in the same location as your competition. It's not a very efficient advertising technique due to this. With traditional advertising methods like the newspaper classifieds, you are faced with the fact that you must send your ad to a lot of people, and the majority of these people have no desire to purchase your product or service.

The Internet, however, steps in nicely and turns these disadvantages into advantages. There are a lot of advertising techniques using the web that are free. Since the advertising is free, you don't have to worry about the time frame in which your ad is available. You can post your ad on the Internet, and leave it there permanently or for as long as it is relevant. You can also post as many ads as you want, targeting as many different niches. Using the Internet, you have a vast array of research tools available to you. With these tools, you can research what people are looking for and what the competition is for the keywords you have chosen. When you have the proper tools to research, you can design and strategically plan your advertising campaign.

Newspapers, in general, are slowly becoming obsolete as more and more readers choose to read their news online. Likewise, newspaper classified advertising is decreasing as more and more marketers are turning towards advertising on the Internet instead. The Internet continues to grow in size and offers the greatest flexibility. The Internet offers a global audience, thus allowing your free advertising to allow you to profit immensely. Before you place your next ad, take a look at what the Internet has to offer in terms of marketing and advertising, and weigh your cost analysis between the two marketing methods.