Out With the Old…
Is Print Advertising Dead?
Let’s first focus on newspaper advertising.
Like Yellow Pages advertising, print publications such as newspapers are seeing a sizable decline in market share.
However, it’s also worth noting that not everyone is favoring new media (online) over traditional print materials (print).
Surprisingly, newspaper Help Wanted sections still attract viewership; otherwise, companies would no longer advertise. But they do! We’re seeing ads from companies that still advertise job openings in local papers, although those ads likely don’t reach the exact audience they once did.
An ad strategically placed near the help-wanted ads COULD reap a few inquiries.
3 Key Notables About Newspaper Ads:
1. Newspaper advertisements can be in-column or display ads, somewhat similar to YP ads.
2. Plain text and in-column ads will be 30-40 characters wide and can be several inches in length.
3. More sophisticated in-column ads may include pictures, graphics, and/or a company logo, which could cost you an extra fee.
How much does newspaper advertising cost?
Weekly advertising rates range from $100 to $200 for one or two inches of advertising space.
The time of year can also affect your advertising investment, especially in the latter part of the year, when companies increase their print advertising budgets in preparation for Black Friday and holiday sales.
Example of a simple text ad for a newsletter:
RESUME SERVICES
Affordable resume and
cover letter writing by
skilled writer. M/V/D
Weekend appts avail.
Call 555-9138
Online Too
Most newspapers publish their content online as well, so advertisements displayed in print are likely to be displayed on the publisher’s website as well, providing additional exposure to your company.
Thankfully, online advertising isn’t as restrictive, meaning a multi-color advertisement with your company logo can be easily included. A color advertisement may also be available for the print publication, though you will expect a much higher advertising fee.
Is print advertising worth your time and money?
Maybe. Resume writers no longer favor print advertising; instead, they focus on new media promotions that leverage online networking and content marketing.
If you do choose print advertising, plan on spending a fair amount of time with trial and error before discovering real returns (or losses) when dealing with this type of promotion.
What About Magazine Advertising?
Website Magazine is a prime example that what you hear about magazine declines isn’t true for everyone.
Published for many years and still going strong, Website Magazine produces and mails a free print magazine several times a year, despite significant declines in readership for specific magazines and newspapers.
What will also surprise you is that Website Magazine‘s readership consists of hardcore online business marketers; individuals you would expect to avoid print publications in favor of getting the magazine on Kindle.
Advertising in magazines may be a viable option for your resume-writing business.
Rates for magazine advertising are generally higher than those charged by newspapers, primarily because a magazine is published in full color.
You will be required to provide a camera-ready image of your print ad, along with a graphic (e.g., PNG or GIF) for the online version of the magazine. This means, in all likelihood, that you will need to hire a graphic designer to handle this for you, unless you have the creative skills to do it on your own.
What Other Print Publications Are Out There?
Have you seen the Coffee News (it may be called something different in your area), distributed in countless restaurants and fast-food establishments?
You’ve probably seen them in display cases just as you enter a retail or food establishment. A legal-sized, two-sided publication offering horoscopes, trivia, funny stories, and other fast facts that make it a must-read for many.
Advertisers support these publications, so placing a business-card-sized ad can be an affordable way to attract the right level of business.
Costs for a weekly ad run around $50, depending on the publisher, target market, and publication’s viewership.
Another resource for uncovering print advertising opportunities is the local Chambers of Commerce.
Call the local Chambers to inquire about upcoming publications and newsletters that offer paid advertising to area businesses.
You’ll be amazed at how friendly and business-centric Chamber reps are. They don’t mind spending ample time giving you tips, resources, and leads. They will also point you to other organizations in the area worth exploring.
Business journals, magazines, and newsletters also provide print advertising opportunities.
Don’t overlook the advertising opportunities that arise from business expositions, Rotary events, luncheons/socials, and other professional settings.
In With The New…
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Google AdWords (https://adwords.google.com), Yahoo! Advertising (http://advertising.yahoo.com), and Microsoft Advertising (http://advertising.microsoft.com) offer similar pay-per-click (PPC).
The premise of service is fundamental.
Place an online ad on a PPC network like Google or Yahoo!; visitors click to your website from said ad; you pay for the clicks.
The real attraction to PPC is the ability to place an ad in the morning and begin drawing leads and closing clients by the afternoon.
Ad delivery is almost immediate, placing your ad before millions of eyes within a matter of hours — so when looking for ways to get business within a short time, look no further than pay-per-click services.
Upfront, know PPC advertising can get expensive; ease and convenience come with a price.
Advertisers are forking out more than $3.00 per click for keyword phrases such as “resume writer” and “executive resume writer”.
For a mere 10 hits daily, you’re looking at a $30 per day advertising budget, or around $900 per month (based on 30 days).
Of course, you could go with a slightly more affordable option, such as sales resume writers or accountant resume writers, which is something to consider when price constraints exist.
With the top three, where’s the best place to put your advertising dollars?
No surprise here … Google.
It’s no secret that Google has a much larger audience than the other two, making it the better choice for PPC advertising. Though keep in mind that you will “pay” for that added exposure.
For a basic tutorial on how Google AdWords works, check out “How It Works” here:
Why PPC Advertising Can Be Good
Those in our industry with the know-how can identify small keyword niches at a fraction of the PPC cost. For example, targeting long-tail keyword phrases, such as “Miami Resume Writer for Techies,” can be fruitful.
Another benefit of PPC advertising is the speed at which you can launch your advertising campaign. With a few clicks of a mouse, you could have a PPC campaign live in a matter of minutes or hours.
PPC advertising platforms, such as Google, allow you to further fine-tune your ads by targeting specific time of day and geographic locations (e.g., New York City or Los Angeles).
5 Reasons to Avoid PPC Advertising
First, hands down, paying for clicks can be astonishingly expensive. It’s not uncommon for resume writers to pay $2.00 to $5.00 or more for a single click.
This means even the most liberal daily advertising budget can be consumed in minutes or hours. This can be scary for a just-starting-out resume writer.
Second, unlike established resume-writing firms, you may not have the cold, hard cash to compete with larger, more established resume-writing firms.
You may have heard the adage that “whoever can spend the most to acquire a customer wins.” If your budget is lightweight, then you will already be at a disadvantage.
Third, PPC ads need to say big, actionable things within a very tiny space. For example, Google AdWords limits the ad headline to 25 characters, line two to 35, and line three to 35.
This can be significant pressure. Trying to convince someone to click on your ad when you have so little space to do it!
Fourth, what you won’t hear advertising and marketing firms announce is that MOST of their advertising efforts flop. Generally, 8 out of 10 promotional campaigns generate no return.
Companies with large promotional budgets dismiss these statistics because they can afford to. For small resume writers like you and me, these stats can be devastating and unacceptable.
This means that if you go it alone with your PPC campaign, you can expect significant financial losses as you split-test your ads until you find the “sweet spot” ad that generates a profit.
Fifth, adding to the challenge of PPC advertising is that getting a click is only half the battle. You then need to convert some of those clicks to cover advertising costs. Also, don’t forget that you will experience fraud with your PPC campaign; e.g., competitors will click on your PPC ads, and others who have absolutely no intention of purchasing your product or services, yet feel compelled to click anyway.
WordStream offers some details on what individuals spend on Google AdWords:
For example, the “average small business spends between $9,000 and $10,000 per month on their Google paid search campaigns.”
There are less expensive alternatives, such as Yahoo! and Microsoft Advertising.
As mentioned above, each has a smaller audience, though it can cost half as much per click as Google’s PPC.
Google AdWords Swipe File [Download]
