Pull your print ads...

Comment

Comment by Lori Lowe on January 15, 2009 at 1:00pm

I agree with Erik that direct mail is one of the most trackable and effective mediums for reaching people who may not be online, esp when you factor in cost per reach. That is based on measuring effectiveness of clients.

Comment by Lorraine Ball on January 13, 2009 at 4:07pm

Great point. This year, i think companies need to think in terms of CALLs to ACTION, and Web 2.0 is a much stronger way to do that then tradional print.

Comment by Erik Deckers on January 13, 2009 at 1:08pm

Lori just said what I was thinking: you can't really track some forms of advertising. The best way is to use specific phone numbers or websites that are tied to a specific ad. But short of that, it's difficult to track most broadcast ads. Unfortunately, we have been sold on the idea of "building mindshare" and that's what a lot of the print and broadcast people have banked on for years.

Search engine marketing through blogging and SEO is great, but how do you reach those people who aren't online? Direct mail is the most effective then. Again it's easily tracked (via individual phone numbers/websites), but can also be targeted to specific, targeted audiences.

Comment by Raquel Richardson on January 13, 2009 at 12:17pm

Hi Lori - Very well said! You must have the right reasons to do print... and tracking processes in place to prove it's your best route.

Comment by Lori Lowe on January 13, 2009 at 12:12pm

I believe that you need custom solutions for each business rather than advocating adding or pulling one specific medium. While one company might find web solutions work most effectively, it depends on the target audience, the product or service and other information. A much older audience, for example, might not be as accessible using electronic media. When using print ads, companies should use a specific call to action and a tracking mechanism. In this way, they can better measure the effectiveness of their dollars spent.