In one of the greater ironies of the internet age, Google -- bane of ink-stained media -- now offers a super easy way to buy and manage newspaper ads in hundreds of U.S. cities, from major metro dailies to small local papers. Buy space in just one paper, or hundreds covering 32 of America's top 35 DMAs (designated market areas).
Sure, America's youth scoff at traditional newspapers. But 50% of educated and affluent adults still read 'em, and newspapers remain the #1 source of local news. Google Print Ads makes creating, managing and tracking local newspaper ads easier than ever -- especially for small and mid-sized businesses that manage print ads themselves.
Buying print space is time consuming, and trying to coordinate a multi-city campaign is, well, a royal pain. A few things to know about the Google Print Ads program:
1) You select the newspapers you want, enter a bid for available space and upload your ads. Pricing is offer-based, not auction based, so the bid you make for space might not be accepted. Publishers can approve, decline or counteroffer your bid.
2) You use a single online interface to create multi-publication campaigns and receive one monthly invoice from Google for whatever you do.
3) You only need to upload your ad once for multiple newspapers, and you will receive electronic tearsheets of the published pages where you ad appeared.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
See a list of participating newspapers
Google has signed up hundreds of newspapers for you to choose from, in nearly every corner of the nation.
I recommend: A
full list of participating newspapers (pdf) is available at the Google Print Ads website. The list is alphabetical by DMA, and includes daily and Sunday circulation figures for each paper, along with DMA rank.
Watch an online demo of how it works
It's an animated slide show about 4 minutes long and is a great way to see quickly how the program works and the potential benefits to your business.
I recommend: The
Google Print Ads (GPA) demo is also reachable from the main
GPA web page.
Why newspaper ads at all?
If your business has never used newspaper ads, there's a case to be made for why you should consider it.
I recommend: See the facts on the
power of newspaper advertising, and its potential place in your marketing and media mix. For example, on an average Sunday, 57% of U.S. adults read a newspaper -- more than watch the Super Bowl. Readers tend to be highly educated and affluent, have higher internet penetration and shop online more often.
Review the steps to building a newspaper campaign
These six steps can put you in the game.
I recommend: Here's the
step-by-step on how the Google Print Ads program works. Throughout the process, actual Google representatives are available to answer your questions and help you build an effective newspaper advertising campaign.
Check case histories of businesses using GPA
The Google Print Ads site offers highly-detailed profiles of many businesses that are successfully using the program.
I recommend: See
capsule profiles of GPA users, and click the "read more" links under individual companies to view the results in greater detail.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Remember that newspapers will accept -- or decline -- you bid based on factors like day-of-week, desired newspaper section, pre-established industry standards and available inventory.
- Newspaper ads can be great for announcing sales and promotions, branding, targeting regional audiences and generating leads.
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