“Does advertising really pay, though?”
This is a phrase I have been hearing a lot more lately since I became a fixture within the newspaper industry and to simply answer the question, yes, it does pay. Now I know some of you are thinking, why pay for advertising when we can put it online for free?
I was recently at a first-time event, where they had originally just advertised for free on Facebook. Our local newspaper reached out to organizers of the event, asking if they would be interested in placing an advertisement, where they decided to advertise for a couple of weeks. Now, because this was the first time an event like this was held, I took it upon myself to ensure I was available to cover the day.
When I was chatting with the organizers, they did say there were some struggles in getting participants to sign up. However, once the advertising kicked in, they had more people contacting them. The group was told they would be lucky if they had no more than five or 10 people show up, yet they had more than 40 participants because of the advertising.
“But Azure, the price of advertising is expensive.”
Yes, the price has gone up over the years, but look around you, the price of everything has gone up significantly over the years. The price you are paying is not only for ink on paper, but it is to pay the person who is creating the advertisement for you and for the other staff that have a hand in making sure you get what you pay for.
Now, I am not saying everything needs to be advertised. There is a time and a place for promoting yourself, your business or your event. It is up to you, the consumer, to decide what works within your budget. Thankfully, the advertising department has ways to work with you.
I have gone to a wide range of activities in my short time here at the newspaper, and the people I have met so far are amazing. The stories I have heard are second to none and it is always great to see good outcomes. I enjoy learning something new, meeting interesting folks and travelling to various communities and I look forward to joining you at your next event.
