September 24, 2014
3 Ideas for those thinking of stopping print ads in 2015
3 Ideas for those thinking of stopping print ads in 2015
There’s a website that keeps track of all the newspapers that have shut down across the nation.
Hundreds of community and subscription based newspapers have gone out of business or are in the process of going out of business. If they didn’t have a digital strategy to fight the losses in subscription and classified ads – they are forced to closed down. This may result in grocers losing an important source of ad distribution. Are you prepared or preparing?
If you’re thinking about dropping printed ads that are distributed in newspapers, you need to begin your planning now .
It’s time to have a plan in place for a future migration to digital and you need to prepare a simple path from print to digital
First of all, if you’re interested, we can prepare a “print to digital migration plan” for your stores and help you each step of the migration. Just call me and we can discuss ways we can help. You only have one chance at getting a migration right and for those looking for some guidance and help with a strategy, we can work with you on a plan. It’s not inexpensive but if you’re not prepared for a migration it will cost more to get “back on track” then it will cost to get some help from the start.
But the reality is that you really don’t need anyone’s help to plan a migration. You just need to plan the event carefully and execute flawlessly.
In the process will will need to focus on these three items:
1. Explain to your customers why you’re stopping print ads. Don’t let them guess why the printed ads have stopped.
2. Aggressively promote how you’ll be promoting your ads and promotions once your print ads stop. There’s only one chance to make that first great impression on your new marketing programs.
3. Step up your “non print” promotions at least 90 days before the date of your “stop print ads” date. No “flipping the switch” and expecting your customers to understand.
Ideas for positioning a move to non-print ads
Why are you stopping print ads?
You need to honesty approach this question with your current shoppers and explain that you’re not stopping ads…… you’re stopping the printing and distribution on the ads. You’re going to offer more promotions in different delivery methods than a newspaper or printed insert and it will be more beneficial to your customers.
Some ideas to consider for these communications which you should address in your print ads, eBlasts and other communication tools:
1. We care about the environment. Don’t go overboard with “We’re going green” to a point that your customers will wonder why you’ve stopped printing ads but you haven’t addressed other environmental concerns in your store.
By positioning the shift from print ads you can position it as “we’re moving in a greener approach to our business and an important first step is eliminating hundreds of thousands of printed pages that require significant energy to process trees, fuel paper pulp plants, consume vast water resources, chemical ink supplies, electricity for printing presses, warehouses for the paper, fuel for transporting the ads to those that eventually deliver the ads to your customers mailboxes.
You’re not going “totally green” in your stores but this is a significant first step in the right direction.
The new methods used to deliver your promotions and ads without print ads include email and website delivery to your customers. You’ll be able to provide more promotions more quickly and in a more environmentally-friendly way.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT “paint yourself into a corner” by proudly proclaiming that your store will NEVER print ads again. On the contrary. You may be very well served to print an ad for special events – like Holidays, Anniversary Sales or other events. Don’t jump on and off the environmental bandwagon or you’ll lose credibility with your customers.
Simply state that you are not printing and distributing print ads every week.
How are you going to promote your ads in the future?
2. With your more aggressive advertising and promotional offerings. In a printed ad you’re restricted to a certain number of advertised items based on the amount of printed space available in printed ads. Typically you could have just one ad per weekdue to the printing and mail distribution process.
Now you can promote with no limits on space because the primary delivery vehicle of your promotional ads will be internet based. The frequency of your ads will have no limits as well.
You no longer have an ad that always is distributed on the same day each week. You’ve got more flexibility to run multiple ads if you wish.
You will still have advertised items clearly signed in your store(s) just as you always have in the past.
However, it’s critical for your customers to provide their email addresses to your store so you can email them all the special offerings. Reinforce that your customers can “opt out” at any time and that you do NOT sell or provide any email addresses to any other party.
How does the migration process begin?
3. Step up your “non print” promotional advertising a minimum of 90 days in advance of your “stop date” on printed ads. Here’s the area that most stores fail in their migration from print to “non print” advertising. They “flip the switch” on printed ads and discover two important items the hard way:
a. Customers assume the store isn’t advertising anymore so nothing is “on sale”.
b. Customers don’t understand how they can be alerted to what is “on sale” because you haven’t communicated with them on the alternatives they have to be notified of ads and promotions.
Here’s a very simple way to “get the word out” prior to your conversion date:
a. Dedicate space in your print ads to explain how customers can get the ads online on your website AND how they can signup on your website to get the ads emailed each week.
b. Store signage: Place signs around your “store copies” stand so that customers will know that print ads will eventually go away.
c. Cashier involvement: Your cashiers are your best way to communicate with your customers. The two messages they need to deliver include: 1) Have you signed up for our eBlasts and weekly ads via email? and 2) We will be distributing our ads via email and on our website beginning “x” date.
Make absolutely sure the items you’re promoting in your eBlasts are absolutely the best values. If you select “mediocre” items during the migration process —- you’ll lose customers. Go the extreme-value route so your customers appreciate the offers and they decide to “FaceBook Like” and “Forward to a Friend” these red hot deals to their friends.
Keep in mind that if you need some help and guidance to plan out a future migration, we’re just a call away.
Have a great week!
