A number of SME’s, startups and small sized companies face the challenge of planning a good magazine advertising campaign as generally they cannot afford the financial burden of hiring a good reputed advertising agency. This post will surely help one to plan magazine advertising and understand d certain magazine advertising strategies.
A lot of questions hinder on one’s mind while planning a magazine advertising campaign among which the most fundamental question around which everything relies is – Which magazine must I choose? Which magazine is the most suitable for my brand?
Normally the most cliché decision that planners take is choose the highest circulated magazine of the product’s category. Example: If the product is a premium real estate villa, the planner will simply choose the highest circulated real estate magazine and would also weigh the pricing among the top magazines in this category and would choose a magazine which would best fit in the budget of the client. This does not work in present times and is not the best way to select the mist suitable magazine.
Let’s take you through step by step of how to plan a magazine advertising campaign:
1- A check of the following Attributes of the Magazine
The attributes below will help you plan magazine advertising and build magazine advertising strategies.
Language – Will help you understand the language of the magazine’s readers.
Frequency – Will help you understand the periodicity of the magazine (Weekly, Monthly etc)
Area Covered – Will help you understand the extent of its reach in a city or a country
Circulation – Will help you understand the number of magazine copies printed per issue
Readership – Will help you understand the total reach of the magazine per issue
Category – Will help you understand the genre of the magazine
Cover Price – Will help you understand how much the magazine costs if one were to buy it
IRS Certified – Will help you understand if this magazine is certified by the Indian Readership Survey. Assuring that the readership numbers provided are true and accurate
2- Understanding the Magazine’s Audience
The attributes below will help you plan magazine advertising and build magazine advertising strategies.
Readership Profile
Gender – Will help you understand the majority readers of the magazine are male/female or if it is a neutral magazine
Income – Will help you understand under which Socio Economy Class the readers of this magazine fall
Age – Will help you understand the break-up of the age of the magazine’s readers
Designation – Will help you understand the work profile of the magazine’s readers
Distribution Channels
The attributes below will help you plan magazine advertising and build magazine advertising strategies.
Newsstand – Will help you understand the number of copies of the magazine which would be available in newsstands available for sale
Subscribers – Will help you understand the number of copies of the magazine which are subscribed/paid for already. The higher the number the better as this would be guaranteed readership
Hotels/Restaurants/Hospitals – Will help you understand if the magazine is circulated elsewhere too which would add to the readership value
3- Understanding the Geographical Reach of the Magazine
The attributes below will help you plan magazine advertising and build magazine advertising strategies.
Circulation Break Up
State – Will help you understand the states in which the magazine is circulated and the total number of circulation in each state
City – Will help you understand the cities in which the magazine is circulated and the total number of circulation in each city
4- Knowing the various Media Options Available
Always ask for all the media options available under the listed below media option sections and choose the most suitable option according to your brand and budget.
Regular Options – Full Page, Half Page, Quarter Page etc
Premium Positions – Inside Front Cover, Back Cover, Centrespread etc
Innovations – False Cover, Gatefold, Belly Band etc
5- Plan your Creative/Ad Material well
Make sure the following attributes are in place before you start working on the creative:
Dimensions – Will help you create the ad material according the magazine’s size
Artwork Formats – Will help you create the ad material in the required/accepted formats by the magazine
Material Deadline – Will help you plan and get your ad material on time to submit it to the magazine’s publication
Paper Quality – Will help you understand the quality of the magazine’s pages giving details about the thickness and type of paper used.
6- Release and Life of the Magazine
On Stand Date – This is the date on which the magazine is released in the market and hits the newsstands
Shelf Life – Be sure to know the number of days the magazine is going to be on the stands.
Make sure to keep all the points mentioned above while planning magazine advertising to build efficient magazine advertising strategies. This will not only help you choose the right magazine but will also help you in executing the entire magazine advertising campaign without any hassles.
