[terrymaloy]

For the past 12 years, I have been advertising my services in the free weekly newspaper for my town.
Its delivered to approx 22,000 homes free every Thursday.
I've just found out it is no longer going to be delivered free, but you can purchase it for 30p every Thurs from your local newsagent 

I spend around £100 per month on my ad, and if I'm being honest the work I get from it barely breaks even.
Somehow I dont think 22000 people are going to rush to buy the weekly local rag 

Should I scrap it ?
What gets my back up is the newspaper didnt inform me of the change...I only found out when I enquired as it wasnt getting delivered !!

[William McCafferty]

Phone them up and say you want to cancel the ad unless they give you a discount

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Terry

If you are only breaking even now it woukd be best to quit.

Thats £1200 per annum you could spend on say parish magazines,

Cheers

Doug

[wynne jones]

You have some leverage to get a discount, if you are thinking of dropping it at least try to get a great deal.

Now, it does seem on the face of it that the response will be lower, but you don't know that unless you wait and see.

You might find it is a better rag attracting better customers. I would give it a go and if it turns out the same or better than before just don't tell the paper. If it's worse dump it after a month or so.

[wayne zabel]

Ive given up on newspapers,and it seems so have other CC in my area.

I advertised in them but gave up about 12 months ago.I was contacted by them about 3 months ago and was offered an advert at twice the size and half the price as I was a former advertiser.

I gave it a go but got 2 jobs in 2 months!!!

The same offer was given to 2 other guys and tey have also now dropped out,it would appear that those that buy papers these days dont buy to look at adverts.

I get a far better response from my £118 a year box in Thomson Local.

[Tony Gill Carpet Smart]

Try to do a deal with them ie six insertions for price of four or something along those lines and give it a go for a couple of months if no good kick it into touch not a lot to loose.

Cheers Tony

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

bin it , i binned my ad in my local rag its was costing me a 100 a week

[The Carpet Cleaning Pro]

Rather than considering stopping the add... why not consider changing the advert and make it more appealing. Something to get them to ring. You need to look at every type of advertising in a differnt way and try to maximise its potential.

[Mike Halliday]

if it barely breaks even then they could offer you a 50% discount and it still would not be worth doing.

an advert that cost £100 ,,, if it makes a £100 then you have made a loss because it cost you money to do those jobs to earn that £100,

 a £100 advert that make £200 is still not worth doing

[Craigp]

I was thinking similar, if it's only breaking even why do it for 12 years? lol.

I think you should look for x4 return or better.

[JandS]

I pay £322 inc VAT for 10 week stints in my local papers.
It goes to 6 large towns and is the same paper and format
with just a different towns name on the front, and news
relevant to that town.
I get roughly £200 ish per week from it so it's just about
feasible but when I first took it out 4 years ago was double
that.
I keep thinking of ditching it but as the wife says a lot of
older people don't have a computer and there the ones
with the money.
Love it when they say do you do discount for pensioners
so I usually knock a fiver off. Then you Google the house
and it's a detached bungalow the size of Southfork Ranch.
Oh and top of the range 4 x 4 in the drive.

John

[Tony Gill Carpet Smart]

Ok so lets say it is paying for its self  The customers you get from it in turn might recommend their friends so you get a knock on affect still worth doing in my opinion.

Cheers Tony

[Mike Halliday]

you've got to have deep pockets to base your marketing on what customers might do

for that theory to work they would have to recommend 3 friends who spend as much as them to make it profitable,,,,,would you say all your customers reccomend 3 friend?

the idea that advertising doesn't need to pay for itself as you get your profits from their recommends is the biggest  con sold by 'marketing gurus'

[Tony Gill Carpet Smart]

No Mike based my obsevations on the basis the ad was paying for its self so worth carrying on with at the moment in my opinion

Cheers Tony

[terrymaloy]

Thanks for your comments.
To update : I spoke to head of advertising yesterday. My current ad runs till the end of June, he has offered 2 weeks free taking the ad into the middle of July.
Will see what the response is and take it from there...
Cheers,
Terry

[Steve Chapman]

I would spend the money on google Adwords, you'll get a much better return


Steve