Many businesses like to advertise in local newspapers, in some cases it can have a good effect on the business by making them more known within local areas. Newspapers are always aimed at a certain market, for example, free magazines like Metro are aimed at commuters, so they are usually found in train stations, metro, etc. This level of targeting is good for the newspaper, but is it good for you, the advertiser? In this article we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using leaflet distribution over newspaper advertising.

First, targeting. A brochure is aimed more at newspapers. A newspaper can be aimed at everyone in a local area, which is fine if your business serves the entire local area. But with brochures you can target specific areas. For example, a business wants to advertise its loft conversion offer, therefore it could post its brochures through the doors of houses that would be suitable for a loft conversion. Doesn’t it make sense to advertise that service to a block of flats exists? Another benefit of using brochures is that very few people will choose the newspaper and look for a builder who can do their loft conversion, with brochures the reader can see that you offer loft conversions and even though they may never have looked at you before, your brochure could be a push they need to start looking for a loft conversion.

Another reason why leaflet distribution is better than newspaper advertising is its USP. With brochures, you have an A5-size sheet of paper in front of the reader that you can use to promote your unique selling point. With a brochure, you can put your PVU at the top, which research suggests you have 3 seconds to engage the reader, therefore having it at the top means you are more likely to grab readers’ attention. When, as with newspaper advertising, your ad is likely to be surrounded by other ads from other companies, they sometimes advertise all companies in categories, meaning that your ad will be next to another company that can deliver exactly the same service as you, this is unlikely to happen with brochures.

Newspaper advertising can also be much more expensive than leaflet distribution, some newspapers charge tens of thousands of pounds to appear on the first page, this can be seen by, say, 50,000 readers, and leaflet distribution would cost approximately one thousand seven hundred pounds.