Recently I wrote an article on ways to leave your stamp offline, without going too much into the obvious print advertising option, but a study conducted by the Magazine Publishers of America inspired me to write this article for WebProNews. 
People seemed to take some interest in this article over the weekend, so I thought, why not tackle the subject for my loyal SmallBusinessNewz readers?
The study found that print ads that contain URLs are up to three times as likely to drive readers to a company's website than ads that don't include them.
It seems obvious that an ad with a URL would inspire more web traffic than one without, but...
Are you including one in your print ads?
If your answer is yes, then good for you. Is you domain name up to par though? Is it easy for a reader to remember in between the time they are reading the magazine/newspaper/etc. and when they sit down to get online? I believe the URL itself can play an important role in whether or not readers act upon it.
If your answer is no, then why not? Perhaps you don't have a website, and perhaps if you do, it's not really ready for primetime, which is a problem that should obviously be addressed before you promote it heavily. Maybe it just hasn't occurred to you. Maybe your site is really just another advertisement so you don't see the point.
Your site should be more than an ad for your site. You should really be offering your goods/services online if you aren't already.
Another URL Tactic
Back to the actual URL for a moment. It pays to have a memorable one, but another strategy to use that Helen Leggatt at BizReport suggests is to use a different URL for each campaign, or possibly each publication. As an example, she cites a recent Burger King campaign which uses the domain haveityourway.com which redirects to bk.com, but hits a different landing page than the company's regular burgerking.com.
This brings up another point, which was also raised in a comment on the WebProNews article. Using specific landing pages within your site that directly correspond with your campaign can also inspire action. If a reader sees that it is not just your homepage, which they have possibly been to before, it might peak their curiosity and inspire them to see just what you have in store for them.
If you advertise in print publications, I'd be curious to hear about your campaigns, particularly whether or not they include URLs and what kinds of landing page strategies you use. Please share in the comments.
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Comments
Print Ad Tracking - Good Tip
Hi Chris - Thanks for sharing that great advice! I work for a website that deals exclusively with print advertising - and we try to emphasize to the direct-response businesses that use us to buy print ads the importance of tracking response in determining which publications are delivering the most value. Many of the businesses we work with are trying to drive traffic online- and we always recommend inserting some sort of tracking mechanism - a unique URL or promo code - for visitors to enter for registration or checkout. For businesses looking for offline response we recommend inserting a unique 800#. I will pass these URL/print advertising tips along. Thanks!
RE: Print ad tracking - good tip
Some Europeans Think Differently!
Hi Chris
Very useful post, thanks. I am a Brit SEO writer in Italy and part of my work involves marketing for Italian companies. Even within Europe it is amazing how attitutes differ! Many Italians would still rather pick up the phone than look at a website and assume other nationalities think the same. Therefore they often just include their address and phone number in print ads. I have often had to point out that British and American potential customers would far rather check something out online than 'commit' by calling, so it is vital to add a URL as well as a phone number.
All the best
Fiona
RE: Some Europeans
That is interesting information. I had not heard that before, but I would say there are many Americans that would rather use the phone as well, so including that is never a bad idea either.
Etched in your memory forever.
A large percentage of online searches are not using "keywords" at all. They are "phrases,sentences and more importantly thoughts" Ie: How can I sell my inventory?
The browser search bar is evolving into a medium to ask questions.This will be the "next generation" of search inquires. So when a potential customer sees your offline advertisment and your URL is memorable,the outcome is inevitable.
JMHO
http://www.sellmyinventory.com
RE: etched in your memory forever
Creating a separate url for
Creating a separate url for each add has to be the way forward, it can help big time with monitoring which ads work.
RE: Creating a separate URL for...
print url's
We have included a link in our print ads. How do you know that a potential client is calling because of that print ad or because they found you online though? I think it is a good idea to have the print ad link go to a landing page also. What we have done is create a specials page on our site that is always updated and then when we hand out coupons or other advertising materials it goes to that link where we also have the same ad we handed out. For example it would be somewhat of a landing page like this. http://www.360scenes.tv/specials.php As I'm writing this I just thought about something else and why not put a contact form on that landing page also? So that you know for sure that inquiries are coming from that specific page from your url print. Or is there something easier?
RE: Print URL's
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