Local Newspaper Websites Most Trusted Advertising Source
March 1, 2010
A ComScore study was released last week in which, among other findings, consumers ranked online newspapers the top source for local information (29 percent), local sports (27 percent), local entertainment (26 percent) and local classifieds (39 percent), ahead of both local television Web sites and online portals. Most relevant to restaurateurs and restaurant marketers, the participants identified local newspaper Web sites to be the most trusted source of online advertising, with ads that are perceived to be more current, credible and relevant to them. Newspapers outranked portal sites (such as AOL or Yahoo), local television websites, specialty websites and social networking sites when respondents considered the trustworthiness of the advertising available on the sites. These findings underscore a broader trend: internet users increasingly are looking to local and hyperlocal websites for information ranging from breaking news to must-visit restaurants in their city.
Local newspaper advertising is hardly groundbreaking, but while many restaurants include advertising in the newsstand version of their local papers as standard, few restaurants have added the digital equivalent to their marketing mix. In a brief review of the online versions of newspapers throughout the state of Colorado, we found that there were no restaurants currently displaying advertising on either the homepage or the food/dining/entertainment sections of these websites.
Based upon the study results, we’d recommend that restaurants consider adding local online newspaper ads (linking directly to the restaurant website) to current advertising efforts. Many newspapers will include an online version of an ad in addition to the print ad for a comparatively low cost. It’s also possible to bypass the newspaper altogether and use content advertising in Google Adwords to select specific newspapers in which to display an ad via pay-per-click campaigns. Expected benefits include increased brand recognition and trust in brand as well as increased traffic to the restaurant’s website, resulting in more diners at tables.
Have you considered or tested online newspaper ads? Give us your thoughts in the comments section!
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