Community media continue to be vitally important to the communities they serve. At least that is the conclusion of Compass24, an extensive study of community media conducted by Ads24. While aiming to uncover recent shifts in readership, demographics and spend patterns of community newspapers, the study also serves as an important tool for advertisers.

Linda Gibson, the CEO of Ads24, pointed out in an interview with Glenda Nevill how “community newspapers provide the perfect opportunity for brands to be more specific, less generic and to showcase their commitment to their customers by being present and involved in their communities.” By understanding the consumption patterns of community newspapers, advertisers are hence able to direct their investment more effectively.

The Compass24 highlights the pertaining relevance of community media, which are expected to provide a differentiated editorial offering from what readers would find in general newspapers. With their focus on local happenings, community newspapers also tend to attract readers, who do not read mainstream newspapers regularly. Although the study focused on South African market, the scale of the study, which included 72 titles, indicates a larger pattern of consumption that could be relevant to other media landscapes.

Click here to read the full article.

Newspapers Canada made a fun summary of the community newspapers survey results of 2011. Click here to view the pdf version.

Did you know that?

• Every week in Canada, over 1,000 community newspapers circulate over 19 million copies in key metropolitan areas, rural and remote regions, and all areas in between;

• Community Newspapers are able to target communities like no other medium and are often the only choice for local news and information relevant to readers in the community. They represent the neighbourhood they serve;

• The readership of community newspapers is strong - 74% of adults are reading a community newspaper every week. Furthermore, community newspapers reach 77% of women—more than any other medium—a key demographic difficult to reach with other media;

• Community Newspapers are trusted more than any other medium, 41% states that newspapers are the medium to check out ads;

• The community newspaper’s websites are delivering local information to the community and the neighbouring region at the touch of a button, they become the town square online;

If you are interested in more readership facts and wish to read the entire survey then click here to view the pdf.

According to a new study by the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF), 86% of Canadians turn to newspapers to get more product/service information, when they consider buying a new product or service.

The study also shows that traditional media, such as newspapers, is a more preferred and trusted source for product information  rather than using new media sources such as company websites, blogs and social media.

The Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF) analyzed the dynamics of influence on the shopping habits of over 1,000 adults in September 2011.

Read more about the study here.

If you are ready to place a classified ad after reading this study then click here to start placing your order. With Community Classifieds you can make use of traditional media for just a fraction of the price.

We found a very interesting article on The Epoch Times. The article outlines a few valuable facts for small business owners when they consider including community newspapers in their advertising plan:

• Readers will pass on their community newspaper to at least 2 people;
• Readers spend almost 40 minutes with the content of community newspapers;
• Expect a long shelf life;
• Best read sections contains: classifieds, local sports, shopping ads and educational & business issues impacting the community;
• Readers of community newspapers prefer to get their news via the newspaper than online;
• People who have been hit by the downturn in the economy are reading newspapers to aid in their job search.

Community newspapers could be a good fit to capture buyers of your product(s) or service(s). Community Newspapers have the latest information about the community and they inform readers of all ages.

Business owners should keep in mind the pro’s of community newspapers and the consumer’s behaviour and interests when they come to decisions regarding advertising/marketing.

Are you interested in placing a classifieds ad after reading this blog post? Then click here to generate your quote and to find out what is the best way to reach Canadians!

To read the full article, please click here.

Community newspapers are a valuable link to good news. Community newspapers mostly report about a lot of positive things happening in the community  – how churches organize fundraisers or about volunteers who are working on different projects such as school events but community newspapers also report on achievements, celebrations and reunions happening in town.

By reading the local community newspaper, people get the chance to get to know each other a little better and this can result in the community getting closer together. The community can also become stronger in their coherence and this can result in a harmonized feeling.

The fact is, the pages of community newspapers are a valuable link to good news. Weekly, dailies, non-dailies and other local publications draw the community closer together, help neighbors get to know each other a little better, promote worthy causes and raise awareness of the efforts of people, businesses and civic organizations working to make their hometowns a better place.

In a very real way, the newspaper you hold in your hand helps strengthen your community and improve your quality of life.

So make sure you stay up to date with your local community newspaper and make sure you know about all the things happening in your hometown!

Click here to read the full article.

It’s been proven time and time again that advertising in the Classifieds section of a local newspaper is a great way to reach thousands of Canadians every week. At Community Classifieds, we’ve also provided our readers with some tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of their classified ad by following some simple, yet effective, rules of thumb. What happens when people don’t follow these suggestions? What happens when people don’t read over their adverts before submitting them?

Last year we posted some examples of extremely funny classified ads and this year again we have a few funny examples of some real, printed classifieds ads throughout North America.

But remember: one of the benefits of using communityclassifieds.ca is that our specialist team can help you to construct your classified ad and double check it via phone or email before publishing. This helps to ensure that your advert won’t end up on a list such as this!

Our favourite funny classified ads:

“Dictionary and encyclopedias for sale. No longer needed. Got married last weekend. Wife knows everything.”

“We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00.”

“Illiterate? Write today for free help.”

“Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once, you’ll never go anywhere again.”

“Stock up and save. Limit: one.”

“Toaster—a gift that every member of the family appreciates. Automatically burns toast.”

“Mt. Kilimanjaro, the breathtaking backdrop for the Serena Lodge. Swim in the lovely pool while you drink it all in.”

“Vacation special—have your home exterminated.”

“Shakespeare’s Pizza. Free chopsticks.”

“Free puppies—part German shepherd, part stupid dog.”

We enjoyed reading an article from desmoinesregister.com and felt the need to share. You can read excerpts below or read the full article by clicking here.

Desmoinesregister.com on the importance and real role of community newspapers:

“Our business is about much more than putting out a newspaper every week.

Actually publishing the paper is important, but should be only a sidelight to our real role as community journalists — helping make our communities better places.

Sometimes that means promoting organizations such as the chambers of commerce, Dollars for Scholars and other groups. Sometimes it means volunteering for things like RAGBRAI or the athletic boosters. And sometimes it means shining the strong light of publicity on something the community is doing, that perhaps it shouldn’t be.

Sometimes it’s starting an ambulance service in a small town.

A community newspaper at its best is more than a collection of pages delivered to your front door every week. It’s a living, breathing entity that reflects the best and worst of a community. It applauds what is going well, and it offers ideas and critical assessment of things that could go better. It is both a reflection of the community and an impetus to improvement.”

Here’s a fun read  for sales people, ad/media buyers and other newspaper advertising professionals.

If you are familiar with sailing, you know that you can’t sail into the wind. You can sail at angles to the wind, and you can sail with the wind behind you, but it’s physically impossible to sail directly into the wind. If you try to sail too close to the wind, the boat will go “into irons.” Your forward progress will stop, the sails will flap loudly, and the boat may even move backwards.

Experienced sailors have been in irons enough times to know how to avoid it – and how to get going again, after stalling on the water. They can tell by the feel of the boat when to make adjustments in rudder and the sail. It’s all part of sailing.

Sailing and selling have a lot in common. In a sales presentation, it’s also impossible to sail directly into the wind. If your prospect is countering what you are trying to communicate, you have to adjust to the situation and change direction.

While some resistance comes in the form of clearly stated objections (“The price is too high.”), other negative reactions can be expressed in non-verbal terms (such as frowns or closed body language) or general disagreement. Here are some steps to keep in mind, as you adjust your sails:

1. Acknowledge the issue. This brings to mind the standard Feel-Felt-Found formula (“I understand how you feel. Many others felt the same way, until they found…”). While this three-step formula can be effective in addressing specific objections, it has been around for so long that many prospects have heard it hundreds of times.

Even so, the formula emphasizes the importance of getting in step with your prospect. Instead of saying “I understand how you feel,” say something like, “I understand completely that this issue is important to you.”

2. Say why you understand. This goes beyond Feel-Felt-Found – and adds depth to your response. For example, you can say, “This issue is important to you, because you want to make the best use of your budget (or another stated issue). It’s serious business to consider the possibility of re-allocating those funds.”

3. Ask for clarification. Encourage him or her to expand on the issue. Say something like, “If you don’t mind, help me better understand your ideas on this.” You can even restate the other person’s concern and ask if your impression is correct.

4. Listen carefully. This is crucial. For years, sales people have been programmed to talk. But in this case, talking is equivalent to aiming into the face of the wind. You’ll go into irons, for certain.

Drill down. Without pushing, keep probing for clarification. Sometimes, you can simply say “Hmmm” in a curious, non-threatening tone of voice.

5. Look for points of agreement. As you listen and learn, you may find that the other person’s resistance is not as much of a deal breaker as you initially thought.

By taking a non-confrontational approach, you’ll put some wind back into your sails.

(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com

The annual meeting of the World Association of Newspapers took place on Oct. 14, 2011 in Vienna, Austria. Eric Newton, Knight Foundation’s Senior Advisor to the President, held an interesting speech to the World Editors Forum. Newton talked about how digital tools improve newspapers. He elaborated on how digital journalism engages the newsroom and community to improve the content of journalism. Without a doubt, print is still very important and thriving in Canada but Newton’s speech is a great read on some contemporary discussions. Click here to read the transcript with some excerpts from Newton’s speech.

Marketingcharts.com published yesterday a very interesting article and good read on research that shows once again that newspapers are still thriving. See below an excerpt from the marketingcharts.com article or click here to read the full article and to see the charts related to the research.

Marketingcharts.com reports:

“69% of residents in areas served by a local newspaper with circulation of under 15,000 say that their local paper provides valuable local shopping and advertising information, while 81% rely on the paper for local news and information, according to a survey released in December 2011 conducted by the National Newspaper Association (NNA) and the research arm of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. 86% of respondents say their local newspaper is informative, and 3 in 4 look forward to reading it.

Ads Better in Print

Data from the “2011 Community Newspaper Readership Survey” indicates that given the choice, 8 in 10 respondents say they would rather look through ads in the newspapers rather than view ads on the internet. In fact, two-thirds of respondents agree that they often use newspaper advertising inserts to help make purchasing decisions. Similarly, two-thirds agree that they often seek out newspaper advertising to find information on the latest offerings and sales available in their area, and almost half say that there are days when they read the newspaper as much for the ads as for the content.

3 in 4 Are Frequent Readers

74% of people in communities served by a local newspaper read one each week, while 11% read one every day. On average, readers spend about 39 minutes reading their newspaper, up from 37.5 minutes in 2010, and share it with 2.33 people. Almost all readers (92%) pay for their local newspapers, with the predominant method being through subscription (67%) rather than buying from a news rack or store (33%).

The survey also suggests that older adults, residents who have stayed in their communities longer, and those with higher education read local newspapers significantly more than younger adults, residents who have lived at their current addresses relatively shorter, and those with less education.

These findings align with results of a December Pew survey measuring local business search attitudes, which found that the groups most likely to use print newspaper to research local businesses included those aged over 40 (especially those over age 65) and those who have lived in their community more than 5 years.

Majority Prefer Print to Digital

According to the NNA survey, 48% of community newspaper readers with access to the internet say they never read the local news online, with just 1 in 10 reporting they read local news online very often. Of those going online for local news, the leading source is the local newspaper’s website (52%), ahead of the local TV station website (25%), and sites such as Yahoo, MSN, or Google (20%).”