Advantages & Disadvantages of Internet and Newspaper Advertising

Advantages & disadvantages of Internet and newspaper advertising The Internet and newspapers are considered two of the five traditional types of media used for advertising. The others are television, radio and magazines. Each medium has advantages and disadvantages that are considered when selection of the best media for advertising messages is made. The Internet and newspapers are both useful media for advertising when they effectively convey your message to the right audience. Internet Advertising Advantages The Internet is the newest of the traditional media.A main advantage of Internet advertising is its affordability as an advertising medium. Typically, you pay for your ad based on the number of people it reaches. Audience selectivity is another major benefit as you can pinpoint specific audiences by site. Tracking results of Internet ads is also a strength. Online sites have great tracking tools to track unique visitors, visits, page views and impressions on the pages your ads are on. Versatility is another advantage. You can place banner ads of various sizes, pop-up ads, text ads and streaming audio and video ads. Internet Advertising DisdvantagesLimited click-through rates are a burden with Internet advertising. People often ignore banner ads and avoid pop-up ads and other online ad types. Uncertainty with what works through online advertising is a significant disadvantage as well. As the newest of the traditional media types, Internet advertising is still evolving. Technology, such as pop-up ad blockers, helps web users avoid pop up ads. In some cases, the audience on the website controls their exposure to the ad, such as with streaming audio and video, and the need to click through an ad to see the full message.Newspaper Advertising Advantages Timeliness is a major advantage of newspaper advertising relative to many other media types. You can often drop a newspaper ad off a day or two before it runs in the paper. Newspapers are excellent for geographi c targeting as well. Local businesses make regular use of local newspapers to target a local geographic market. State, regional and national newspapers offer broader geographic opportunities. Credibility is another strength of newspapers relative to other media. People often perceive that since the ads are near fact or news-based content, they are more believable.Newspaper Advertising Disdvantages Newspapers have a short life. Relative to magazines, newspaper ads have limited potential for ongoing exposure as they are often recycled or thrown out after initial reading. Reproduction quality also affects the print quality, especially in the latter part of a production run. You also have limited ability to target segmented markets through newspapers. While geographic targeting is an advantage, you have to pay for the newspaper's audience regardless of who fits into your market segment.