Very few businesses succeed without the use of advertising. Advertising introduces customers to products and services, announces sales, and even helps to build brands. For a small business, though, the question often hinges not on whether to advertise, but in what medium to advertise.

Online and television advertising receive a lot of attention from advertising and marketing experts, but both have pitfalls. While often downplayed, a number of reasons exist that make advertising in print an attractive alternative.

Targeted Markets

Print publications tend to serve specific geographic areas or specific consumer groups, and sometimes they serve both. Newspapers, for example, usually cater to specific cities and their surrounding areas. This makes a newspaper an ideal advertising medium for a business that provides services. The customers most likely to use the business’s services probably live within the circulation area of the paper.

Magazines that cater to specific audiences…