One of the primary reasons for conducting an ad readership study is to obtain research which will help your organization sell advertising. Whether it’s selling new pages or getting an existing account to trade-up in size, color, location and/or frequency, the data from an advertisement readership study can help you complete the sale. Publications become a marketing partner when they share their data with advertisers.
Here are six tips for how to sell with ad readership studies:
- Promote the study in advance of it being conducted using a variety of methods. These methods could include house ads in preceding issues, fax/email/phone/mail/social media campaign and inclusion in your media kit and editorial calendar. If promoting the study to a new advertiser, you’ll need to explain the features and benefits of the study.
- Stress the objectivity, independence and prestige of the research and the company conducting the research.
- Use the reader profile information to show that your subscriber is your advertiser’s target customer. Demonstrate the impact of your publication over your competition.
- Show each advertiser how his/her ad was seen and read. Draw comparisons against benchmarks and demonstrate how size, color, location and frequency impact advertisement readership.
- Do not be afraid of negative comments and/or scores! This is an opportunity to become a marketing partner with your advertiser and educate him/her on ways to improve their marketing.
- Promote and utilize the recently completed study. You can publish your study results, create custom promotional pieces and recognize your highest scoring advertisers. Make sure you promote when your next study is (i.e., return to step 1). The tighter the schedule of promoting->conducting->selling, the more effective the sales tool.
A great example of post-study promotion is illustrated in this article from Digital Journal. A client of Harvey Research took the opportunity of being at a trade show to host a gala to present its highest scoring advertisers with professionally designed award plaques. The award will serve as a constant reminder that their advertisement achieved outstanding performance in the publication.
If you’d like to learn more about Harvey Research’s various ad readership studies, please contact us! We’d love to help you learn more about your readership and provide you with data which can help you sell more advertising!