If advertising in the local rag were free, would you still do it?

I posed this question to the audience at a recent training event, and the vast majority answered “yes” without hesitation. For those who didn’t respond, there was a look of mild confusion—likely because they hadn’t been in the industry long enough to remember advertising in the local press, or perhaps slightly concerningly, they were too young to even know what local press is!

As the world continues to change at breakneck speed, my advice to the audience was simple: be present where your community’s attention is. As a teenager, I delivered our local Chronicle newspaper around our little corner of West London. It was a valuable communication tool. I remember it sitting on our dining table all week long, next to my dad’s well-worn copy of Autotrader (even though he wasn’t actually looking to buy a new car). If the Chronicle were still in publication today, I imagine it would still have its spot on the table, read cover to cover every week in the Madden household—just as it likely would in households across the country.

But times have changed. We’re constantly told that print media is “dead”. Whether or not that’s true, it certainly isn’t what it used to be. These days, it’s rare to see anyone reading a newspaper on the London Underground. Instead, people’s eyes are fixed on their phones. A quick glance over someone’s shoulder reveals a mix of activities—some play games, some read articles, but most are scrolling through social media.

Did you know, the global population is now around 8.16 billion, with 5.17 billion active social media users worldwide. Yes, they’re spread across multiple platforms, and their daily usage varies, but in Europe, we average around 2 hours and 10 minutes per day on social media.

So how do we connect the dots between the local newspaper, where people once found local news and browsed the property section for homes they’d never actually buy, and social media? Simple: social media is the new local rag. It’s where people focus their attention, catch up with friends, and, thanks to algorithms, are served content that’s relevant to them. The best part? It’s free!

So back to my original question: if advertising in the local rag were free, would you still do it? Of course you would. Thankfully, the “new local rag” actually is free, and the opportunity to reach more of your community has never been greater. You just need to seize it.

Good luck!