Why does newsprint advertising still work for dental practices despite the broader newspaper decline?
Because the demographic that reads the local newspaper consistently overlaps with the demographic that needs complex reconstructive dentistry, even as overall newspaper circulation falls. Older adults, fifty-five and up, continue to read printed newspapers at rates dramatically higher than younger cohorts. Many in this demographic still subscribe to the local paper for the news, the obituaries, the local interest pieces, the weather, and the ads they continue to read deliberately. The same demographic is the highest-need population for full-mouth reconstructive work. Newsprint also offers two real structural advantages over broadcast media: the lowest cost per thousand views among traditional media, and longevity. A well-placed newspaper ad can be clipped, saved, brought to a spouse for discussion, or set aside for a later phone call. Radio and television spots evaporate in seconds. The newspaper costs are rising as ad revenues fall, which means the practice has to time and place ads more carefully than five years ago, but the medium still produces measurable response when DRM principles are applied. Test specific days, sections, and placements rather than assuming the front page is best.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.
