Platte County Citizen Advertising

“Without advertising something terrible happens – NOTHING!”

– P. T. Barnum

Download The Platte County Citizen Media Kit here

WHY SHOULD I ADVERTISE IN
THE PLATTE COUNTY CITIZEN?

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

The Platte County Citizen newspaper continues to be a powerful medium for reaching shoppers in the Platte County market for a broad range of products and services. It is portable and convenient source of advertising information – helping customers decide where to shop and what to buy, especially now.

One ad in The Platte County Citizen and Citizen Shopper reaches more people than some area newspapers reach in a month. That comes to 11,850 households by mail each week with a readership of 26,015! No one else can say they reach these numbers in this market and if they do no one else can prove it.

Do you want to reach potential customers who live in Platte City, Weston, Dearborn, Edgerton, Camden Point, Farley, Ferrelview, Kansas City, North Oak, Barry Road, Green Hills Road, Platte Woods, Parkville, Riverside, Lake Waukomis, Smithville and Leavenworth Kansas? We can help you do just that.

The Platte County Citizen is a locally owned newspaper that chronicles government, school district, high school sports as well as the lives of Platte Countians. It contains local news, letters to the editor, editorials, crime stories and is home to the stories of area citizens that do a great service to the community. As an advertiser you have the opportunity to connect to people who care about their communities.

The Platte County Citizen special sections provide advertisers with unique targeting opportunities.

Newspaper readers are not passive (like television or radio users). Readers choose to speed time reading a newspaper, which means active participation with your advertising message.

Community newspapers like The Platte County Citizen are not dying! Major metro dailies are continuing to struggle as they compete with cnn.com and others for news now. They are not our competitors and we are not struggling. In fact, every year our circulation numbers has gone up and continues to do so today.

We deliver Platte County news to Platte County and beyond, the major metro paper and the local radio and television news does not.

UNIQUE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES IN
THE PLATTE COUNTY CITIZEN

1. Special Sections: We offer a variety of opportunities where a special market place is created to help in targeting and advertiser’s best prospects. These products are inserted into the newspaper or may be distributed in other ways needed to best attract the niche audience. Our sections include:

• Progress, March – This section publishes once a year and features stories on new businesses and business growth in Platte County.

• Graduation Edition, May – Keepsake edition. Features all area graduate photos published along with advertisements and best wishes from parents and area businesses.

• The Platte County Fair Guide, July – This is the largest event in Platte County. This fair guide is the only source with the complete schedule and story information on the longest running fair this side of the Missouri river.

• High School Sports, August, December, March – This three part series kicks off in August with a Fall sports preview. We provide previews on all Platte County Sports teams, premier athletes and sports schedules of all five area high schools including Park Hill, Park Hill South, Platte County, North Platte and West Platte. No other Platte County newspaper competes with our coverage. Advertisers receive a discount when marketing in all three issues.

• Salute to Veterans, November – This keepsake reader favorite allows our county community to submit photos of family members and friends who have served or who are serving in the military during any time or era, we publish these photos for free. After this section publishes we have many families stop by to pick up extras to give out to extended family to document their family history.

• Holiday Gift Guide I & II, November & December – The first issue is published and mailed early to get in shoppers hands the Wednesday before Black Friday. This features locally owned businesses with great, unique gift ideas that you won’t find in your big box stores. Start your holiday shopping with this gift guide.

• Women in Business, This annual issue features area women business owners, women ran businesses, managed businesses and businesses that cater to women. It features a popular buy an ad a quarter page or larger and get an equal amount of space free to allow you to tell your story or upsize your ad.

• Resolutions Solutions, January - This is a new group page that will feature area businesses that will help those of us keep all those resolutions we make each year.

2. Inserts Preprints & Weprints: Weprints offer advertisers the flexibility and control of creating and printing inserts and distributing them within The Platte County Citizen. Preprints allow you to use inserts that your merchandiser offers.

3. Commercial Printing: Every printed piece of paper you hand out is a marketing piece for your business. Citizen Printing offers customers who need printing the opportunity and cost efficiency to print business cards, letterhead, envelopes, catalogs, inserts and other commercial printing needs, while keeping your image and message consistent.

4. Website of The Platte County Citizen: Among the most popular web sites in our community is the one operated by our newspaper. Advertising on the wwww.plattecountycitizen.com offers significant targeting opportunities and cost efficiency.

5. Database Marketing: It may come as a surprise but The Platte County Citizen is among the largest mailers in this market. In addition to managing both subscriber and non-subscriber databases, we offer an array of database marketing services.

6. Flyers: The Platte County Citizen offers advertisers a simple and inexpensive opportunity of both printing and distributing single sheet flyers at costs significantly less than printing and handing out, or printing and mailing. These flyers can be inserted into the newspaper, (weprint)

7. Superior Audience Quality: Whether it’s higher-income households, higher-educated households or household members holding higher-level professional positions, newspapers do a better job reaching a higher demographic audience.

The Two BE’s of Marketing
1. BE Different to BE Noticed
2. BE Better to BE Bought

Copy and layouts are not the first steps in a well-done ad. Good ad concepts are based first upon sound marketing principles. First you should develop an on-target marketing strategy. The concept should be decided before any part of the ad is created. If an ad is to be effective, A reader should instantly understand the ad's concept and message. To achieve this crucial first step, you must:

• Know your customers

• Know your market

• Know your competition

• Know what’s hot

• Know what sells

• Know your business

• Know your budget

A PROPERLY CRAFTED AD SHOULD:

• Attract readers’ favorable attention

• Be easy to read

• Guide the reader through the ad

WHAT A GOOD AD DOES:

• Stops the reader from turning the page.

• Builds on a concept or idea. A reader must instantly recognize the concept being communicated.

• Sells a product’s benefits rather than is features. People buy based on what the product will do for them – not what ingredients it has.

Feature only headline: Our Air Conditioners Have Thermostats!

Benefit headline: Stay Cool and Same Money Too!

• Drives traffic into a retailer’s location, while the salespeople greet and sell the traffic.

• Is supported by good store management, in-store merchandising and good customer service.

• Sells answers to customers’ current needs. Advertising sells to people’s wants, not just their needs. People need transportation, they want a Mercedes. They need clothing; they want Polo.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN WRITING COPY:

• Does the copy fulfill the promise of the headline? Is the copy interesting?

• Is the copy easy to read?

• Is the copy persuasive?

• Is it specific?

• Does it call for action?

HEADLINES

Must state a benefit to the target audience. The name of the store is a title not a headline. Be specific, direct.