Does Print Media Still Work for Local Businesses?

Can You Reach Moms with Print in 2022?

We all know that newspapers have declined in importance in today's internet-driven world. 

But it's hard to grasp just how much they have diminished in popularity.

In 1984, newspaper circulation reached 74% of all US households.  In 2018, that number was just 24% of households and falling.

In fact, weekday newspaper circulation dropped 12% from 2018 to 2019 and has continued its freefall over the past three years.

Americans just aren't getting their news in the same way they used to.

If you're trying to reach moms, there's even more bad news for print. 

In our recent survey of over 5000 moms across the country, we found that more than 81% of them spend less than 10 minutes a day reading print newspapers or magazines. 

What's more, 60% of moms spend zero minutes per day on print media.  Zero! 

And when you segment out the ages of moms to look only at those millennial and GenZ moms (age 41 and below in 2022), the numbers continue to fall for print. 

86% of millennial moms spend less than 10 minutes per day with print and 67% spend zero minutes per day.

WHERE ARE MOMS GETTING NEWS?

So where are moms getting their news?  Primarily online. 

According to the Pew Research Center, 86% of American adults got their news on a smartphone, computer, or tablet in 2021.

90% of the moms in our 2022 survey said they spend at least some time each day with online news and entertainment sites (blogs, news apps, etc).

With the myriad of online resources for local, national, and international news, it's easy to see why newspapers are no longer the go-to place for the latest headlines.

WHERE SHOULD LOCAL BUSINESSES  ADVERTISE?

Print advertising has always had its challenges. 

From difficulty in designing ads to high costs and even complexity in tracking results, it's never been the most user-friendly option.  

Throw in the lack of targeted demographics and it's hard to find a reason to justify print advertising when marketing to parents in 2022.

Unless you have a hyper-focused, print publication such as "Parenting in Springfield," your marketing dollars are almost certainly better spent in online advertising. 

Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, Google, graphic ads on local news or other sites – your cost, reach, and ability to track results will far outpace nearly all print options.

We might be nostalgic for the days of paper routes and the Sunday comics, but it's time to move online.
 
If you're a business looking to reach local moms, print is just not the place to find them.