If you’re a business that sells to other businesses, you may have had a hard time selecting the best advertising channels to get your message through. That’s because many of the traditional channels like newspaper, billboards or radio, as well as digital channels like mobile and social media, are best used when trying to reach consumers.

But B2B advertising is a whole other beast altogether. And what we’ve found over the years is that trade magazines can be one of the absolute best ways to get your offer in front of exactly the right crowd.

If you are a business looking to connect with other businesses who may want what you offer, here are 5 reasons to consider advertising in trade magazines.

1. A Highly Targeted Channel

The backbone of trade magazines is that they target niche audiences, and sometimes they really drill down to target a very specific group of people. You can’t really hope for more than this. No guess work whether your ideal prospect will see your message.

When speaking with the publishers, ask them to provide readership details, not just information about circulation numbers, Readership details will clue you in on their audience demographic, job titles, company size and other critical data that will help you choose the right publishing partner.

2. You’re Seen as a Trusted Expert

Getting your company in front of a trade magazine’s audience will help you build brand recognition and relationships down the road. Ads in a trusted trade publication will help you be seen in a great light.

Want to be seen as an expert in your industry? Think about creating an advertorial. This is an advertisement that is designed to look and read like an editorial or news article and can do a lot to help establish your brand as an expert and thought leader in front of your pers and chosen audience.

3. An Audience That’s Ready to Pull the Trigger

An audience that consumes business-to-business media is not only loyal, but according to data from the website Bizfluent.com, trade publications inspire purchasing decisions. Audiences also tend to have a more favorable opinion of companies that advertise in trade publications and would recommend the company’s products and services to others.

4. Trade Magazines Have Weathered the Digital Storm

While some print publications have been hit hard over the last 10 years as digital channels have drawn more attention and advertising spend, trade magazines haven’t really suffered. In fact, PwC reported in its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook that trade magazine revenue rose during the 2015-2019 period. And, as economies is places like China and Peru continue to expand, overseas trade magazines become poised to see substantial revenue growth as well. So, if your company does business overseas, you will definitely want to leverage these publications to get your brand in front of influential eyes.

5. Competition for Ad Dollars Means Savings for You

As more trade publications find themselves battling for advertising dollars, many will be willing to work with advertisers in a way they may not have done in the past. Ask the publisher what they can do for you to make the contract even more attractive. Some may give steep discounts while others may offer premium placement.

Tips on Creating Effective B2B Ads

And just to be sure your campaigns are successful, here are a few pointers on creating B2B ads that have the best chance of converting.

Focus on Direct Response

A direct response ad, as opposed to an image ad that reinforces brand awareness, tells your audience exactly what to do. If done right, your direct response ad will use a call to action to drive leads and sales.

Use Ad Copy to Focus on Benefits

Benefits, not features, are what get a person to pick up the phone and call you. Use your limited copy real estate to highlight one or two of the benefits of your offer. Unsure of what those are? Think of the problems you solve for your ideal customer. You absolutely must put a benefit in your ad’s headline.

Include a Testimonial if Possible

If you have a big-name client that raves about your product or service, by all means, let your prospects know that somewhere in your ad.

Send Your Traffic to a Dedicated Landing Page

Want to waste a bunch of money? Send all of the traffic from your ad to your home page. This way you can’t track the effectiveness of the ad and if it needs adjustment.

A smarter way to go about it is to create a dedicated landing page with more details about your offer and send the traffic there.

Make it Easy for People to Contact You

Besides a URL to that landing page, be sure to include your phone number in case people want to pick up the phone and connect with you directly.

If you are a B2B advertiser, you’d be silly not to include trade magazines into your marketing mix. And if you have any questions about advertising in these publications, feel free to reach out to us.

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