In a soft economy, it’s more important than ever to market efficiently – to spend the least amount of money and get the largest return on your investment. So consider these money-saving tips when buying print advertising:

1. Buy zoned newspaper advertising instead of a full run. If you don’t need to reach customers in the outer limits of your paper’s circulation area, only buy those zones that affect your trading area.

2. Consider using lifestyle tabloids instead of the daily newspaper. If the smaller tabs hit your target audience and have adequate circulation, they can be much less expensive than the larger dailies.

3. Use local magazines rather than regional, state, or national publications. Use the publications most suited for your trading area. If local magazines fill your needs, don’t use regional. If regional magazines will work, don’t spend the extra money on state-wide or national publications. If you really need a larger circulation magazine, always explore the options of zoned advertising. For example, Our State magazine covers the state of North Carolina, but they offer advertisers the option of buying one or a combination of five distinct zones.