With all the current information overload that we receive every day from news, email, Internet, cell phones, etc., most people no longer have the time to leisurely leaf through a magazine. Unless an ad really 'jumps at you' or relates to some specific need we may have at the moment, most of the time the ads are simply ignored. Nowadays, due mostly to lack of time, we target the information we want, most people look directly in the Index section for any specific article or news they may want to read.

In my opinion the Internet offers a lot more for your advertising dollar. After all, how much can you display on a printed ad? Even in small text ads (Sponsored Links) like the ones that appear in Google and Yahoo, all you have to do is click on the link to see in full detail the product or service being offered. Furthermore, if it is something you will need in the future, you simply bookmark it for future reference. Have you ever tried to find through all your past magazine issues an ad that you remember seeing in a particular magazine?

Take the case of the Yellow Pages, in a recent research survey by the Kelsey Group and ConStat that appeared in eMarketer (http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003321) 70% of US adults use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services up from 60% in October 2003.

If you need your car repaired, would you look through the Yellow Pages and pick the biggest and most colorful ad, and hope for the best? When you can go to a search engine and type 'car repair shops' and find shops in your city, in a matter of seconds, and be able to see and read all the specifics you need to make a decision.

Not only you can 'see' if they have a nice clean shop, but you can also read about their areas of specialization, years of experience, certifications, etc.

On the other hand, in the last shop that I owned, I used to pay $1,500 per month for a half page ad in the Yellow Pages and the ad NEVER gave me enough return to cover it's cost. On the Internet, a well designed site showing all the specific details about a shop will cost you about $1,500. Add to that a fee for hosting and advertising on the search engines and you would be pressed to spend anymore than $4,000 PER YEAR! Simple equation, $15,000 per year for limited advertising space or $4,000 per year for full coverage, targeting most car owners in your shop's area. I think the Internet wins hands down.

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