Effective & Low Cost Advertising Opportunity
This A5 size magazine is popular with residents as a regular source of local information and resource to find local businesses that serve them. The handy A5 size means it is kept by the phone, in a kitchen drawer and not thrown away like some of the larger publications are.
Currently running at about 64 – 72 pages there is an advertisers index to help the reader find what they are looking for and the articles and advertisers are organised into categories:
- Home & Interiors
- Gardening
- Property Maintenance
- Pet Services
- Health & Beauty
- Events
- Motoring
- Professional Services
Local directories are a perfect alternative to the Yellow Pages and local newspapers. The Southampton Directory is the largest local directory in the area and successfully published since 2007.
When and Where
The Southampton Directory is delivered free and through the letterboxes of 42,000 privately owned homes in and around Southampton. The target areas are primarily residential, focussing on streets that are predominantly 3 bedroom or larger with off street parking. Shop fronted businesses (excluding national chains eg New Look, Tesco Express etc) are also delivered to within these areas.
The large distribution area of 42,000 homes is divided into two areas, each 21,000 with the A33 (Bassett Avenue, SO16) being the dividing line between the two. The print run for each edition is 21,000. Distribution is carried out monthly but each area is delivered to bi-monthly ie. The west edition one month, the east edition the next and so on.
MORE GOOD REASONS TO CHOOSE TSD
1.“Keep Me“ Size A5 size
Local directories have a high retention value. The handy size is easy to keep in a drawer or by the phone unlike newspapers, loose leaf publications and the larger A4 magazines which are more likely to be thrown away. If one came through your letterbox, you’d keep it, wouldn’t you?
2. Excellent Editorial
This is the only magazine with so much local (not regional) “What’s On”, listings of clubs and societies. The articles are professionally written, interesting and practical. Good editorial is key to a publication’s success.
3. Professional Design
My magazines are designed by a qualified graphic designer specialising in magazine production. I offer free advert design to regular advertisers and encourage them to amend their advert as often as they wish to keep it fresh and up to date with special offers, promotions, new pictures and text.
4. Index Of Advertisers
Readers looking for a business can use the Advertiser’s Index printed in the prominent centre pages instead of searching page by page for what they are looking for.
5. Personal Touch
The magazine is designed, edited and fronted by me and readers experience a “feel good” factor with it which in turn, means trusting the advertisers within it. Other publications are “faceless” and not locally focussed which makes my magazines more used as a source of local information and businesses.
5. Quality Production
Printed on quality paper and to a high standard means your advertisement looks its best and again, readers are impressed —it’s too good to throw away!
6. Locals Prefer Local
It’s well known, that local people prefer to buy from local businesses as they assume a friendlier service, cheaper prices (less travel), more immediate response and in some cases, less likelihood of bad service as local businesses value their local reputation. My local magazines are just that; they’re local not regional.
7. Find the Hidden Symbol Competition
In every issue I run a “Spot the Symbol” competition which is advertised on the front cover. Readers have to look through all the adverts looking for the symbol thus scanning every advert until they find it. And, if your advert is the “winning” slot then between 150—200 readers use your company name when entering the prize draw.
8. Mystery Houses
Every route has at least one pre-registered mystery house that is unknown to the distributor. The mystery householder reports to me by email, phone or text when they receive the magazine and another £1 is added to my Marie Curie Cancer Care fund.
9. FREE Marketing Advice
I have 20 years of sales and marketing experience gained from working within a variety of business from plumbing products to computer data storage before publishing local directories in 2007. I am happy to recommend appropriate advert size, style and content as well as other suitable media, free of charge.
10. FREE Web Promotion
All regular advertisers are listed on the lead generating online directory free of charge.