St. Paul Publishing Company

Your Community News & Advertising Source

 

Home

St. Paul Voice

Downtown

South St. Paul

La Voz Latina

Advertising

Special Promotions

Promotional Calendar

Subscriptions

Contacts

Document
Media Kit 2010
St. Paul Voice Ad Rates
South St. Paul Voice Ad Rates
Downtown St. Paul Voice Ad Rates
La Voz Latina Ad Rates
 
Company Information

Thank you for using our newspaper group as a cost-effective advertising medium. We’re confident that you’ve made a wise decision to partner with us and sincerely appreciate the trust you’re placing in us. We’ve taken the time to exhaustively study our markets so we can most effectively assist you in advertising to the audiences we reach, and we look forward to working with you on your next advertising promotion and to establishing a relationship with you as an effective partner in your overall advertising program.

Readership studies prove that newspapers are still among the most credible sources by which to disseminate advertising information. People have come to rely on newspapers to inform them and assist them with their buying needs—and that’s why we’re excited to work with you.

The St. Paul Voice

The St. Paul Voice has a rich history of providing the best local news and advertising coverage for St. Paul’s West Side, West St. Paul and Mendota Heights. This newspaper was formed in 1966 as a non-profit publication with the intent of informing local residents of community news and events, and also to celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and organizations within the community. We have since grown and evolved into a for-profit entity but have not forgotten our roots. Today we still accomplish the same goals as those of our founders.

The community which we serve is very diverse both racially and socioeconomically and provides numerous exciting editorial and marketing opportunities that are atypical to community newspapers. It’s thrilling to know that the people who live in the 15,000 homes that we distribute to each month trust us and look to us for information that helps them be better informed citizens and consumers.

The Downtown St. Paul Voice

In 1994 we started the Lowertown News to serve St. Paul’s Lowertown District—a neighborhood that achieved national recognition as one of the most vibrant and fastest growing urban villages in the United States. At that time there were 4,000 people living in downtown St. Paul, and most of those lived in Lowertown.

Today, over 8,000 people live in downtown St. Paul in new and renovated apartments and condominiums, and high numbers of people continue to move to the city for its charm and convenience. To better reflect our desire to be the community newspaper for downtown St. Paul, we changed the name of the Lowertown News to the Downtown St. Paul Voice in June 2004. We are excited to provide a newspaper that meets the needs of the downtown residential and business community.

La Voz Latina

La Voz Latina is a Spanish language newspaper that is delivered to key Hispanic centers in the Twin Cities; including homes, apartment complexes and businesses. It was founded in September 1997 to meet the needs of the fastest growing audience in the Twin Cities.

In 2003, the Hispanic population became the largest ethnic population in the United States, and demographers report that it continues to grow faster than the general population. According to the Chicano Latino Affairs Council, the Latino population in Minnesota is expected to rise to 6 percent of the state’s population by 2030, an increase of 98 percent. The Twin Cities seven county metropolitan area has over 100,000 of the state’s 187,000 Hispanic residents, with nearly half living in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties. In addition, Minnesota Hispanics rank above Hispanics nationally in advanced degrees, home ownership and household income.

South St. Paul Voice

Established in June 2004, this newspaper serves the community of South St. Paul—a suburban community with small town roots. Although it is located just minutes from downtown St. Paul, South St. Paul has held on to it’s own identity and continues to nurture itself that way. It is this sense of community pride that prompted us to answer the call of the residents and business owners who wanted their own community newspaper. Our editorial content focuses solely on the issues, activities and personalities of South St. Paul. This focus ensures high readership of your advertising message when marketing to the 20,000-plus residents of the city.
3 recent studies show that community newspaper advertising is still your smartest marketing investment
Since the advent of Internet marketing, there has been a perception that all other forms or media have become obsolete. When it comes to newspaper advertising, however, the statistics reveal that simply isn’t true. In fact, newspapers continue to be the industry leader. While larger daily newspapers have struggled in recent years because they focused their efforts on their online resources, community newspapers continue to shine, and that’s because people crave well-written local news and feature articles about their neighborhood. At the St. Paul Publishing Company, we have a deep commitment to producing only local news and information that directly affects our market. As a result, you can be confident that our readership is exposed to your advertising message — our readers are your customers.
 Here are some recent studies that show why community newspapers are a smart advertising investment:

Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism/Newspaper Association of America survey, October 2009
·         81% read a local newspaper each week
·         Community newspapers reach 2.36 readers per household
·         Community newspaper readers spend about 40 minutes with their paper
·         73% read all or part of their community newspaper
·         47% read their community newspaper as much for ads as editorial
·         Readers are 10 times more likely to get their news from their community newspaper than the Internet

MORI Research (a division of Frank N. Magid Associates, a leading research-based consulting firm)/Newspaper Association of America survey, July 2009
·         Nearly six in ten adults (59%) identify newspapers as the medium they use to make shopping decisions
·         82% took action as a result of a newspaper ad
·         41% said newspapers are the primary medium they check for advertising, nearly twice as much as the Internet and three times as much as direct mail

Excend Consulting Services/Alloy Access survey, April 2009
·         74% of Hispanic newspaper readers are frequent readers, having read three or more issues of the last five issues
·         82% share their copy with at least one other person and 26% share it with at least four others
·         53% have read their favorite Hispanic newspaper for three or more years
·         63% say they read advertisements
Creating ads that get RESULTS!
Understanding the advertising process
“I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half!”
William Wrigley
 
  • The first secret to success in advertising is planning. 
    • As the old adage goes: fail to plan, plan to fail.
    • Too many businesses throw an ad here and there, hoping they’ll get results.  Taking some time to develop a program that addresses your marketing goals is a far better approach.  This will save you a considerable amount of time and money.
  • Set a budget
    • Many businesses use their previous year’s amount as a start, but there are guidelines for your industry that you should review to see if you’re in-line with your competitors.  Contact the St. Paul Publishing Company at 651-457-1177, www.stpaulpublishing.com for figures for your industry.
    • Remember to plan for the year and adjust for the quarter.  Also, save money for special promotions that come along.
  • Be consistent
    • This is the biggest key to success and any other approach is simply a waste of money.   
What is the biggest obstacle to overcome with your ads? – Getting noticed!
 
  • Competition to getting noticed in a newspaper is fierce.  Do people read ads?  According to Cahners Advertising Research Reports, they do—79% of all readers look at newspaper ads, and 64% believe advertising is as important as editorial.
  • Seven second rule – You have seven seconds to capture your reader’s attention as they scan a newspaper page. 
To get noticed, you need a good ad.  It doesn’t have to be the most creative or the flashiest ad, but it does need to have the following elements to get it noticed.
 
  • Headline
    • Should be large, bold and creative.  This is what will draw the reader into your ad. 
  • Illustration
    • Large and appropriate to product(s) and/or service(s). 
    • Two-thirds of the ad should be art to grab the reader’s attention.
  • Copy
    • Use a lot or use very little. 
    • Be conversational. 
    • Offer features and benefits. 
    • Make price-points large, bold and attractive.
    • Give good offers (10% off doesn’t generate too much interest).
    • Concentrate on your product/services and how they benefit your customer.  Give less attention to your business, i.e. number of years in business, locally-owned and operated, company name and location, hours, etc.  If your offer appeals to the consumer, they will study the ad to find out where you are.
  • Size and consistency
    • Consistency is the biggest factor in developing a successful ad program.  The rule of thumb is it takes at least seven marketing hits to entice a consumer to action.
    • Full page ads draw 41% higher readership than fractional ads. 
  • Color – It’s more expensive but it's worth it!
    • Color ads attract up to 65% higher readership. 
Why advertise?
  • Build awareness – Name recognition
  • Generate sales – Pre-sell your products/services
  • “My best advertising is word of mouth.”  Unfortunately, that works both ways.  Before you start any advertising program, make sure all internal processes are in place to ensure that your new customers will have a positive experience.
  • Remember, there are always new customers moving into your market.  You need to let them know you are there.  Also, advertising helps keep your current customers coming back again and again…and again. 
Why use newspapers?
  • Economical – Biggest bang for your buck
  • Trusted medium – Tried and true
  • Most informative – Consumers can study your ad
Our newspaper group reaches over 37,500 homes and businesses in the St. Paul market, as well as the Hispanic audience of the Twin Cities.  For more information, call 651-457-1177.