Off-line ad trends

Can I predict the number of print impressions from page views?

[totter]

A client of mine, an offline auctioneer, advertises in the classified section of the local newspaper and I can always tell exactly when the ad runs because the number of page views on his site jumps around 200 - 1000% (depending on the ad size). He also advertises in a magazine specializing in antiques. He deals a lot of antiques. Whenever he runs the ad in the antiques magazine the number of page views for his site doesn't jump. Would it be safe to say that he isn't getting any impressions from the antiques magazine ad? The text is the same for both ads. In general what are the things that would make a person take a URL in print and sit down to his computer and visit the site? Can I take the number of page views a site receives and predict the number of print impressions?

thanks in advance.

[Shakil]

totter,

blimey, you done like them easy do you :)

Have you ever given thought to the different type of reader of the publications:

classified section reader is LOOKING at that specific time for a product and hence in a searching mood, along with the fact that it may be fresh users every week resulting fresh blood to the website every time the ad runs.

antique magazine reader, seasoned professional, know what the site is and small numbers look at the site daily with NO real jumps becuase its being pitched at the same bunch of people, with very little new bllod.

Just my opinion, but I will say that it will be very hard to monitor the press ads based on Page impressions, unless you use specific URLs:

eh: yoursite.com/classified or yoursite.com/antiques

and even then they will still go to the main site.

only possible solution is to have a separate domain name for different ads in my opinion.

Shak

[totter]

Good thoughts, The guy is spending up to 10,000 per ad. I think his money might be better spent... On me for example.

[Robert Charlton]

totter - Here are a couple of threads that say that classifieds probably won't be very effective. I even said in one of them that you can't click on a newspaper. ;) Maybe I should have said that you can't click on a magazine.

It would be interesting to know how your friend words his ads. If he's a professional auctioneer, he's obviously a pro. Threads are...

Using a classified newspaper to create traffic to your site?
[webmasterworld.com...]

Promotion for new luxury goods shop.
Does classified ads work?
[webmasterworld.com...]

[totter]

I need to clarify a couple of things in my original post. These ads describe upcoming auctions and probably more importantly the web site has pictures of what will be in the upcoming auction. I would suppose that readers want to verify the quality of whats for sale before they come out.

Robert_Charlton - Maybe there is a difference between new and used merchandise? Especially in my clients case. Why drive 30 to 100 miles to find out the stuff described in the classifieds is junk.

We've been doing this for about a year and it has gotten so that I can almost tell how large the ad was without looking at the paper.

[Robert Charlton]

totter - It would be interesting to discover whether the ads are attracting new traffic, or whether your client might have a clientel that's following his ads in the paper and then checking online when they have a reason to check the site.

[totter]

No real hard numbers on that. He either doesn't keep numbers of visitors from one auction to the next or he is keeping those numers close to the vest. He has been putting classifieds in the paper for quite some time. Around here that is the first place people who go to off-line auctions look. The combo of paper and web site is new. He did have people travel from about 400 miles away for some old furniture parts. He had some summer auctions where he was very pleased with the turnout and the amount of which lots were selling. The number of people paying by credit card has increased a lot too.

From a new client standpoint the combo of web site and print ads are doing very well for him, especially in terms of volume of stuff he has to sell.