In September 2017, the owners of the UK Yellow Pages announced that they will stop printing directories in January next year. Launched back in the 1960s the business has been in decline since it was taken over in 2013; now it is giving up on print to focus on becoming an entirely digital business.

Is this the beginning of the end for print advertising? Certainly not from where we’re standing!

Our experience at INSIDE Magazines is a very different one. Our local publishing business is growing as we continue to provide a great service to local businesses looking for somewhere affordable to advertise; somewhere where they won’t be competing in a listing alongside every other tradesperson for miles around.

The fact is, more than six million people in the UK are either never online or have little or no access to the internet. Studies show that people retain information far better through interaction with a physical medium, such as leafing through a magazine. Add to this the fact that a digital ad disappears as soon as you scroll down a page, it’s gone in seconds and may well go unnoticed; whereas a printed advert is there in front of the reader for much longer, particularly if there is interesting reading matter alongside.

Since 2006, we have been producing great little magazines, with up to 50% editorial content every issue, and they have proved to be a great place for local businesses to advertise. We know from our research that the magazines are widely-read, used and retained by residents as a great resource for anything community-related as well as consumer advice, health and lifestyle features, local walks, book reviews and so on – all interspersed with adverts for local businesses, trades and services.

We’ve never claimed to be a Yellow Pages, or any kind of business directory and that’s our strength – our hand-delivered publications are an invaluable guide to what’s going on in your neighbourhood as well as a handy reference tool for local services should the need arise.

Just as video never did kill the radio star, and e-readers haven’t replaced real books, here at INSIDE Magazines we don’t believe that digital advertising will replace print advertising. In fact, the opposite is proving to be true as people try digital, don’t get the response they expect or need, and come back to good old print.

Call us on 01625 879611 to find out more.