A single ad in the local paper will have a limited impact on potential customers

For decades the most reliable medium of advertisement for local businesses has been the daily newspaper. It has traditionally been the equivalent of the town hall, where everyone met to discuss recent events, town policy changes, even to gossip about the locals. The point is that the local newspaper used to be a staple in everyone's daily routine.

In that scenario, it was the best medium to broadcast the many products and services each business offers. It was effective because people were reading regularly. Unfortunately, this medium is quickly losing its place in the home. It is quickly being replaced by various Internet resources.

For instance, once the local paper has been printed and distributed, its news items and ads are final. If anything changes throughout the course of the day, the changes have to wait until the next day to be reported, which limits the local paper's effectiveness. What if a local business needs to change its add due to competition? Waiting until the next day to print the new add could result in lost revenue.

It is no wonder that many news papers and advertisers have chosen to take their endeavors to the Internet. It is no wonder that local newspaper readership has declined, making advertising in local newspapers less effective. How will anyone see the advertisements, regardless of how flashy or colorful they are, if no one is reading the paper anymore?

Online versions of popular newspapers, like The Washington Post and USA Today, are able to update articles periodically throughout the day. They are able to keep pace with breaking news as it happens. They are also able to feature several advertisements daily.

Similarly, business owners who choose to advertise online can literally update their ads at will, granting them an unheard of flexibility in their constant battle with competitors. Online advertisements are more likely to be seen; and, if they offer great deals, customers will often be interested because they never expected to find such deals.

Thus, business owners and customers have one major thing in common: they are both looking for ways to save a buck. And online coupon websites provide that opportunity for both. Indeed, customers frequent online coupon sites, sometimes just to see what savings opportunities are out there. Most of the time, these web views lead to unexpected purchases.

Clearly, the local newspaper offers limited advertisement opportunity because it is a medium that is going out of popular use. The Internet is here to stay and offers a cheap easy means to get a business' reputation out there.