MRH Ad kit - Dec 2012

Ad Kit

mrhmag.com Effective December 1, 2012

Yes, it’s a model ...

70,000+ web visitors per month Growing 30% year-over-year Lance Mindheim photo

What’s new

What’s new this time

W

e’ve just done the single largest format change we’ve ever made since we started MRH in 2009.

As of the January issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist, we’ve moved to our new Generation 2 format, or Gen2 for short. Gen2 alters MRH so it becomes much more readable on mobile devices, yet keeps us very readable on a laptop or desktop computer screen as before.

This new format change positions us well for the mobile revolution that’s taking place right now. We’re growing 30% year-overyear, and we’re seeing much of that new growth on mobile devices – tablets, mini-tablets, and smartphones.

We’ve also increased ad prices slightly (first time since 2009), and we’ve added special premium and deluxe ad packages for when you want to really drive your message home with readers.

If you do the math, you will find you can reach our 70,000+ monthly web audience for less than 1/5th the cost of any other general model railroading publication in the hobby.

How is Gen2 different?

How is the Gen2 format different?

Put simply, we’ve changed our page from landscape to portrait by splitting the page down the middle. Ads change to fit the new portrait page, and they have fewer pixels in order to look best on the widest variety of device screen sizes. To best understand the changes, we recommend you watch this YouTube video:

Why does mobile matter? Here’s a YouTube video from 2011 explaining the transformation that’s gaining steam in 2012 and 2013 ...

Pricing - Full-featured ad Full-featured ad Two page spread Full page 1/2 page vertical 1/2 page horizontal 1/4 page square Full-featured ad Two page spread Full page 1/2 page vertical 1/2 page horizontal 1/4 page square Full-featured ad Two page spread Full page 1/2 page vertical 1/2 page horizontal 1/4 page square Full-featured ad Two page spread Full page 1/2 page vertical 1/2 page horizontal 1/4 page square

Basic $900 $550 $358 $358 $220

1x Deluxe $950 $600 $408 $408 $270

Premium $1000 $650 $458 $458 $320

Basic $765 $468 $303 $303 $187

3x Deluxe $810 $513 $348 $348 $232

Premium $850 $553 $388 $388 $272

Basic $675 $413 $270 $270 $165

6x Deluxe $715 $465 $310 $310 $205

Premium $755 $493 $350 $350 $245

Basic $630 $385 $248 $248 $154

12x Deluxe $665 $420 $283 $283 $189

Premium $700 $455 $318 $318 $224

* YELLOW means sponsoring advertiser, which includes extra exposure sponsor logo in magazine and on website.

Pricing - Hobby Marketplace ad Basic $110 $83 $55 $28

1x Deluxe $165 $128 $90 —

Premium $215 $158 $110 —

Basic $94 $72 $50 $22

3x Deluxe $144 $112 $80 —

Premium $194 $142 $100 —

Basic $83 $61 $44 $17

6x Deluxe $128 $96 $69 —

Premium $178 $126 $89 —

Hobby Marketplace Display ad Double business card Business card Text only

Basic $77 $55 $39 $11

12x Deluxe $112 $80 $54 —

Premium $162 $110 $64 —

Reserve full-featured ad space

Click/Tap Here

Hobby Marketplace Display ad Double business card Business card Text only

Hobby Marketplace Display ad Double business card Business card Text only

Hobby Marketplace Display ad Double business card Business card Text only

Reserve Hobby Marketplace ad space

Ad sizes and ad templates To help you determine the relative sizes of these ads on our page, here’s some thumbnail images of our ads. For exact ad dimensions, we provide templates you can use to build your ad. Just click here to download a complete set of templates.

Ad sizes and ad templates We provide two template formats: PNG format at 72 DPI, and PS (Photoshop) format at 150 DPI. We recommend the 150 DPI format for the best possible look for your ad, although 72 DPI will also work if you don’t let your ad get too busy.

To download a copy of these ad templates, just use this button here: Download the ad template files

Click/Tap Here

.zip file

MRH Ad tip: Less is more ...

As the trend toward the mobile web gains momentum in the next year or two, you need to be thinking of more focused ads that look good on smaller screens.

If your goal is website visits, then your digital ad needs to tease or ask a question – with the reader getting satisfaction by clicking or tapping your ad.

Your website provides the answers, not your ad!

So put less in your ad and more on your website, then watch your ad drive more traffic to your site. ●

Deluxe and Premium ad services

Deluxe and premium ad services

I

f you elect to go beyond our basic ad to a deluxe or premium ad, then you get extra ad services you can select from, as outlined below.

Each of these ad services cost $55 if purchased separately, but when you purchase them as part of your ad package, you get these extras for a discounted price.

Deluxe ad package - 1 service ($55 value) Premium ad package - 2 services ($110 value), plus you can chose still more additional ad services for $25 each.

Select from any of these additional services: MRH builds your ad for you Website header slide show ad - HOT Website forum banner ad One weekly email blast ad - HOT Other bonus venues (just ask)

Additional ad services MRH builds your ad Website header banner ad Website forum/blog banner ad One weekly email banner ad

Each* $55 $55 $55 $55

* Rate when purchased separately (not as an ad package service).

90,000

MRH Web site Unique Visitors per Month 80,000 est.

80,000 70,000

64,662

60,000

49,281

50,000 40,000

2009

30,000 20,000

35,903

2012

2011

2010

16,846

10,000 0

Circulation: MRH tracks circulation using the official Alliance for Audited Media guidelines for interactive eZine audience size.

By December 2012, we reached a monthly audience peak of 70,000, which is a 33% increase over our December 2011 audience of just over 50,000. Throughout 2012, we’re maintaining a 30% year-over-year increase to 2011.

Assuming this year-over-year growth continues, we expect to easily exceed 80,000 in 2013.

Readers can also subscribe to MRH, which is nothing more than giving us your email so we can send you weekly updates and notify you of magazine releases. As of this writing, we are going on 25,000 subscribers. Our reader survey results indicate 70% of our subscribers represent our most dedicated readers who are building layouts – and layout builders regulary need more of everything.

Full-featured ads

Full-featured ads

W

ith a full-featured ad, you get placement in the magazine next to content, which means readers will naturally encounter your ad as they read the magazine. All full-featured ads include our exclusive “Ads as apps” wrapper, which includes the ability for modelers to easily connect with you through email or the telephone.

Now not only can readers easily click or tap your ad to visit your website, they can also send you an email or call you with a one click or tap. Go ahead and try the ad at the right.

Talk about enhanced reader engagement with your brand!

With MRH’s digital ads, modelers can literally see your ad on their mobile phone and with a single tap give you a call. It doesn’t get much more direct that this!

Becoming a sponsoring advertiser If you place a full-featured ad for 3x or more, you become a sponsoring advertiser, which means we put your clickable logo in our sponsors section. Our readers often start with our sponsor logos section when looking for products. We’ve seen having a sponsor logo with us as much as double your website visits.

Click/tap the sample sponsor logos below to see them in action.

Get your logo in our Sponsor Logos section

Hobby Marketplace ads

Ads in the MRH Hobby Marketplace

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ach issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist includes our Hobby Marketplace, the location our readers go when looking for a one-shop-stop list of hobby vendors with products they may need.

Hobby marketplace ads are the most economical ads we offer, and they start as low as $28 per issue (or with a 12x placement, the price can be as low as $11 each).

Your hobby marketplace ad options include: 1. Display ad: Display ads are the largest hobby marketplace ads we offer. They’re large enough they really stand out in the marketplace, so they’re an economical way to really get noticed.

2. Business card ads: Business card ads are the most economical graphic ads we offer. We have two sizes – a single business card size and a double business card size. Since these ads can contain graphics, they generally have more impact than a text-only ad.

3. Text-only ad: Text-only ads contain no graphics, only text and a URL link, but we do allow emphasizing some of the text in bold or red according to your specifications.

MRH Ad tip: Think web, not print ...

If you want website visits, make your ad look clickable. Ad designs that look like print magazine ads (even if they have URLs) won’t get clicks because nothing on the ad shouts “click me”. You need to put in-your-face obvious buttons and strong “click here” callouts in your ad if you want clicks or taps! ●

We regularly hear from readers who tell us one of the things they like best about MRH is the Hobby Marketplace ads section with all the interesting products they otherwise don’t know about.

Effective digital ads

Building effective digital ads

D

igital ads work differently than print ads because the readers behave differently with online media than they do with print media. When advertisers run print ads in our magazine, they tend not to get clicks.

If clicks are what you want, then follow these guidelines when designing your ad.

1. Get to the point: Since MRH is going to 70,000+ online model train enthusiasts per month, their attention is already guaranteed. Forget a lot of extra details and simply deliver a short and sweet pitch with your ad.

2. Think web, not print: Just tweaking a print ad isn’t the best idea. Ideally your ad needs obviously clickable spots like buttons and must include a strong “click here” action message. Tell them what you want them to do: click your ad!

3. Less is more: Print ads seek to inform and create a lasting impression. Digital ads seek to tease, tantilize, and pique curiosity, then drive visits to a website. You need to grab them with as little as possible, leave them wanting more, and tell them to click to get the rest.

4. Create a landing page: When they click on your ad, they should not go to your home page, but to an ad-specific page on your website. There you expand on your message and offer a specific call to action (but keep it concise). Your landing page should share the look and feel of your digital ad to reinforce your message.

↑ BAD: Print-like ad with too much detail, no clearly clickable

areas, no call to action. Click to see landing page (site home).

↓ GOOD: Web-like teaser ad with a clearly clickable button and a call to click. Click to see the ad-specific landing page.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions 1. How should I produce a graphic-based ad for you?

Good ad-making applications to use include Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator, or InDesign/Quark. Start with one of our ad templates, then build your ad focusing on how it looks visually. Save your ad to PDF format and send it to us.

2. How do I put the links in my ad?

Create an annotated version of your ad, indicating the link URLs and also send that to us as a PDF. We add the links here at MRH using a database lookup for each issue. This way we can edit a link (if needed) after an issue is released and it will always go to the latest URL we specify in our lookup database for that ad in that issue.

3. How many links can I put in an ad?

Full page ads can have up to 7 links, half page ads can have 3 links, and quarter page ads can have 2 links. All Hobby Marketplace ads can only have one link. When doing clickable buttons as links, make sure the button size is large enough for mobile devices, which is at least 50 pixels square.

4. How should I send an ad to you?

Please use our ad copy submission form located at: mrhmag.com/advertisers/upload_ad_copy If you have any problems, you can also get a free Dropbox account at dropbox.com, upload the ad there, and email us the link to your ad copy.

5. What do you suggest for fonts on our ads with you?

Because more readers are using mobile devices to read us (always connected, always with them), you need to keep your ad font sizes fairly large. We recommend at least 20 point for

Frequently asked questions “body copy” and even larger for headline type. If you send us your ad as a PDF using the default embed fonts setting, then we get the exact fonts you used, so your ad copy looks precisely like you expect.

6. What’s the best deluxe / premium ad venue options?

Email blast ads tend to do well if they have a clearly clickable button and clear call to action. Website header banner ads or thread/blog banner ads are always a good choice if you want lots of exposure. The other bonus options tend not to get as much exposure, but there’s also less competition for these bonus venues, so you can stand out more if you opt for one of them.

7. What’s a good click performance for my ad?

General web ads get about a 0.2% click through rate (CTR) according to Wikipedia. Because our ads target model railroaders already with some interest in your kind of product, we get a better CTR. We consider a 0.5% CTR to be the minimum successful level, with 1% to 2% more common for a properly designed digital ad. Getting a CTR more than 3% is rare. If your landing page ties to your ad well, you should expect a 3%-9% sales conversion rate for those who click your ad, with a conversion rate approaching 25% as possible if your landing page offers an especially compelling price or time savings for the modeler.

8. How often should I rerun the same ad?

Any time you rerun an ad, we see a 30% drop off in clicks over the last time you ran the ad. That means the second time an ad appears it will drop to 70% of the first-run clicks, and then drop to 40% of the first-run clicks on the second rerun. By the third rerun, you will be down to 10% of your

first-run clicks. We recommend fresh ad copy every issue to get the best value for your ad dollar. You can keep the theme and branding message consistent, just change the colors and first-glance look of the ad. Subtle changes to your ad won’t help. Your ad must look significantly different at a quick glance for it to go back to the click rates of a fresh ad.

9. What’s the ad submission deadline?

We prefer to get your ad copy 30 days out, which translates to the first of the previous month. For an ad in the June issue, we want to see the ad copy by May 1st. If you submit your ad copy late, it may not get the best placement, since we try to plan ad placement as we build the issue. If your ad comes in very much later than 20 days out, it may not even make the issue because we need to lock the page count in enough time to finish building the issue.

10. How does ad payment work?

Ads placed for just a single time (1x) must be paid in advance. Ads placed for 3x or more get billed one at a time when they appear, with payment due net 30. Payments made past 30 days will be subject to a 2% late fee.

11. I’m not sure how to build a good ad. Do you offer help?

We’re always happy to give advice on what kind of digital ads work best. If you’d like to not worry about having to keep your ad fresh and you’d like to take advantage of our insight into what ads we’ve seen work best, you can have us build you an ad. Just select the Deluxe ad price and select the option of having us build your ad.

Model Railroad Hobbyist Ad Kit - December 2012

Questions?

Just ask Les! Les M. Halmos

Advertising Account Manager

800-920-6020 ext. 3 cell: 418-571-2583 Contact Les

Click/Tap Here

Advertising assistant Daniel Nava

800-920-6020

Daniel assists Les by managing ad copy logistics and helping advertisers with their ad copy needs.