Connemara Publications

Why choose an advertising campaign with What’s On?

What’s On is the most widely distributed, frequently printed tourism guide in the West of Ireland.  Your sales message will be exposed in 6,000 copies of What’s On every fortnight.

Visitors to the region pick up What’s On along our wide distribution network inside and outside of Connemara. Because of What’s On’s excellent reputation for quality and timeliness, it comes heavily recommended by everyone operating within the local hospitality sector. We are passionate about making your advertisement work for you. We professionally design your advert and help you speak to your target market directly, ensuring your chances at making sales are maximised!

Why do you use the words ‘Advertising Campaign’?

Once-off advertising is a poor strategy for long-term business success. The potential for measuring feedback is lost, the opportunity for market research is also lost. Placing a well thought out campaign is much better and more efficient than rushing a once-off advert. We have plenty of experience and can advise you on the best strategy for your business’s advertising campaign.

Can advertising fortnightly really benefit my business?

What’s On is an excellent market research tool. That’s right, it is! Think about it, you can change your advert every two weeks, this presents an excellent opportunity to experiment with your sales message and original offers. We have always encouraged our advertisers to try changing their advert until they find one that works. Advertisers who are experimenting with their advert eventually find their feet, and they are the ones,  time and time again, who get the best results!

Is What’s On the right publication for my advertisement?

If your business relies on tourism, then What’s On, being a tourism guide, is the perfect match for your business. You are selling to the visitor, we are where the visitors are. Our content is geared toward the visitor: fresh, useful, clearly laid out, engaging, and free! 6,000 copies every fortnight, 100 distribution points. What’s On puts a mega-phone in your hand!

Cash flow is tight, what can I do?

No problem. We understand that at the beginning of the season money is scarce. There’s more going out than coming in, this is a common trend in any seasonal business, including ours! That’s why we offer standing orders, it’s really a Pay-As-You-Go system – you can pay monthly, and ease any strain on your cash flow, while at the same time getting your sales message in front of thousands of people – 6,000 in this case. We also accept Visa and Mastercard credit card payments.

I already have a brochure, do I really need to advertise?

1. You may have a nicely designed brochure, but the trouble with brochures is that there’s lots of them! Visitors don’t like carrying around tons of brochures for every possible activity. What’s On is one publication, carrying many mini-brochures.

2. Brochures go out of date fast! When you advertise with What’s On you can update and change your message every two weeks with time sensitive offers. You can’t do this with a brochure.

3. Brochures are expensive. Your initial print run might be cheap, but if you factor in a reprint for when your brochure goes out of date and factor in you have to actually physically distribute the brochure into stands along with many others, it can turn out to be an expensive exercise.

4. A business that has to distribute a brochure even just once can find it tough to get it done, let alone restock it regularly. We distribute to over 100 locations inside and outside Connemara, every two weeks! Again, What’s On, 6,000 copies, every two weeks, to 100 locations – your message is spread far and wide!

5. Visitors trust What’s On. They are getting free and fresh information in a clearly laid out guide designed especially to help them get the most out of their stay. A single brochure might not win the visitor’s trust and interest as easily as a professionally designed tourism publication.

Why do visitors pick up What’s On?

Information. The need for information is often the main and most obvious reason why visitors pick up What’s On. 16 pages packed full of maps, timetables, walks, activities, shopping offers and other handy content, all under one roof! Ultimately, offering the visitors a varied choice of information is the best way to show we care about them, and you need to make sure your business is part of this!

Accessibility  What’s On is distributed to over 100 outlets inside and outside of Connemara – we have presence in all of the main points of interest for the visitor and we cover all entry points. What’s On is a hospitality tool par excellence, receptionists and hosts hand it out every day! Oh, and it’s free!

Presentation  What’s On is a quality publication. Printed to a high standard, it features beautiful photography of Connemara.  An image is worth a thousand words – it’s a cliché, but it’s true. That’s why we always try to captivate the reader’s imagination directly off the front cover. We put the regions’s best foot forward by featuring colourful landscape photography that will attract the eye of the visitor.

Timeliness  Our information is up-to-date, it’s What’s On now! Readers quickly realise this, and What’s On becomes their travelling companion for the duration of their stay, carrying it around in their backpacks and handbags. Readers will now even be able to ask questions directly and get the latest offers daily on our new Facebook Fan page.

I would like to advertise, where do I begin?

No problem, we are here to help. When we visit you, we will sit down and discuss your needs. We’re good listeners, we want to understand your business, your dreams and hopes for it. We have lots of experience in helping businesses achieve success and we can advise you and guide you in the right direction.

In the beginning it may not be clear, but that’s why advertising with What’s On makes perfect sense, you can conduct market research while selling to your customer. Each fortnight you have the chance to experiment and communicate with your target market until you find something that works for you. We want to be a part of your success, because your success is our success.

We have a lot of experience on what works and what doesn’t work with our readers. We know what they are looking for, because advertisers who have been actively using their adverts to test the market have told us of their success, of how their advert is working for them. Feel free to contact us, we will be happy to help you make it work for you too!