IF your business isn’t advertising in local media it’s probably about time it was.

That’s the message from consumer group Think Media after its latest research found local news media, in print and online, is the most effective combination for driving consumer action with readers more than twice as likely to act on advertisements than those on TV or social media.

In fact, the Consumer Catalyst study found local media readers are more than twice as likely (51%) to act on adverts than they are on TV (23%), magazines (19%), social media (14%) or commercial radio (14%).

Clinton Bonner, of Bonners Butchers in Ilminster, said advertising in the Chard & Ilminster News really works for him.

He said: “It’s a good way to contact people and get your offers out there.

“I find it very useful and it does tend to work when I show people what offers I have on.”

Linda Piggott-Vijeh, a businesswoman and consumer expert, among her duties as a county councillor in Ilminster, said: “As a long-term champion of local media, which I now use extensively to promote the organisations I work with, I was delighted to hear the results of the latest survey by the Newspaper Society.”

Local media is leading the way in property advertising with adverts in local media the most popular (49%) source for keeping a general eye on the local property market, followed by property websites, such as Rightmove or Zoopla (37%), the study says.

Jane Wolfson, joint head of investment at Initiative in London, said: “These findings illustrate why it’s so important for national advertisers like Tesco to appear in local media.

“The high levels of trust placed in local newspapers translate into real action at key stages of the path to purchase, and local newspapers are active in their communities, campaigning on issues that matter to their readers.”

Further findings show local media (51%) is nearly four times more trusted than commercial TV (14%) and radio (11%), and Johnny Hustler, Newspaper Society communications and marketing committee chairman, believes this is an important fact.

He said: “This research confirms the fundamental role local media plays in the media mix today as a powerful catalyst for consumer action.”

To find out what the News and chardandilminster news.co.uk can do for your business, call Chris Jones on 07827-929629.