By: Tim Sohn
With the economy recovering slowly, local businesses are continuing to be cautious about how they spend their money. Now, more than ever, they want to see direct results from newspaper advertising campaigns both online and in print.
Consistent advertising works Gold Country Media, a group of community newspapers, magazines, shoppers, and websites north and east of Sacramento, Calif., is using a variety of programs to provide both broad and targeted marketing opportunities for advertisers, according to Tony Hazarian, publisher and president of the
Auburn (Calif.)
Journal, a GCM-owned paper. Some successful programs for Hazarian have been special sections and once-a-year sales on full- and half-page ads. The group’s latest program is called “Consistent Advertising Works.” It’s a 13-week offer that provides a print and online package intended to show that longevity increases advertisers’ results. The cost is $750 for 13 weeks and includes one quarter-page ad (full color), three three-column by 5-inch ads (black and white), six two-column by 2-inch ads (black and white), three one-column by 2-inch ads (black and white), and 2,500 page impressions on the paper’s website. An alternative package costs $1,500 for 13 weeks, which includes one half-page ad (full color), two quarter-page ads (full color), three three-column by 3-inch ads (black and white), six two-column by 2-inch ads (black and white) and 5,000 page impressions on the paper’s website. Discounts are also offered if ads are placed in multiple GCM publications. “We’ve had great success with this in the past 30 to 45 days, securing more than a dozen new advertisers and retaining another six or seven who had dropped out of our newspapers. Providing this package is easy to understand for the advertiser and powerful for the reps to sell,” Hazarian said.
Take care of good customers Joel Klaassen, publisher of
Hillsboro (Kan.)
Free Press, a free weekly home-delivered newspaper covering Marion County, said he’s not certain the “slow recovery” has begun in his region. “We tend to lag behind the rest of the country, and we really don’t boom and at the same time don’t bust. Our farm economy has been better than usual lately, and a majority of the rest of our economy has been a little worse than usual lately,” he said. Klaassen said that ad dollars have been steady for the most part thanks to new business coming from outside the county. “I think more and more people are finding out about us even though we haven’t done an advertising campaign as such. When we lose a business in our county we do, however, seek advertisers who would want to reach our readers who no longer have an option for their type of business locally,” Klaassen said. Meanwhile, some businesses are shutting their doors and others completely pulling out of advertising. Employment ads have been up and down recently, but the trend has been up, according to Klaassen. “We have added salespeople to combat the losses, and it seems to be working as we have two new salespeople who are covering the waterfront. The high gas prices and inflation are probably our worst enemies at the moment,” he said. In January, the
Free Press offered full-, half- and quarter-page ads at half-price for customers in good standing. “I think this helped get a few of our customers off their seats in what is usually a slower time for us. In one case, it showed what a bigger ad can do for a business, and the business then continued to run bigger ads after the success of the first larger discounted ad,” Klaassen said, adding that the paper does not typically bend the rate card, but rather used this promotion to increase sales one time. In October 2009, the company did a sales blitz for Web advertising, and at that time, the company wrote about 40 new contracts. About 90 percent of those contracts are still active. The
Free Press also publishes community photo books with reader-generated photos to add a sense of local history to the company’s publications. The paper profiles the history of local businesses and provides them an alternative way to advertise, Klaassen said. It also publishes special focus sections on a weekly basis — business and finance, senior living/health and fitness, agriculture focus, and real estate. The paper incorporates local features with these pages, and they generally create high interest, according to Klaassen. He emphasized, however, that there is no better substitute than showing up in person to a potential advertiser with a spec ad and a plan of action. “Most smaller advertisers do not have the time to put into developing an ad plan or strategies, so we are who they look to for this service. Our graphic design department, which creates spec ads for these small businesses, along with teaming up with a salesperson, is a valuable service for those who really have no idea what to do to promote their business,” Klaassen said, adding that social marketing hasn’t caught on much yet for them, but they will be ready to go when the public is ready.
Fulfill the advertiser’s needs In Lakeland, Fla.,
The Ledger created a small- and medium-sized business team two years ago, which primarily solicits business by phone, said advertising director Dawn Willis. “We package our daily print products, digital, and glossy magazines in a very consultative approach. The Ledger Media Group has also created various marketing partnerships with many local businesses during the past two years, including such events as concert and game sponsorships, reader contests, a half-price deal site, and more that offer advertisers enhanced value and exposure for their investment with us,” Willis said. She added that the company offers unique ad positions, front-page advertising, and availability for a front-page sticky note on every section and even placement on inside full-page advertising. Ledger Media Group also has been reaching out to potential advertisers by conducting seminars that focus on digital marketing. According to Willis, the daily print product works, by layering it with other options such as digital. “The diversity of the ad buy and timely client follow-up with results are important, along with integrated marketing solutions that work in tandem with one another,” she said, adding that follow-up consultation with businesses and emphasizing results is most important. Willis said customer service must be a top priority, as well as coming up with creative options for businesses and reporting back with the direct results of digital campaigns. “Creative is essential to local businesses in many cases based on reduction of staff,” she said, adding that newspapers are still the top value for local businesses based on reach and targeting capabilities. The company offers products that are targeted and zoned by geography or behavior. “We are a one-stop shop for all of our advertisers, most of which are bombarded by multiple advertising options daily. We offer an agency approach to an advertiser with the ability to drive business through newspapers, magazines, targeted products, online products, and direct mail. The newspapers are reinventing our business model and diversifying our products to meet the needs of our communities,” she said.
More people, not less Jim Hart, president of Integrated Advertising Solutions, a newspaper and small business consulting firm in Phoenix, said many newspapers are reducing the number of people selling ads. “At a time when we really need to ramp up our local presence, they’re reducing the number of sales reps. To monetize it, you need more people, not less,” he said. Hart previously worked as general manager at
The Dallas Morning News, vice president of consulting at ASTECH InterMedia, database marketing manager at
The Arizona Republic, and advertising director at the
Dubuque (Iowa)
Telegraph Herald and the
Daily Southtown in Chicago. His clients have included
The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, as well as E.W. Scripps Co., McClatchy Newspapers, and Knight-Ridder newspaper chains. Hart said that newspapers need to focus on high volume in order to see financial success. “Newspapers have never really geared up financially and strategically to really serve the needs of local businesses.” He said another key is teaching sales representatives how to design direct-response advertising. Hart explained that ads need to be specific to the business and compelling.
Focus on the goal John Coakley, vice president of sales and marketing at
The Fresno (Calif.)
Bee, said it is always important to stay focused on the goals of advertisers. “By consistently doing a ‘needs assessment’ we are able to make strong suggestions as to how these tools can help support achieving these goals. Making more and better sales calls is still a fundamental way to help our customers,” he said. Coakley said print still delivers the best results for advertisers. “Our customers know the media world is ever-changing and rely on the newspaper to give them sound guidance on how to navigate through their various choices. While the media world continues to evolve, they know what works and that print is still the driver for providing best results ... and print combined with our digital offerings only strengthens clients’ returns,” he said, adding that one thing that will never change is the need to provide results.
Above and beyond Some newspapers are thinking outside the box when it comes to increasing revenue by providing direct social marketing services to local businesses — as noted in an online post titled “Publishers Turn to Digital Business Services to Offset Declining Ad Revenue,” written by Jeff Sonderman for The Poynter Institute. “ ... as businesses large and small discover the importance of their online presence — such as developing an effective presence on Facebook or Twitter, or optimizing their sites to appear higher in search results — demand for those services is booming. Media companies who have developed their own expertise in those areas can fill that need with new business-to-business products,” the article reads. Sonderman cites Condé Nast, which is offering marketing services such as mobile app development, Web design, and social media consulting, in a program called “Ideactive.” Another example is Hearst’s purchase of search specialist iCrossing. Even small newspapers are following this model, according to Sonderman. “Even a small newspaper, such as the 20,000-circulation
The Grand Island Independent in central Nebraska, is getting into this game. It created a service called giNetwork in which local businesses pay for the
Independent’s Web editor to set up their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Their posts are aggregated on the Independent’s homepage and on a dedicated giNetwork page,” he wrote. “The program currently has 40 clients paying $99 a month, which means the paper is bringing in about $48,000 annually. The paper aims to have 100 clients down the road.” In order to survive, newspapers are increasingly thinking creatively when it comes to offering advertising to businesses. From offering print, online, and mobile packages to one-time discounts, newspapers have no choice but to pitch an arsenal of possibilities to businesses on different platforms.
Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, specializing in online innovations. He most recently served as editor of LH! Weekly
newspaper in northwestern New Jersey. He can be reached at twcsu@aol.com.
With the economy recovering slowly, local businesses are continuing to be cautious about how they spend their money. Now, more than ever, they want to see direct results from newspaper advertising campaigns both online and in print. Consistent advertising works Gold Country Media, a group of community newspapers, magazines, shoppers, and websites north and east of Sacramento, Calif., is using a variety of programs to provide both broad and targeted marketing opportunities for advertisers, according to Tony Hazarian, publisher and president of the Auburn (Calif.) Journal, a GCM-owned paper. Some successful programs for Hazarian have been special sections and once-a-year sales on full- and half-page ads. The group’s latest program is called “Consistent Advertising Works.” It’s a 13-week offer that provides a print and online package intended to show that longevity increases advertisers’ results. The cost is $750 for 13 weeks and includes one quarter-page ad (full color), three three-column by 5-inch ads (black and white), six two-column by 2-inch ads (black and white), three one-column by 2-inch ads (black and white), and 2,500 page impressions on the paper’s website. An alternative package costs $1,500 for 13 weeks, which includes one half-page ad (full color), two quarter-page ads (full color), three three-column by 3-inch ads (black and white), six two-column by 2-inch ads (black and white) and 5,000 page impressions on the paper’s website. Discounts are also offered if ads are placed in multiple GCM publications. “We’ve had great success with this in the past 30 to 45 days, securing more than a dozen new advertisers and retaining another six or seven who had dropped out of our newspapers. Providing this package is easy to understand for the advertiser and powerful for the reps to sell,” Hazarian said. Take care of good customers Joel Klaassen, publisher of Hillsboro (Kan.) Free Press, a free weekly home-delivered newspaper covering Marion County, said he’s not certain the “slow recovery” has begun in his region. “We tend to lag behind the rest of the country, and we really don’t boom and at the same time don’t bust. Our farm economy has been better than usual lately, and a majority of the rest of our economy has been a little worse than usual lately,” he said. Klaassen said that ad dollars have been steady for the most part thanks to new business coming from outside the county. “I think more and more people are finding out about us even though we haven’t done an advertising campaign as such. When we lose a business in our county we do, however, seek advertisers who would want to reach our readers who no longer have an option for their type of business locally,” Klaassen said. Meanwhile, some businesses are shutting their doors and others completely pulling out of advertising. Employment ads have been up and down recently, but the trend has been up, according to Klaassen. “We have added salespeople to combat the losses, and it seems to be working as we have two new salespeople who are covering the waterfront. The high gas prices and inflation are probably our worst enemies at the moment,” he said. In January, the Free Press offered full-, half- and quarter-page ads at half-price for customers in good standing. “I think this helped get a few of our customers off their seats in what is usually a slower time for us. In one case, it showed what a bigger ad can do for a business, and the business then continued to run bigger ads after the success of the first larger discounted ad,” Klaassen said, adding that the paper does not typically bend the rate card, but rather used this promotion to increase sales one time. In October 2009, the company did a sales blitz for Web advertising, and at that time, the company wrote about 40 new contracts. About 90 percent of those contracts are still active. The Free Press also publishes community photo books with reader-generated photos to add a sense of local history to the company’s publications. The paper profiles the history of local businesses and provides them an alternative way to advertise, Klaassen said. It also publishes special focus sections on a weekly basis — business and finance, senior living/health and fitness, agriculture focus, and real estate. The paper incorporates local features with these pages, and they generally create high interest, according to Klaassen. He emphasized, however, that there is no better substitute than showing up in person to a potential advertiser with a spec ad and a plan of action. “Most smaller advertisers do not have the time to put into developing an ad plan or strategies, so we are who they look to for this service. Our graphic design department, which creates spec ads for these small businesses, along with teaming up with a salesperson, is a valuable service for those who really have no idea what to do to promote their business,” Klaassen said, adding that social marketing hasn’t caught on much yet for them, but they will be ready to go when the public is ready. Fulfill the advertiser’s needs In Lakeland, Fla., The Ledger created a small- and medium-sized business team two years ago, which primarily solicits business by phone, said advertising director Dawn Willis. “We package our daily print products, digital, and glossy magazines in a very consultative approach. The Ledger Media Group has also created various marketing partnerships with many local businesses during the past two years, including such events as concert and game sponsorships, reader contests, a half-price deal site, and more that offer advertisers enhanced value and exposure for their investment with us,” Willis said. She added that the company offers unique ad positions, front-page advertising, and availability for a front-page sticky note on every section and even placement on inside full-page advertising. Ledger Media Group also has been reaching out to potential advertisers by conducting seminars that focus on digital marketing. According to Willis, the daily print product works, by layering it with other options such as digital. “The diversity of the ad buy and timely client follow-up with results are important, along with integrated marketing solutions that work in tandem with one another,” she said, adding that follow-up consultation with businesses and emphasizing results is most important. Willis said customer service must be a top priority, as well as coming up with creative options for businesses and reporting back with the direct results of digital campaigns. “Creative is essential to local businesses in many cases based on reduction of staff,” she said, adding that newspapers are still the top value for local businesses based on reach and targeting capabilities. The company offers products that are targeted and zoned by geography or behavior. “We are a one-stop shop for all of our advertisers, most of which are bombarded by multiple advertising options daily. We offer an agency approach to an advertiser with the ability to drive business through newspapers, magazines, targeted products, online products, and direct mail. The newspapers are reinventing our business model and diversifying our products to meet the needs of our communities,” she said. More people, not less Jim Hart, president of Integrated Advertising Solutions, a newspaper and small business consulting firm in Phoenix, said many newspapers are reducing the number of people selling ads. “At a time when we really need to ramp up our local presence, they’re reducing the number of sales reps. To monetize it, you need more people, not less,” he said. Hart previously worked as general manager at The Dallas Morning News, vice president of consulting at ASTECH InterMedia, database marketing manager at The Arizona Republic, and advertising director at the Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph Herald and the Daily Southtown in Chicago. His clients have included The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, as well as E.W. Scripps Co., McClatchy Newspapers, and Knight-Ridder newspaper chains. Hart said that newspapers need to focus on high volume in order to see financial success. “Newspapers have never really geared up financially and strategically to really serve the needs of local businesses.” He said another key is teaching sales representatives how to design direct-response advertising. Hart explained that ads need to be specific to the business and compelling. Focus on the goal John Coakley, vice president of sales and marketing at The Fresno (Calif.) Bee, said it is always important to stay focused on the goals of advertisers. “By consistently doing a ‘needs assessment’ we are able to make strong suggestions as to how these tools can help support achieving these goals. Making more and better sales calls is still a fundamental way to help our customers,” he said. Coakley said print still delivers the best results for advertisers. “Our customers know the media world is ever-changing and rely on the newspaper to give them sound guidance on how to navigate through their various choices. While the media world continues to evolve, they know what works and that print is still the driver for providing best results ... and print combined with our digital offerings only strengthens clients’ returns,” he said, adding that one thing that will never change is the need to provide results. Above and beyond Some newspapers are thinking outside the box when it comes to increasing revenue by providing direct social marketing services to local businesses — as noted in an online post titled “Publishers Turn to Digital Business Services to Offset Declining Ad Revenue,” written by Jeff Sonderman for The Poynter Institute. “ ... as businesses large and small discover the importance of their online presence — such as developing an effective presence on Facebook or Twitter, or optimizing their sites to appear higher in search results — demand for those services is booming. Media companies who have developed their own expertise in those areas can fill that need with new business-to-business products,” the article reads. Sonderman cites Condé Nast, which is offering marketing services such as mobile app development, Web design, and social media consulting, in a program called “Ideactive.” Another example is Hearst’s purchase of search specialist iCrossing. Even small newspapers are following this model, according to Sonderman. “Even a small newspaper, such as the 20,000-circulation The Grand Island Independent in central Nebraska, is getting into this game. It created a service called giNetwork in which local businesses pay for the Independent’s Web editor to set up their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Their posts are aggregated on the Independent’s homepage and on a dedicated giNetwork page,” he wrote. “The program currently has 40 clients paying $99 a month, which means the paper is bringing in about $48,000 annually. The paper aims to have 100 clients down the road.” In order to survive, newspapers are increasingly thinking creatively when it comes to offering advertising to businesses. From offering print, online, and mobile packages to one-time discounts, newspapers have no choice but to pitch an arsenal of possibilities to businesses on different platforms. Tim Sohn is a 10-year veteran of the news business, specializing in online innovations. He most recently served as editor of LH! Weekly newspaper in northwestern New Jersey. He can be reached at twcsu@aol.com.
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