Hendersonville (NC) puts print advertisers online and increases revenue with $26k in new money
The Opportunity
While many newspapers struggle with how to handle declining circulation numbers, other newspapers are finding new ways to give their advertisers more bang for their advertising buck. The staff of the Times-News in Hendersonville, North Carolina, decided to capitalize on the growing number of online viewers that were reading their daily paper online. They created a multimedia program that allowed a select group of print advertisers to increase the reach and frequency of their print ad by putting it on the Times-News Web site.
Program Overview
The staff of the Times-News looked to The Blinder Group to help them create this program and introduce it to their advertisers. The staff decided to create a program similar to those that had been successfully launched in other Blinder Group markets. The program, titled PIP--Peak Internet Performance, would give current print advertisers the additional reach and frequency offered by the high-traffic of the Times-News Web site.
A tile position was created just right of the headline of each news section on the newspaper's Web site. This tile position contained the advertiser's logo as well as a changeable text message. The text message could be changed on a weekly basis to match the marketing message found in the advertiser's print ad. Once a user clicked the text message, they were taken to a pop up window that contained an online version of the print ad. The ad was linked to the advertiser's Web site and e-mail address.
The tile ad was rotated throughout all content areas of the site--giving advertisers maximum online exposure and insuring each advertiser received a minimum number of impressions each month. The program was limited to a specific amount of advertisers in order to guarantee the monthly page impressions.
Sales Strategy
The Times-News asked The Blinder Group to assist them with introducing this program to advertisers. The Blinder Group helped the team create a one-page multimedia sales sheet that would be used during advertising visits. The sheet clearly showed how the new online program would work with the advertiser's current print schedule. In addition, the sales staff created other sales materials that were used as leave behinds after a sales call.
The sales team worked hard to set up appointments with key advertisers while The Blinder Group was in town. Advertisers were shown online statistics that would enhance their print advertising efforts--expanding the reach and frequency of their marketing message and getting them the biggest bang for their advertising buck.
Results
What a performance! With just three days of selling with The Blinder Group, the team of the Times-News locked in more than 7 annual contracts generating more than $26,000 in new revenue. The revenue was above and beyond what the advertiser was currently spending with their print contract and got advertisers thinking differently about their online marketing efforts.
Debbie Shehan, Retail Advertising Manager for The Times-News stated, "We were pleased with the progress made during the Blinder Group's visit. Their knowledge and enthusiasm made him a valuable asset to our sales team."
Contact Information
The Times-News is a 20,500 daily newspaper located in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
For more information about this program, contact:
Debbie Shehan, Retail Advertising Manager
828-694-7833
debbie.shehan@hendersonvillenews.com
828-694-7834
ben.bouser@hendersonvillenews.com Mike Blinder, The Blinder Group
(917) 865-4827
mike@blindergroup.com
The Blinder Group
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New Port Richey, FL 34652 USA
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