Grand Haven (MI) generates $25k in revenue with new multimedia Visitor's Guide
The Challenge
Generating new revenue during the summer season is not always an easy task for a newspaper--even if it is located in a tourist destination such as Grand Haven, Michigan. Each year, the staff of the newspaper would struggle to acheive significant revenue from their three summer special sections. Not only were the revenue numbers not where they needed to be, but the sales staff was spending most of their summer months selling the special sections. With the help of The Blinder Group, The Tribune staff decided to combine all three sections into one annual Visitor's Guide product--Discover the West Michigan Lakeshore. This product included both a print and online element and allowed the sales staff to exceed their summer revenue goals before Memorial Day even rolled around.
Program Overview
Discover the West Michigan Lakeshore was a magazine-size product printed on bright-white newsprint with full-color throughout. Content was created by the editorial staff of the newspaper and contained such information as a calendar of events, things to do in the area, festivals and events. The publication was distributed the week before Memorial Day inside the daily newspaper as well as in high-traffic tourist locations throughout the area. All single copy locations would be refreshed with additional copies throughout the entire summer season--especially around high-traffic events such as July Fourth and The Coast Guard Festival. Distribution was expanded to reach more counties than the newspaper usually covers--making it a cost-effective summer buy for any advertiser.
In addition to the print publication, The Tribune dedicated a portion of their Web site to house Discover the West Michigan Lakeshore information. The content was the same information that was found in the print edition and was now available to users outside of the distribution area.
Sales Strategy
Advertisers enjoyed a cost-effective ad package that included an entire season's worth of exposure in print and online. The Blinder Group returned to the Grand Haven market to assist the sales staff with presenting this product to advertisers. One sales sheet was used to show advertisers how the print and online products worked together as well as give specific content and distribution information.
Advertisers that purchased an ad in the print edition were also included online. On the Web site, the advertiser's print ad was shown and linked directly to the advertiser's Web site.
Results
By combining the three separate print sections into one multimedia program, the staff of the Grand Haven Tribune generated more than $25,000 in revenue--the original goal was $14,000. Not only were they able to exceed their revenue goals, but the sales staff did not have to continue selling the summer sections throughout the entire season.
"We were so excited about how this program came together," said Rob Francis, advertising director for The Tribune. "Creating this multimedia package made it easier for the staff to sell and gave our advertisers a cost-effective way to advertise during the busy summer season. The Blinder Group helped us solidify our ideas and make the print package work online."
Contact Information
The Grand Haven Tribune is a 10,314 daily located in Grand Haven, Michigan.
For more information about the sales strategy of this program, contact:
Rob Francis, Advertising Director
(616) 842-6400
rfrancis@grandhaventribune.com
Lead Consultant for The Blinder Group:
Patti Minglin
(312) 543-4269
patti@blindergroup.com
The Blinder Group
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New Port Richey, FL 34652 USA
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