Wilmington (NC) puts existing print advertisers online and generates more than $28k in new revenue
The Challenge
The Wilmington (NC) Star-News has a site with more than 130,000 visitors each month. Just like most newspapers, they were looking for ways to generate more revenue off this traffic. During a planning session led by The Blinder Group, the staff of the Star-News decided to launch a program that would extend the reach and frequency of their current print advertisers by strategically placing their ads online--next to the high-traffic news stories. Now advertisers were able to reach both print and online newspaper readers and the Star-News was able to generate some serious online revenue.
Program Overview
The Star-News created a tile position located in each online editorial section. The tile rotated throughout all content areas--giving advertisers maximum online exposure and insuring each advertiser would receive a minimum of 40,000 impressions each month. Because of limited page impressions, this program was limited to just 13 advertisers.
Advertisers were able to place changeable text messages inside the tile position. The messages were linked to a pop up version of the advertiser's newspaper ad which could then be linked directly to the advertiser's Web site and/or e-mail address. The program, called PIP (Peak Internet Performance) Ads, allowed advertisers to change the online text message each time their print ad changed. This gave advertisers the opportunity to expand the reach and frequency of their print ad by participating in one program.
Sales Strategy
Because of the limited inventory, this program was first offered to existing print advertisers. The sales staff was armed with a rate card and a sales sheet created by The Blinder Group. The sales sheet clearly showed the advertiser how the program would work online--including a visual sample of how the print ads would appear. A consultant from The Blinder Group accompanied the print sales staff on calls to close business.
Results
The Star-News launched a three-day sales blitz with The Blinder Group consultant and generated more than $28,000 in new revenue. The sales team continues to sell the program and is confident they will sell out by the end of the summer. "We are so excited over the PIP program," said Diane Keenan, Classified and Online Sales Manager. "The sales people have found this to be one of the first online projects to be truly excited about and their enthusiasm is quite obvious."
Contact Information
The Star-News is a 56,500 daily located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
For more information about the sales strategy of this program, contact:
Diane Keenan, Classified and Online Sales Manager
(910) 343-2321
diane.keenan@wilmingtonstar.com
Jim Ormsbee, Online Director
(910) 343-2321
jim.ormsbee@wilmingtonstar.com
Lead Consultant for The Blinder Group:
Mike Blinder
(917) 865-4827
mike@blindergroup.com
The Blinder Group
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