We almost didn't promote one of this week's reports, "The best versus the rest," taken from a presentation at the Borrell 2012 Local Online Advertising Conference, because it restated some oof what appears to be "the obvious."

However, I have gotten a number of phone calls in the last few weeks from mid-level execs at small and large companies, concerned that very top people in the company are still on the fence about shifting resources to digital as significantly or quickly as they feel is required to keep up.

So we are promoting the report this week on what key initiatives five companies who lead in market share think are most important. A key element in all five "best" companies is that digital leadership at the very top levels is committed, evangelical and backing that commitment with attention and resources.

The following interview is with Kurt Lozier, SVP of Dow Jones Local Media Group, which is currently testing paywalls in eight small markets. The complete case study is this week's lead item.

LMI: Looking over the data, do you find it remarkable that 50% of print subscribers have chosen to pay more to read news online, simply because you asked them to?

Lozier: The take rate was higher than we thought. Every time I read about (publishers) launching a site who say current subscribers get into for free, I want to grab the phone and call them. If you just give it to current subscribers, you don't know if it has value. Our new core product is print plus online.

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What's an inexpensive, effective way to allow advertisers to post and update content directly on your local media site without crossing the line between news and advertising? These new ad units that allow advertisers to update information via Facebook or Twitter are yielding outstanding CTR's - three times higher than regular banner ads. Here is the case study, results, pricing and contacts.
Political advertising is one of the few boom industries in 2012. To take full advantage requires a serious plan. This report gives a step-by-step go to market battle strategy. Included is a slide deck of competitive statistics, case studies from two local media companies who have successfully ramped up revenues, information on pricing and packaging that works, essential partners, and a worksheet to build the plan.
There are four main categories of advertisers that see mobile audience as a huge opportunity. They like the type of person using smart phones, how it positions their brand and the extra functionality. Sell into these red hot categories by knowing what they need from mobile, with tips from Derrick DeCarlo, Director of Digital Strategy for LSN Mobile.
How much money should you be making from your mobile efforts? Here are seven key current metrics - traffic to PC site traffic, CPMs, revenues for WAPS versus Apps, changes in page views/vistor, current CTRs and sell-through - rates (STRs) - all based on real results from local media partners. Plug in your own numbers to evaluate how much revenue your site could be earning and total revenue. Also included is a break down of what categories are buying mobile now.
What numbers are the most successful local media companies tracking - and achieving? The first is an audience dashboard that tracks all new audiences: Facebook, Email, Mobile, Text and Online. However these dashboards are almost too big to allow managers to focus in on what's important. Key metrics allow your teams to track both against short term targets and long range, transformative goals. This report gives you a start by showing a few that should be on the new dashboard, worksheets included.
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Local media should take the lead in deploying larger and more interactive ad units - and now they can. A variety of inexpensive platforms make these ads efficient to build and sell. This report gives a full break down of what's available, strengths and weakness of each and a to-do list to get started selling the new units. Included are the six IAB Rising Stars, a social media ad, how to create video ads and key reasons to get into the game. more …
Don't leave money on the table in the political advertising category. Richmond Media Group's 2012 political sales strategy is one that does it right. The key competitive messages hit home, visuals are outstanding, and sets of packages aimed to sell quickly throughout the season. Included is our page by page analysis, including resources. By March, the company had generated $200,000 in political ads, and double the 2008 campaign season is well … more …
What do the most successful companies do differently? Five local media companies have over-achieved in market share of advertising dollars by four to ten times the average of other local media, according to Borrell & Associates. At the 2012 Local Online Advertising Conference, excecutives from these companies - Gray Media, Morris Publishing, Cox, Mclatchey and Deseret Digital Media - outlined key strategies that made the difference. This report … more …
Text alerts are increasingly popular with audiences - especially in areas with extreme weather. Here are key reasons to start-up a text alert program, most popular categories, how to integrate with email, and ways to monetize. Included is a case study on a radio station that signed up, literally half of the population in its county, how to choose a vendor, a recommended vendor, how to sell sponsorships and who is buying them. more …