In an effort to thwart all things wrong with online display ads (banner blindness, interruptive aspects and necessity for impulse-driven incentivization), the industry is moving en masse towards a variety of forms of "native advertising." Here's our attempt to recommend guidelines for local media selling native ads.

WSBT-TV has won the Top Ads award for a campaign it created for C&B Optical that generated 1000 new customers and more than $300,000 in new business using highly targeted banner ads and a text club. Here's how the campaign was put together.
Here is a great idea for hospitals that want to promote a cardiology center and reach out to families: What could be better than a high school sports app with a "ticker" tie in? The hospital benefits from every app promotion and score announced. LocalMediaInsider judges selected this campaign as March's Top Ad Winner. See the campaign here.
Sales of managed social media services are red hot. Businesses need help and local media are uniquely positioned to provide it by leveraging their own competencies. Here's a solid initiative from Federated Interactive, a digital company that works with Federated Media radio group. Included in the case study: staffing, vendors used, pricing, and sales and promotional materials.
Since Google's algorithms changed, customized SEO services are back in demand. OPUBCO's new SEO division, SEOSalesPro, caters to the high end of the SEO market, delivering sophisticated content and link-building strategies to large companies based in the area, and partnering to provide back-end services to agencies and other media.
Here's another way to monetize a category that has been traditionally strong for local print media: By providing back end services to funeral homes, essentially making them partners in selling obituary announcements and daily text alerts for obituary notices, the Houston Herald built a solid new revenue stream and anchored the franchise as an important community service. Here's the full case study:
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Offbeat Magazine executives wanted to gradually replace lost print readership and subscriptions with digital traffic, ad revenue, and merchandise sales. A key initiative for the New Orleans monthly was developing and monetizing its email newsletter, which now yields an estimated $52,000 annually. Here's how the company put the program together. more …
 Marquee Magazine is one of the first partnerships for Spingo, a mobile first events platform with both a younger, higher end appeal that aims to give Zvents a run for the money. The tech company has signed several large prestige accounts: KSL.com, part of Deseret Digital Media, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. This case study on Marquee Magazine, rack and counter-distributed print and online weekly entertainment magazine, demonstrates metrics … more …
Creating a niche site that attracts mega-sponsors requires a savvy formula. This case study shows how native advertising can be good for the community: a turn key health site with some localized programming serves the community and attracts major sponsorship dollars. Included: An overview of both of the stations two health programs that resulted in estimated sales of more than $250,000. How the programing mix works, how sponsorships are sold and … more …
For media looking for a game-changing contest, this one has all that and more. The auto dealership puts up the car - and brings cash - in return for participating in all of the contest promotions. Find out how this contest came together, with results and a few "do's and don'ts" for next time. more …