With a 98% month-over-month retention rate for a digital services agency whose revenues have grown ten fold in a few short years, Morris Publishing Group is on to something. Mark Lane, VP of Sales, Morris Publishing Group, describes it as compounding - or the ability for small annual sales of $400 a month, week after week, to accumulate like an annuity. But only if they are retained. The following is a checklist of the most critical elements in ensuring maximum retention of clients. more

Fewer jobs and lower recruitment ad revenues are affecting sales at most local media companies. By early 2014, 14 of 25 sites surveyed by Borrell were down by an average of 38%. But some companies are out performing, due to the use of a variety of new tools available to help merchants find employees. This is the comprehensive list of services to use, or provide as a service to merchants. more

Looking for a group contest? Bars Wars is a classic bracket contest that signed up 32 New Orleans bars in a dead heat to see which one was picked as a personal favorite by voters. Advertising contracts also increased, with the price of entry varying depending on existing or new relationships. Here's how the contest was put together. more

LMI editors endorse Memoriams from AdPay, as a way to increase obituary revenues and for the newspaper industry to grow the franchise overall. Included in this review: How it works, costs, metrics and current partners. more

For media companies looking for new products that differentiate their agencies from competitors and lead to upsells, free Wifi that captures customer data is a new option. This review looks at an inexpensive choice used by Guarantee Digital's founder Daryl Hively. Pricing and packaging strategies are included. more

Have you ever wondered what competing digital marketers are pitching to your customers? Here's a typical presentation from Yodle, which sells digital marketing to 40,000 local businesses. Included are sales slides used, and our take on competitive strengths and weaknesses of the presentation. more

Teams of digital hunters that are high volume, low margin and challenging to build and manage. Here are tips for managing teams of digital sales force from Greg Walls, VP of Reseller Channel, LocalEdge. Greg … more

The biggest problem in forming digital agencies is recruiting and training a team of digital hunters. Here are nine best practices shared by Greg Walls, VP Reseller Channel, LocaleEdge, at the 2013 Digital Agency Summit. LocalEdge fields hunters selling digital services starting at $395 a month in 117 markets. more

Twitter is a great way for brands to communicate one-to-one with potential customers. But how can they do this at scale, and turn Tweets into customers? One solution is Social Compass. Created by Hiplogiq, the platform provides a tool for marketers to listen, respond and insert offers into Twitter conversations. The company offers it's platform on a white label basis to media and agency resellers. This review shows how the system is used, including pricing strategies, top categories, a list of suggested search terms for the best categories, plus strengths and weaknesses. more

Merchants are more interested than ever before in ROI. In fact, a BIA Kesley survey shows they are planning to increase spending in digital marketing, but in fewer channels - keeping those that show measurable results and cutting out those channels that do not. Use this quick list of measurement tactics, shared by Amie Stein, Director of Training and Development at Local Media Association at the 2013 Digital Agency Summit, and turn them into ROI estimates. more