This case study looks at the digital services model used by Dow Jones Local Media Group. Its strength is combining a variety of services for local merchants who are shifting marketing dollars to digital - but not to advertising. Included is the organizational structure, products, vendors, sales force issues, and results for the first three months. more

One dramatic tactic to focus the sales effort on year-over-year increases is the use of travel incentive programs - that is, awarding trips to advertisers in return for meeting specific spending targets. The total pay-off in increased sales is well into six figures at Hudson Valley Media Group. Here's how the program works. more

How are newspapers and local magazines using QR Codes to develop their brands and monetize digital services? Here are four case studies - and a few more uses - that are exemplative of four basic print strategies that using QR Codes, including initiatives from $100,000 to $1,000,000 in first year revenues, including all media in the package. This report shows how to launch QR codes in your market, add them to campaigns, and integrate with SMS, based on successes in the field. more

The Washington Post is becoming an expert at picking off smaller local verticals in the face of huge national competitors: First they built ServiceAlley to compete with Angie's List, and now they've carved Capital Dish out of Living Social monopolization of group deals in their area. Here's how Tim Condon, Director of New Ventures, Digital, developed the site in partnership with TeachStreet. more

A key new directory partnership opportunity in the home services area, ServiceAlley.com, launched three weeks ago as a partnership between Teachstreet and the Washington Post. The group is challenging Angie’s List, IYP’s and even Valpak for the home services categories. Here is an outline of how it works and our recommendations. more

SeniorChecked, a directory of certified home service providers, demonstrates how local directories are evolving to serve different kinds of marketplaces. After the original business strategy faltered, a team of executives at AOL left to turn-around the start-up. Here's their plan, led by CEO Chris Spanos, to solidify the business model and take a run at the Better Business Bureau. more

This sales drive at Journal Register is enterprising in its shere simplicity: $94 a week packages generated $740,000 over a period of one month across multiple markets. Here is the anatomy of how the packages were structured the sales drive put together by Blinder Group. Update: This drive has now yielded more than $1 million in new contract revenues. more

The Bangor Daily News' newly consolidated sales team retrained and launched its digital sales using a step-by-step approach starting with simple SOV packages, and "sold out" the first 20 packages in two weeks. Here's how the team, which included Online Sales Manager, Nicole Stevens, and Consultant, Jane Bogue, put the initiative to work. more

The (Pittsburgh) PostGazette.com's paid members site, PG+, launched in September 2009. The unique membership package includes extra local coverage, access to writers and a discount club. Sports chat threads can run 400 to 500 comments long. The initiative is part of an aggressive strategy by Chris Chamberlain, president and Pat Scanlon, Director of Interactive Media, to create a new business model for the company by focusing heavily on user-generated revenues. more

One account executive in Southeast Pennsylvania is a heavy Facebook user. She put her network to work finding leads, making sales and adding value. Of course it helps to have 1474 friends and few tricks up your sleeve. more