North Carolina paper sells ads for elementary school folders
When elementary school children in Wilson, N.C., go home with communications folders for their parents, so do ads from The Wilson Times.
"Our advertisers love it, because it's not very often that we can give them an opportunity for something that will last so long. We give them visibility throughout the school year," said Shana Hoover, director of sales and marketing for The Times.
The promotion is in its second school year and was presented at a recent SNPA P2P video conference. The ad space sold out in a week, generating $6,455.
MORENew- and old-style marketing in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoman Media Co. generated hundreds of advertising leads with one new marketing initiative while creating a popular new event from its traditional emphasis on prep sports.
Since March, the company has generated 850 new leads through a LinkedIn B2B marketing system, according to Lawre Everest, creative director for Oklahoman Media. To say it has exceeded expectations is an understatement.
MORERecipe for revenue
Publishing a recipe card a day made nearly $1,000 a month for The Times Leader in Martins Ferry, Ohio, and readers called if it was left out. The concept was simple: Sell a 2 x 1 ad that runs along the bottom of a 2 x 5 space, and fill the rest of the space with a recipe. The size is small enough to clip and save like a recipe card, with the advertiser as the sponsor.
MOREA smash-hit special section
A Veterans Day section or advertising promotion isn't an original idea, but The Sault News' circulation is 2,700. So getting 400 families to submit photos and basic information about their loved ones who served their country represents an impressive amount of reader engagement.
MOREWarm them up
The Omaha World-Herald called its drive to bring in new business "Win Back Win Big," and with $480,000 in new advertising in the first quarter of 2017, the strategy was a big success.
MOREDraw digital subscribers with newsletters
The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., is growing revenue by monetizing newsletters. During last month's P2P video conference call, SNPA members heard how the paper has changed its focus, added or redirected staffing to oversee all newsletters and craft daily news newsletters, and changed its sales approach.
If you missed the call, here's where you can catch up on this GREAT IDEA.
MOREPuzzling out new revenue
Here's a revenue-generating idea that is simple, inexpensive and keeps readers looking at an ad for 30 minutes. People participating in SNPA's recent Publisher-to-Publisher (P2P) video conference call already know what it is.
Everyone else, pay attention.
Trevor Evans was advertising manager at The Express in Lock Haven, Penn., when he was told to come up with a way to make up for $5,000 in lost revenue, and do it quickly. The result was a 16-page special tabloid section of Word Search puzzles tied to ads. It made more than $5,000, and he sold it in two hours by making phone calls to legacy advertisers as he was driving.
MOREAre you really making money on your special sections?
Break down the costs, not just the ad count. See link in this article for a sample spreadsheet developed by the paper.
MORESell your advertisers with statistics
Research has proven lucrative for Jones Media.
MORESNPA offers revenue and audience-growth ideas shared by members
The Times-Picayune's Hurricane Katrina ‘Then and Now’ project uses photography to demonstrate the city’s recovery. Read about this ... and more proven ideas ... in a collection shared by SNPA members.
More than a dozen members contributed to this collection, which formed a portion of the basis for a segment at the News Industry Summit in Charlottesville.
Order your copy from SNPA.
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