Many weekly newspapers launched their first website in the late 1990’s as a way to protect their franchise. There were many online specialists with many really cool ideas on how to make the website work for them.
The community wasn’t ready to accept their advanced method of communication and socializing. Publishers encouraged the sales staff to go out with enthusiasm as a new method to make money for their advertiser and themselves. Most had great sales success as they brought in specialists to help them sell.
The enthusiasm dwindled from a lack of results, and trying to explain to the advertiser that their ads were being seen. The advertiser lost faith without solid proof that his ads were working and went back to the old faithful print product that served them well since he opened the store 97 years ago. The resistance during the sales process made it easier to bring the money back to print, rather than lose the sale altogether.
Additionally, advertising results were weak because the ads were generic masthead ads that didn’t give a reason to click through except as a first time novelty. Nothing changed and it remained static and old. There was no reason to click through again.
The opportunities created to provide the community an active social hub were actually pretty good ideas, but, were just before their time. Remember all of the great ideas? There were service directories for local businesses, social areas for people to show their pets, their grandchild, and more. It was specialized to target the correct advertiser to the proper vehicle.
The world has changed dramatically the past year, and it is rare to find someone who doesn’t have email and moves on the web regularly to gather information. When was the last time you used a phone book?
Social media’s rapid growth is a testimony to the wants of the reader to interact. Your old newspaper site was really cool; the public just wasn’t ready to be cool.
Capitalizing on the participation that can be created will provide meaningful content that can also be used in print. The print can then promote the web. It is contagious. The local political process can be followed better than ever to create even more meaningful content for free. That is another topic. In the meantime, if you are a local community newspaper, you can make money again on the web and build your franchise.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Page Is Turning on Traditional News Media
Competition is really heating up in the Internet/Web world, as new players try to capture market share from “holes” left by traditional media companies no longer in business. I have read with interest many stories about newspaper companies struggling. Reports are on television, radio, and in newspapers.
As a member of a medium whose primary income source is newspaper advertising, I view some of these reports more as self-preservation than actual news. Television, cable, radio, magazines and most media companies are struggling in this economy.
Most are suffering worse than newspapers, but it is more beneficial to their industry to promote the perception of the demise of the press.
Most newspaper operations are turning profits, but the companies that own the newspapers are struggling to pay the debts acquired from buying other newspapers and hefty real estate investments. Mega profits of days past aren’t there to pay for the debt on declining revenues.
At the same time, it is interesting to watch startup companies try to fill the gaps of fallen newspapers in communities across the country.
San Diego has three Internet start-ups that are netting significant visitor and page views. There is big money backing some of these startups and manning them with people of good journalistic integrity. A Scripps sister paper in Denver Colorado recently closed its doors. Some of its misplaced employees are trying to continue strong journalistic efforts by launching their own news site. They have had to adjust their business model many times since they began and adapt to changing directions. Things just never go the way you plan them.
Locally, we’ve seen hundreds of sites launch, all trying to claim their piece of the news pie. Launched on shoe string budgets, it has been hard to overcome the dominance and dependence of consumers to rely on longtime local favorites such as the Naples Daily News, part of the Naples News Media Group.
A new company was recently launched by retired Naples resident Paul Mongerson. It is www.ourblook.com. A recent article in Gulf Coast Business Review depicted him as a person who is tired of biased and opinionated blogs and wanted to create a place where reliable information could be found. He’s hired full-time employees and has set out to create his version of what the news should be.
No one has the silver bullet for providing news coverage. The traditional model has broken and is limping along. These new forms of media all are trying to provide what they believe is needed. For the fortunate, making money isn’t the issue, providing the news service is the drive. But eventually, a free market model, based on revenue, will have to evolve in order to have a dependable and reliable news source. The free market creates honesty and reliability, or else those news media will go out of business.
There is a little to be taken from each new venture. Nearly daily, we learn of new ways to tell a story as technology improves, making production and transmission easier.
We met with a group of community members this week who are avid newsprint fans. They were adamant that the Collier Citizen not cut, but expand, distribution in their community. In addition to trying to offer them what they wanted, we pitched the many additional benefits of the Collier Citizen’s online news and the many ways that these less traditional, but rapidly growing, news sources can help them. They didn’t want to hear it.
When we are able to give them a hands-on demonstration, they will be sold and want more. Most people just don’t realize what opportunities are available to them to tell a story, sell a message, and communicate with the public. I guess the biggest challenge of our industry, right now, is our inability to demonstrate what we really can do.
Learn more
As a member of a medium whose primary income source is newspaper advertising, I view some of these reports more as self-preservation than actual news. Television, cable, radio, magazines and most media companies are struggling in this economy.
Most are suffering worse than newspapers, but it is more beneficial to their industry to promote the perception of the demise of the press.
Most newspaper operations are turning profits, but the companies that own the newspapers are struggling to pay the debts acquired from buying other newspapers and hefty real estate investments. Mega profits of days past aren’t there to pay for the debt on declining revenues.
At the same time, it is interesting to watch startup companies try to fill the gaps of fallen newspapers in communities across the country.
San Diego has three Internet start-ups that are netting significant visitor and page views. There is big money backing some of these startups and manning them with people of good journalistic integrity. A Scripps sister paper in Denver Colorado recently closed its doors. Some of its misplaced employees are trying to continue strong journalistic efforts by launching their own news site. They have had to adjust their business model many times since they began and adapt to changing directions. Things just never go the way you plan them.
Locally, we’ve seen hundreds of sites launch, all trying to claim their piece of the news pie. Launched on shoe string budgets, it has been hard to overcome the dominance and dependence of consumers to rely on longtime local favorites such as the Naples Daily News, part of the Naples News Media Group.
A new company was recently launched by retired Naples resident Paul Mongerson. It is www.ourblook.com. A recent article in Gulf Coast Business Review depicted him as a person who is tired of biased and opinionated blogs and wanted to create a place where reliable information could be found. He’s hired full-time employees and has set out to create his version of what the news should be.
No one has the silver bullet for providing news coverage. The traditional model has broken and is limping along. These new forms of media all are trying to provide what they believe is needed. For the fortunate, making money isn’t the issue, providing the news service is the drive. But eventually, a free market model, based on revenue, will have to evolve in order to have a dependable and reliable news source. The free market creates honesty and reliability, or else those news media will go out of business.
There is a little to be taken from each new venture. Nearly daily, we learn of new ways to tell a story as technology improves, making production and transmission easier.
We met with a group of community members this week who are avid newsprint fans. They were adamant that the Collier Citizen not cut, but expand, distribution in their community. In addition to trying to offer them what they wanted, we pitched the many additional benefits of the Collier Citizen’s online news and the many ways that these less traditional, but rapidly growing, news sources can help them. They didn’t want to hear it.
When we are able to give them a hands-on demonstration, they will be sold and want more. Most people just don’t realize what opportunities are available to them to tell a story, sell a message, and communicate with the public. I guess the biggest challenge of our industry, right now, is our inability to demonstrate what we really can do.
Learn more
Why compete with the big boys?
Why compete on a national level when you don’t specialize in national services?
In an effort to attract national advertising to a local website, many media companies try to spike page views using national content unrelated to what makes them a valuable asset – the community they serve.
Media companies are trying to hit that magical page view number as if it will add to their bottom line. They may link to hot topics such as Brittany Spears’ or Paris Hilton’s latest exploits, but the revenue from partnerships with national advertisers is so low that it hardly pays to put in this kind of effort.
The key value of your web content is what you provide to the local viewer and what that viewer can bring to a potential advertiser.
While there is some value in securing impressive page view numbers by adding national sites as a quick link, these numbers are not indicative of your outlet’s greatest asset -- the local reader.
As media companies are lured by the frenzy to develop enormous page view counts, we’ve forgotten the real value of the local reader. No one can capture that local reader like the local media company.
By building community relationships, covering local events, and providing a social media discussion or buy-in, it is relatively easy to attract online viewers with a passion on any given topic. These are the same people who can help build a local discussion and will support content on topics vital to their family, their neighborhood and their community.
For example, a bait and tackle shop would pay a premium to reach readers seeking information about local fishing. A pet store would be willing to pay a premium for an audience of pet lovers.
It goes to the same answer I gave to a carpet store owner, who jokingly asked, “How many people do you deliver your paper to -- 1,000?”
I answered, “No, it’s only delivered to seven people, but it’s the seven people who want to buy carpet this week.”
By pinpointing your audience, you will gather loyal readers, a sure market for a merchant seeking to target his product, yet save money by not having to buy into a larger market that suits his need. This method provides a tremendously higher profit margin for the media company.
Five interested buyers are worth more than 10,000 viewers interested in Brittany Spears’ latest scandal.
For more on this writer, visit http://www.russelltuff.com
In an effort to attract national advertising to a local website, many media companies try to spike page views using national content unrelated to what makes them a valuable asset – the community they serve.
Media companies are trying to hit that magical page view number as if it will add to their bottom line. They may link to hot topics such as Brittany Spears’ or Paris Hilton’s latest exploits, but the revenue from partnerships with national advertisers is so low that it hardly pays to put in this kind of effort.
The key value of your web content is what you provide to the local viewer and what that viewer can bring to a potential advertiser.
While there is some value in securing impressive page view numbers by adding national sites as a quick link, these numbers are not indicative of your outlet’s greatest asset -- the local reader.
As media companies are lured by the frenzy to develop enormous page view counts, we’ve forgotten the real value of the local reader. No one can capture that local reader like the local media company.
By building community relationships, covering local events, and providing a social media discussion or buy-in, it is relatively easy to attract online viewers with a passion on any given topic. These are the same people who can help build a local discussion and will support content on topics vital to their family, their neighborhood and their community.
For example, a bait and tackle shop would pay a premium to reach readers seeking information about local fishing. A pet store would be willing to pay a premium for an audience of pet lovers.
It goes to the same answer I gave to a carpet store owner, who jokingly asked, “How many people do you deliver your paper to -- 1,000?”
I answered, “No, it’s only delivered to seven people, but it’s the seven people who want to buy carpet this week.”
By pinpointing your audience, you will gather loyal readers, a sure market for a merchant seeking to target his product, yet save money by not having to buy into a larger market that suits his need. This method provides a tremendously higher profit margin for the media company.
Five interested buyers are worth more than 10,000 viewers interested in Brittany Spears’ latest scandal.
For more on this writer, visit http://www.russelltuff.com
Friday, July 24, 2009
Media Loyalty Through Social Media
While this approach may provide some sense of staying on top of current social technologies, the buy-in from employees will be difficult without a clear means of monitoring success. Goals have to be established to foster fruitful interaction. Without established objectives, the use of these technologies may actually damage the productive flow of business, as posting aimlessly becomes burdensome rather than beneficial to the viewer.
Most casual social media participants will tolerate some level of self promotion as long as posts provide enough value to peak their interest. A sure way to make viewers click the “defriend” button is to consistently post personal results from online quizzes and other applications which have no bearing or social value for most users.
Social media is just that -- a social function. Thus, if not utilized properly, it will be ineffective.
Social engagement will create profits as discussions are fostered through building online relationships through discussion points, national or local, that touch a broad spectrum of local viewers.
Statistics show that only 2% of the viewers actually engage in any given post. That 2% provides opportunity for you
By creating hubs for these viewers, such as a Facebook Fan Page, interests can be gleaned, relationships can be fostered, and content can be developed using the social media tools to enable recruitment from the community and enhance relevant content and topic leaders.
Finally, the social media provides a place to personalize or put a face on your business or institution – hence, the name Facebook.
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