Take the digital dive

Katelyn Mary Skaggs

Aug 1, 2024

If you do not have a website for your newspaper, you are missing out on readers and revenue, so get one developed as soon as possible.

If you are contemplating starting to sell digital products at your newspaper, this is your sign to take the dive and do it.

It is scary and daunting; however, digital ads and marketing products can be another added revenue stream to support local journalism.

We took the digital dive a couple of years ago now and continue to see our digital revenue grow month to month.

First, if you are not selling ads on your own newspaper’s website, start with that today.

You already have a website, so start using it to make money. If you do not have a website for your newspaper, you are missing out on readers and revenue, so get one developed as soon as possible.

We have a CPM (cost per thousand) price on our website impressions, and also unlimited impression deals, so the client buys a time frame when their ad is live instead of a specific number of impressions.

Our unlimited deals are popular because we offer a weekend and Monday–to–Friday package.

Digital ads on our website are just one way that we can make our website bring in profiles.

As I write this, we are right around the corner from the August primary election in Missouri, and we have over $2,200 in political banner ads on our website. Now that is not a windfall of money; however, since we have already covered our website costs with other ads, that money is all profit, besides staff time.

Taking words from the great idea man himself, Robert M. Williams Jr., “don’t leave money on the table.”

We are getting a bit more out of each of our political candidates because we can offer digital ads.

Second, partner with a vendor to start selling digital products, like programmatic ads, targeted email blasts, listing management, social media ads, website building and more.

You do not need to suddenly be an expert in all things digital marketing; however, you can easily partner with experts.

We partnered with a company so our salespeople can do the selling and the company makes whatever we sell happen. Everything is white labeled for us, so clients just know they are working with their local newspaper, which they like and trust.

The power that local newspapers have is salespeople who are already viewed as marketing experts in the community.

We have been using the magical phase, “introductory rate,” when introducing new digital products. We look at our cost and work to get at least a 50% markup on the product.

Look at what works best for your market. Then, after a year or so, we raise the price.

We have clients who tried it and now love the product, and now we have business owners in the company giving us good reviews.

I know it’s cliche, but Rome was not built in a day, and your digital marketing empire will not find success overnight. The first digital sale is the hardest, and the second is a bit easier.

We had been selling ads on our website for years with good success, but nothing too crazy. When I moved to spearhead our digital department, I changed the way we sell banner ads on our website.

For years, we had been selling them by size, just like a print ad; however, that just does not work for digital ads. We moved to selling by impressions or timeframe.

When a client wants a digital ad on our website, I make them several different sizes so they can be seen in different places and get good impressions.

Also, this helped train our clients on how impressions and CTR (click through rate) work for programmatic ads.

The second and third digital product we started selling was sponsored Facebook ads on our own page and programmatic ads. After three months, we added targeted email blasts, then website building and management a month later.

While you should take the digital dive, I do recommend dipping a toe in the water first with just one product and adding as you go.

Want to talk more about digital? Join me for my flash session during the NNAF’s Annual Convention and Trade Show in Omaha, September 26-27.  (The session is scheduled for Flash Sessions Block #1, Thursday, Sept. 26, 12:40-1:10 p.m. )

Katelyn Mary Skaggs is the digital marketing manager for Leader Publications, a group of four papers in Festus, Missouri. Skaggs, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate, joined their ranks in January 2019 as a reporter. Email katelynmaryskaggs@leaderpublications.biz