Comment
Driving additional online ad revenue
By Charles Kolsky
I recently received an e-mail with the subject line “additional ad revenue.” As the newspaper business goes through many changes, it is probably in a better position than ever to earn additional revenue. Let me explain.
On my way to the airport, I saw a billboard for YellowPages.com advertising online searches. On the same trip, I picked up a copy of USA Today that contained an article on how hotel chains are doing away with hard copies of Yellow Pages since no one uses them. The article contained quotes from hotel guests who said that when they wanted to search for stuff, they used a laptop or cell phone.
In almost every market, Yellow Pages are a newspaper’s single largest competitor. Almost 85 percent of Yellow Pages revenue comes from local businesses, some of the same businesses newspapers rely on for advertising in the newspaper and the newspaper’s Web site. In the Yellow Pages, there are ads for lawyers, heating and cooling contractors and plumbers who probably never have advertised in your paper. For years, publishers have tried to fight back with programs targeted at moving dollars from the Yellow Pages to the newspaper or even starting their own phone books. Having conducted some of the programs targeted at moving dollars from the Yellow Pages into print, I know they can be successful. I also know they have to be very organized and run very efficiently.
Now publishers can create their own online Yellow Pages or directories to earn additional revenue. TownNews.com offers a directory product, YPEngine, that allows a newspaper to create and publish an online directory. The product offers many bells and whistles that allow newspapers to earn additional ad revenue. Now there is an opportunity to get that local money back into your pocket. You no longer have to look at page after page of attorney or plumber ads and wonder why they do not advertise in your newspaper or on your Web site. The paper has the most powerful local promotion tool to advocate the directory: the printed product and highly trafficked online site.
If you couple a successful local directory with a successful Search Engine Management Program (another product we offer at TownNews.com), you will be on the road to earning additional ad revenue.
On my way to the airport, I saw a billboard for YellowPages.com advertising online searches. On the same trip, I picked up a copy of USA Today that contained an article on how hotel chains are doing away with hard copies of Yellow Pages since no one uses them. The article contained quotes from hotel guests who said that when they wanted to search for stuff, they used a laptop or cell phone.
In almost every market, Yellow Pages are a newspaper’s single largest competitor. Almost 85 percent of Yellow Pages revenue comes from local businesses, some of the same businesses newspapers rely on for advertising in the newspaper and the newspaper’s Web site. In the Yellow Pages, there are ads for lawyers, heating and cooling contractors and plumbers who probably never have advertised in your paper. For years, publishers have tried to fight back with programs targeted at moving dollars from the Yellow Pages to the newspaper or even starting their own phone books. Having conducted some of the programs targeted at moving dollars from the Yellow Pages into print, I know they can be successful. I also know they have to be very organized and run very efficiently.
Now publishers can create their own online Yellow Pages or directories to earn additional revenue. TownNews.com offers a directory product, YPEngine, that allows a newspaper to create and publish an online directory. The product offers many bells and whistles that allow newspapers to earn additional ad revenue. Now there is an opportunity to get that local money back into your pocket. You no longer have to look at page after page of attorney or plumber ads and wonder why they do not advertise in your newspaper or on your Web site. The paper has the most powerful local promotion tool to advocate the directory: the printed product and highly trafficked online site.
If you couple a successful local directory with a successful Search Engine Management Program (another product we offer at TownNews.com), you will be on the road to earning additional ad revenue.
(Charles Kolsky is the vice president of business development and research at TownNews.com. He may be reached at ckolsky@TownNews.com.)
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