Home Depot Gets Local

What does Springtime mean to The Home Depot? For the last three decades, it meant gardening supplies, sprinklers, and lawn products. However, this year, it means something different depending on where you live.

Trish Mueller, Senior VP-Chief Marketing Officer for the big box, said that their marketing programs can be adusted within a two-week window. This means that people in North Carolina, where temps are already hitting the 80s, will get a different homepage and email blast than those in the Northeast, where every night of April still seems to be threatening us with a frost.

If you're in the Midwest, where tornadoes touched down and ripped trees out of the ground, you'll be treated to promotions of chainsaws. Those promos will be flanked by blogs about proper techniques for cutting said trees free from your garage roof. 

Hope Depot even teamed up with the Weather Channel to provide localized lawn and garden tips, including a segmet on The Weather Channel that features a weather report tied into an appearance by a garden specialist, concluding with a Home Depot tip.

Home Depot is getting more involved with listening to consumers and having an active dialogue with them, than they ever have in the past.

Publishers need to band together to see how they can help big retailers like The Home Depot get their messages out, via print and digital means, on a local level. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for regional publishing assocoations!

The Future of Online Classifieds: Beating Craigslist

I recently came across this article by Reg DesRosiers on Mashable.com, in which he offered his advice to Craigslist competitors (read: Community Papers) on how to build the next great online classified solution. Here were his suggestions:

1. It Should be Personalized – He argues that most Classified sites only ask you for an email address in order to get signed up and to start posting. The result is that many users are anonymous, which can be a big disadvantage. But aside from that, he wants to see a site where users can personlize their activities to increase efficiency…say a search function that remembers your most popular searches, and customizable features tailored to individual needs & wants. This suggestion is more appropriate if you have a LOT of classifieds on your site. If you're like most small publishers, with only 100 or less ads per week, you may not have to worry about the customization part of it, but I would highly recommend you collect more information from someone so that you don't let people float around anonymously.
2. It Should Integrate Social Recommendations – I love this one. As with any content nowadays, you must give users the ability to tweet each ad or share it on Facebook. I also like the idea of people ranking or reviewing ads, and that, subsequently having an effect on how the ad places on the site. I would also recommend you share a select few ads on YOUR Facebook Page each week.
3. Search and Organization Should Be Better – He likes the ability to search multiple categories at the same time. He also recommends developing more subcategories as main categories grow too large. Great ideas.
4. Your Ad Should Not Be a Message in a Bottle – I'm not quite sure what he means here, and he doesn't offer any specific suggestion, but I would agree that SERVICE ads could have more substance if they were linked to previous ads posted by that person/organization. Getting a better background or story about a potential employer or service provider could make you feel a lot more comfortable about calling / emailing them.
5. Filter the Chaos – If you're offering free ads, know that you're going to get a lot of junk mixed in. That's why I'm not a big fan of free ads…at least make them pay $1. This should weed out the people who are just looking to add clutter. And plus, if you don't like what they're posting, at least you have their contact information so you can properly address their behavior, knowing exactly who that person is.

Overall, I think these are some good suggestions…you all have the opportunity to take business from Craigslist and the like in the 2.0 version of your Classifieds section on your website. Just get ready to make the financial investment.

Publishers: Increase Your Twitter Following

Since publishers first started using Twitter, the idea of large numbers of Twitter followers has always been presented as the main goal. However, we've all learned that chasing large follower numbers can feel like an exercise in futility. You may find that even the largest and most influential publications have smaller followings than you thought they might, and it's probably because they're not doing it right. Yes, there's a right and wrong way to use Twitter as a publisher.

The first thing many people do these days is run to Facebook, Google, and Twitter to learn more about a brand. Here are some things you can be doing to engage followers and get them hooked on you:

1. Tweet about the things you love and know a lot about. What does that mean for a publisher? Your publication has a voice, whether you know it or not. Define that voice in the things you tweet about. Your expertise and passion will come through and people will recognize it.
2. Choose a good Twitter name. Experiment with a lot of different names in the sign up process before you decide on one. Even if your publication name is available, you may be able to find a better one, one that includes something about your neighborhood or community. Start backwards: think about the things people search for that you want your account to show up in the results for. Twitter names are highly searched.
3. Follow others. Truth is, some will follow you back, but most won't. That's OK.
4. For crying out loud, think before you create your bio. You know those 1-2 sentences that appear under your twitter name? Take the time to compose a well-thought-out bio with searchability in mind.
5. Don't just flood followers with your stuff. The only way you're going to give your paper a personality is by mixing in observations, funny quips, and the like. And, since you have plenty of eateries as clients, you're allowed to break the Twitter law of not posting what you had for lunch…but first make sure they ran an ad this week.
6. Read. If you're following people, you have to read their stuff. Retweet some things and they'll appreciate you for that. They might return the favor and start following you. If people tweet at you, be sure to reply…and in a timely manner.
7. Be consistent. Nothing is more embarassing than letting people see you've taken 6 months off in between tweets because you forgot. Stay on top of it.
8. Don't just link…think. Too often, twitter accounts consist of link after link after link after link. Mix it up. And mix up what you link to.
9. Get retweeted. A main goal of yours should be to get retweeted. Aim to make at least 2 tweets a week beome a soundbite, a profound thought, or something you won't find anywhere else on Twitter. This is the best way to get more followers.

Happy Tweeting!

Time Spent on Mobile = Newspapers & Magazines combined

As discovered on a TechCrunch piece, adults in the U.S. are spending as much time on their mobile devices as they are with newspapers and magazines combined. People are spending 155 minutes per day using the Internet (up 9 minutes from last year), 50 minutes per day using mobile (up 11 minutes), and 50 minutes per day newspapers & magazines (down 5 minutes). Besides newspapers & magazines, radio and TV have also dropped.

So what does this say about the print industry? Well, for one, if you haven't already, get your publication online, and make sure it's mobile-friendly (like with a JB Page-Flip Digital Edition). The thing that publishers tend to look past is that a majority of what people are doing on mobile and the Internet is READING…which is exactly what they do with your product. Just because they're spending time with a different medium doesn't mean they don't like your content, it may simply mean they prefer a different way to consume content.

You also have to realize that every year a study like this is taken, it's another year of the iPod Generation being taken into account. This year's study of "adults" technically included more of who were last year considered "kids," who did not qualify for this study because of age. They may have never read your publication to begin with, and perhaps are yet to find your content relevant, especially in the discussion of local newspapers and shopper guides. I'm not sure about you, but I don't know any 21 year-olds who have any interest in what the Pennysaver has to offer. They will, though, when they have a serious career, kids, and a mortgage!

Remember, if it's true for your publication that fewer people are reading in print, it doesn't mean they're not interested in your content. You just have to make sure you're delivering it in the mediums that they spend the most time with. Do this within reason, though. You don't want to spend $100k on a TV show version of your newspaper, but some Google AdWords, web site optimization, and a way-cool Digital Edition could help you promote your content on multiple mediums in a cost-efficient way.

- Justin Gerena

JB Multimedia Announces Release of SuperCirc Solution

N. Bellmore, NY – August 18, 2010 – JB Multimedia, the trusted provider of Page-Flip Digital Editions for the free paper industry, has recently released their new page-flip solution, SuperCirc. The SuperCirc product transforms traditional printed supermarket circulars, grocer flyers, and local merchant product catalogs into interactive shopping tools. Consumers can now view local circulars in an easy-to-read page-flip format, while they search and select individual products from its pages and add them to an online shopping list. This list can then be emailed or printed, driving consumers to the local merchant in a web-to-store shopping experience. The SuperCirc shopping list can even be created and viewed on a mobile device or iPad. Publishers finally have the ability to build their insert business online with a highly effective and profitable product that's completely hands-off without any required financial investment.

“This could be a great revenue stream for community papers,” stated Arlo Kallemeyn, one of the first publishers to begin using the SuperCirc solution for a grocer client.

Justin Gerena, President of JB Multimedia, clearly outlines how publishers begin generating new revenue with the SuperCirc solution. “While you can certainly provide SuperCirc to your grocer clients as a straightforward pay-per-page service,” Gerena explains, “you can easily offer this solution as part of a total advertising package. Links to the circular can appear on your publication’s site, the grocer’s site, and as a featured sponsor in weekly email blasts that go out to your digital subscribers,” all which are low-cost, low-maintenance, high-profit offerings. Providing a variety of print and online advertising options allows publishers to transition themselves from a print-only product to a multi-medium advertising solution. For local grocers and merchants, the solution gives them the ability to reach a wider audience while maintaining a local market and local brand appeal, all with a modest investment. The interactive shopping lists have become a must-have tool for local merchants looking to drive web-to-store traffic as more and more consumers are going online looking for local deals prior to shopping in person.

JB Multimedia has already processed dozens of demos of the solution in just the last couple of weeks. Requests have come from current digital edition clients, as well as new contacts that are anxious to build their circular business. Local grocers, ecstatic about a product that puts them on the "digital map" without breaking the bank, have made numerous requests themselves. JB Multimedia hopes to eventually connect these local businesses to local publishers who adapt the SuperCirc product. "While we will happily serve any local merchant who comes to us directly, we much rather have a local publisher to handle client relations so they can offer them a variety of local advertising solutions and make the most of their marketing budgets. It also keeps advertising dollars within the community,” stated Robert Durso, Director of Marketing at JB Multimedia.

About JB Multimedia

JB Multimedia (www.jbmultimedia.net), the leader in digital solutions designed specifically for the free paper industry, offers publishers a complete suite of services that allows them to incorporate innovative digital solutions into their printed products. JB Multimedia, who is best known for their Page-Flip Digital Edition suite of products, provides publishers with the ability to convert their printed publication into an interactive online format. Additional web-based products are also available, all designed to provide publishers with hands-off, easy-to-deploy, revenue- generating solutions that transition publishers’ business models from print-only to multi-medium, while maintaining and protecting their "print dollars." For more information about SuperCirc and JB Multimedia, or to schedule a product seminar, please contact Justin Gerena by phone (888) 592-3212 ext. 710 or visit www.supercirc.com.

Justin is looking forward to speaking at upcoming free paper conferences to further explain the details and benefits of his newest innovative product.

Paper Thrives as a Mobile Medium

By: Davis Brewer, ClickZ, Nov 12, 2009

Mobile couponing can be likened to the white whale of the mobile advertising industry. Over the last few years, I've heard about a number of tests of mobile coupon delivery — particularly for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. However, much of this talk reminds me of something Malcolm Gladwell said a few years ago at a Slate.com symposium on online media and the future of journalism:

Suppose we reversed things and all we had were computers and iPods and we didn't have paper and I came along and I said, "I've got this really great idea, which is, we're going to print this stuff on this thing called 'paper,' and you've never heard about it, but it has some real advantages. It's incredibly cheap, it's really light, you can stick it in your bag, you can take it with you, it doesn't need any electricity, it's pretty permanent, you can manipulate it, it's tactile, you can fold it, you can do all these amazing things.
What would people say? They would say, "Oh my goodness, what an extraordinary breakthrough."…Masses of funding [would come] from venture capitalists…who were suddenly enthused with this extraordinary thing called paper, and we realized, you know what, oh my goodness, we can send it through the mail really quickly and cheaply. It doesn't cost that much…

Mr. Gladwell was talking about newspapers, which are in rapid decline, but he could also be talking about coupons. The latest figure reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations shows newspaper readership in October was down 10.6 percent from a year ago and is now at its lowest level since 1941. Just 40 million Americans receive the Sunday paper. Yet, people still love their old-fashioned paper coupons. According to an April 2009 comScore report on the state of the U.S. online retail economy, the most common way that consumers get coupons is still by clipping them from newspapers. Forty-seven percent of consumers still get coupons this way. This comScore report didn't track mobile couponing specifically, but the majority of ways that people used coupons involved paper — clipping from flyers, direct mail, coupons on receipts, and coupons on packaging, were all used by more than 30 percent of consumers. By contrast, a report from Scarborough Research showed that only 8 percent of U.S. consumers used mobile coupons. That's fewer than comScore reported as using entertainment booklets.

It's great to hear about the number of ways that advertisers can benefit from mobile coupons: cost savings from digital distribution, possibility of an ongoing one-on-one relationship between marketer and consumer, and more personalization. They can also be tied to other media by adding a scannable code to a print ad or a text message address to a TV spot or billboard. But, while these advertiser benefits are great, we need to think about the consumer. And consumers seem to prefer paper by a large margin. Paper coupons have many advantages. They're light, fold up, and you can carry them in your purse or wallet. Paper coupons operate without a battery or Internet connection, and the consumer can use them no matter what model, operating system, or data plan they have. Old-fashioned coupons also are pretty good for marketers, because they can carry barcodes (trackable!) and they can be easily delivered through the mail or handed out in a store (they're location aware). Also, paper doesn't require large technology upgrades at the checkout counter. The checkout process is fraught enough without adding a layer for store and shopper.

In the short term, mobile couponing makes the most sense for certain types of retailers, such as casual dining and quick service restaurants, some clothing and department stores, and retail services, like hair salons. In most of these cases, a simple coupon code can be delivered via text message, much the way these companies already use coupon codes delivered via e-mail or online. These don't require technology upgrades to link back to loyalty cards or consumers to download a special application. These companies should be aggressively testing mobile coupons now, because they control their own checkout lines and the volume in those lanes is going to be relatively low.

It's going to be a longer road for many CPG companies and grocery stores to get this thing figured out. The barriers are high, and right now, mobile coupons just aren't the best delivery mechanism. That crown still belongs to paper. Speaking of, I just got coupons in the mail today. So I'm off to Home Depot to use a 10 percent off coupon, and maybe I'll use that 20 percent off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond if I have time.

Free Community Papers Survive

Not all the news about papers is bad. Our industry is best positioned to move to the forefront.
By: Dan McDonough Jr. and Alan Bauer – Wed May 6, 2009

Haddonfield, N.J. – It's widely reported – and has become generally accepted – that the newspaper model is either dying or already dead, when, in fact, thousands of newspapers across the country are doing quite well. Thousands of newspapers deliver for their readers and advertisers every day. Thousands of newspapers are positioned to embrace – not be destroyed by – emerging technology.

But we don't get to read much about those newspapers. Sure it's news when giant corporations crash and burn and lives are disrupted. Stories that report on incompetent leaders who, ironically, receive outlandish compensation are widely read. Documenting the downfall of powerful entities, whether they are governments or businesses, is a legitimate pursuit. But, as any respectable journalist knows, when you tell only half the story, the story is incomplete – or just plain wrong.

In this instance, the half that receives little to no attention from big media involves the men and women in the newspaper industry who write the stories, sell the ads, print and deliver the papers and update the websites every day, without fail, for media companies that are far from dead.

The National Newspaper Association (NNA) last month reported on a study that showed community newspapers were far less affected by the challenging economy than the industry in general (or the economy in general, for that matter). The Suburban Newspapers of America and NNA's reporting group showed 2008 fourth-quarter advertising revenue of $428.7 million, only a 6.6 percent decline from the same quarter in 2007. The Glennco Consulting Group estimate was much worse, however, for the overall newspaper industry. There it showed decline in fourth-quarter advertising expenditures of 21 percent, according to the NNA.

So while advertisers cut their spending by 21 percent across the industry, the impact to community newspapers was less than 7 percent.

In addition, 26 percent of the SNA/NNA reporting group launched new products in 2008. Indeed, many community newspaper companies are growing.

The fact is that gains among progressive community newspaper companies are offsetting a large part of the massive losses being suffered by the staid, big newspaper companies.
"Community newspapers certainly are not immune to the economic downturn that is affecting all businesses, but, as the primary and sometimes sole provider of local news in a community, they remain strong and viable," NNA president John Stevenson said in the article.

These "strong and viable" companies recognized and adapted to the changing economy in a way that larger newspapers – for the most part – are not. They adapted to evolving reader habits and emerging business models. They abandoned the traditional, head-in-the-sand mentality of denial and exploited the opportunities presented by their often larger, but undeniably obsolete, brethren.

At Elauwit Media, we learned long ago that people don't want to "pay" for their news anymore.
We know that, for advertising to be effective, people have to actually see the ads. Our business model and philosophy of making sure "Everybody Gets It. Everybody Reads It." pushes us to bring local news not found elsewhere to everybody who has an address in town. It fills a very specific need for our readers and it works so well that, for the past two years, we have been listed among South Jersey's 10 fastest-growing privately held companies. We've gone from a start-up in 2004 with $100,000 in revenue to a thriving company with revenues in excess of $2.4 million in 2008.

That's certainly not the story we're hearing about newspaper companies today. But that's the story of so many of us smaller newspaper companies that have adapted to the changes in the market.

This success is no great mystery – it's the American way. Ingenuity, creativity, and the entrepreneurial spiritalways have been rewarded. The newspaper companies that have altered circulation methods and policies, have focused their content and developed news delivery methods to fit today's audience and advertisers are thriving. They found new streams of revenue and ways to reduce costs that didn't eviscerate their core products.
In other words, they ran their businesses the way businesses ought to be run. For instance, huge regional daily newspapers would do better to stop requiring people to subscribe and instead deliver the paper to everybody in their target demographic (the market that key advertisers want to reach). If big newspapers would charge the advertisers, not the readers, they could still turn things around. That would be a bold way to evolve. It is highly doubtful they'll do that. We did.

So as the giant media conglomerates continue to watch their kingdoms crumble, and the self-styled scribes of truth chronicle their every misstep and blunder, the rest of us will continue to vacuum up their former readers and advertisers. We'll continue to grow. We'll continue to adapt. We'll continue to profit. And we'll do it all while upholding the standards of journalism that make newspapers so important. And therein lies the future of newspapers – one that's not so gloomy for everyone.

Dan McDonough Jr. and Alan Bauer are founders of Elauwit Media, a community newspaper/media company based in Haddonfield, N.J.

CVC Expands Audits of Web Activity, Online Edition Circulation

By: Circulation Verification Council's Staff Writers
Article appeared in CVC's By the Numbers Newsletter Issue #9 – December 5, 2007

Circulation Verification Council has expanded its auditing capabilities to include Web activity and online edition circulation beginning in 2008.

"It's important to be able to show potential advertisers verified statistics about your Web activity, including circulation of an online edition," CVC CEO Tim Bingaman said. "Web sites and online editions increase your reach and improve relationships with existing readers. We're excited to help our clients quantify this with verified numbers."

Web site reporting and online edition reporting will be found in Section 6 of the revised 2008 audit reports. Unique Web visitors, page views and hits will be reported in section 6A if applicable. Section 6B pertains only to online editions, tracking total online edition circulation and unique online circulation. Online editions are defined as a complete reproduction of the print edition.

Unique online circulation will be determined based on the login information readers provide before accessing the online edition. The information publishers supply about online readers will be audited against data stored on the publication's host site.

Currently, the only company providing digital editions that is approved for audits of unique user online editions is JB Multimedia Inc. CVC has exclusive access to pull reports on their publishers' electronic editions. JB Multimedia takes a PDF of your print edition and converts it into a searchable, interactive electronic replica. Readers can "flip" the pages of the publication, click on a link to visit an advertiser's Web site, share coupons or ads with a friend via e-mail, search the publication by keyword and even print particular pages.

Online Editions Gain in Popularity
More publishers are seeing the value of an online edition. In addition to increasing the publication's reach, advertisers are keen on online editions and interactive Web sites, said Justin Gerena, president and co-director of JB Multimedia.

"You can hand a friend a print publication if you see that friend in person. But if you're online viewing the publication, and you have your friend's e-mail address, you can instantly send them a coupon, classified ad or whatever it may be. This encourages viral, word-of-mouth marketing," Gerena said.

Association of Free Community Papers Launches Digital Magazine with JB Multimedia Print Conversion Service

Long Island-based JB Multimedia converts the Free Paper INK Magazine into digital format allowing both content and advertisers to be displayed online in a paper-like reading experience but with interactive features and tools.

N.Bellmore, NY January 19, 2006—The Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) started off the new year by launching the digital edition of their industry magazine, Free Paper INK. INK is the free paper industry’s news source featuring news, industry events, programs and related content. The digital edition will accompany the monthly print edition and will allow its readers to view the publication in its entirety online with many web-exclusive features.

The digital edition of INK delivers a paper-like reading experience viewable through the AFCP website (www.afcp.org). Readers will be able to “flip” through each page of INK magazine, viewing all of the publication’s content, including display ads from print advertisers. Added features include a keyword search tool, a hyperlinked Table of Contents that takes you directly to selected pages, articles, and advertisers, and live links to advertisers’ websites and email addresses directly from their ads.

About the Association of Free Community Papers

The Associtation of Free Community Papers (AFCP) represents publishers of nearly 3,000 free-circulation community papers, reaching nearly 40 million homes weekly. The Free Paper INK is the Association’s monthly magazine serving the free paper industry. More information about the AFCP can be found at http://www.afcp.org.

About JB Multimedia

JB Multimedia serves print publications, specifically the free paper industry, by providing innovative solutions to integrate their print and online channels. Through a partnership with P2i Solutions, JB Multimedia offers publications the ability to convert their print issues into interactive online content. Commonly found in the form of a “digital edition,” publishers are able to maximize both offline and online revenues, discover new internet opportunities and generate new profits.

For more information about JB Multimedia and their print conversion service, visit http://jbmultimedia.net.