Advertising After Newspapers

It seems like most newspaper/Web pundits spend a lot of their time opining about how newspaper content should change for the new online world (disclosure: guilty as charged) . That's because most newspaper/Web pundits used to be journalists. So that's what we mostly think about. But at this point, it's probably even more important that newspapers think hard about how to improve and innovate in online advertising, because they've got to find a way to pay for the online world they're transitioning into. Way too little time at newspapers, I fear, is spent thinking about that in a serious way–besides a sort of "oh my god, we aren't making enough money on the Web" panic. 

Which brings me to an excellent post on Martin Langeveld's terrific News After Newspapers blog, which talks about this very subject. Langeveld, a former newspaper publisher who seems to have washed most of the ink off himself, has some very smart advice for newspapers about how they can get smarter about selling ads online:

• Lead with the DotCom brand
• Don't separate online and print sales staffs
• Research how your customers use the Web
• Trains salespeople, designers and customers alike
• Invest in the technology
• Make sure your sales incentive plan rewards online selling first
• Make it easy for advertisers to do business with you online

Elementary stuff, but too few newspapers are doing all of this well. Otherwise we wouldn't hear so much whining about levels of online ad revenue. Never mind that the next steps include getting smart and serious about such non-banner advertising concepts as cost-per-click, geo-targeting, contextual ads, search, behavioral targeting, video ads, self-service ads, and the like. But you've got to start somewhere.

As I've said before, newspaper thinking about online advertising isn't exactly advanced. Venture much beyond banners sold to traditional print advertisers and newspapers are in the wilderness, looking scared. But that's the frontier they need to explore, and pronto. Langeveld gives them a good place to start.

Comments

[Bill Dunphy]

Hey Mark - Getting newspapers to focus on online advertising (and especially on doing it right) is very smart advice. But Langeveld is dead wrong on one key point - integrated sales staff. I would argue, and there's solid research from Borrell Associates (as part of the American Press Institutes excellent Newspaper Next project) which shows that the newspapers that captured a disproportionate share of online revenue in their markets ALL had dedicated online-only ad staff. You NEED online only for a couple of very good reasons: reps selling mixed platforms will naturally push the most lucrative (and that's still print, by far) and they'll sell to their same old clients, which, when successful often just cannibalizes the print revenue or increases it incrementally. Online-only reps, especially those without a print background are going to find a new customer base, and because their darn dinner depends on it, they're going to push online very, very hard. These are the ones who will innovate for you. Let the print sales reps cross sell and generate some small increases, but look to the new kids to really drive new sales.
Bill

[Mark Potts]

Bill: Thanks for the comment. I go back and forth on this one, and in fact double-clutched a bit in listing it as a smart comment by Langeveld. I understand the need for different approaches (and management and compensation schemes), but I keep thinking, perhaps optimistically, that if the right management, compensation, training and sales personnel are in place, successful integrated sales should be possible. I can dream, can't I?