NewsBeat

May 2023 NewsBeat 13 By RICHARD E. BROWN Here's three ways AI could improve media sales R ecently someone asked me about my thoughts on AI and its impact on the future of news media. I provided my insight, but I realized that the general con- versation on the concept and application of AI, even in my response, had primarily centered around journalism. During peri- ods of innovation, particularly related to new media revenue, I approach each new development with eyes wide open and a glass half full. Everything is an opportunity, and every opportunity is a chance to build something enduring and expansive for the future. With that optimistic spirit in mind in examining AI, I couldn't help but notice three discern- able applications that the business side of news media may benefit from immediately. The general subjective argument of AI producing ambiguous, simulated news content is easy to understand. However, sales collateral in emails, flyers and vid- eos is repetitive by design and sometimes even needs more cohesion among sales team members. Compacting the control of messaging and leveraging AI to reproduce sales material at higher volumes helps sales departments mitigate the time required to create emails from scratch or receive sales collateral. For example, a practical appli- cation of AI could be restructuring a sales message for a special section tailored to different industries. It's no secret that there is typically a time lapse between the first meeting with a potential advertiser and receiving ad creative from the design team. AI could be a possible solution for instantaneous ad ideation or development. AI in no way elim- inates the need for design team members. Instead, it helps solidify the value proposi- tion by allowing the advertiser to envision their brand in your product sooner within the sales communication flow. Design is a crucial department within any news orga- nization, but the strain of producing high volumes of ads for first-time presentations may curb attention from current advertis- ers. Leveraging AI for instant ad ideation is simple, enhances communication between sales and ad design, and can aid in closing ad campaign deals sooner and more often. This is an extension of ad design, but AI may potentially yield entire ad campaign suggestions based on a set of input vari- ables. I've built something similar to this in the past, although it still required manual design work and presentation building. The premise is an AI application leveraged immediately after a needs assessment conversation with a potential new adver- tiser. A general campaign suggestion can typically be created if the average trans- action amount, geographical location and campaign purpose are known. This type of AI application in news media sales has tremendous potential. Growth and innovation are rapidly accelerating with no apparent intention of slowing down. Not every new strategy is detrimental to another, nor is every inven- tion groundbreaking. However, our current rapid-fire concept culture will require a distinct ability to identify and adapt to opportunities that yield the most bounti- ful futures. The only way to do that is to become comfortable exploring the un- known often and objectively. In my opinion, AI will be most beneficial to imaginative revenue leaders looking to produce growth by enhancing some of the sales processes through automation. The key is unlocking its full potential by exploring all possible applications and building a better future adapted to enduring generational news me- dia economic conditions. Richard E. Brown is senior director of retention for The Daily Beast and owner of the RE Media Holdings, LLC consulting firm. www.richardebrown.com Fully automated, turnkey solution for newspapers — introducing our patented Quick Ad Creator platform Real time public notice ad creation • Easy to use templates for LLC formations, name changes and liquor licenses Instant proofs and confirmations • Real time ad placement and scheduling • Legal Notice page pagination Client billing • Real time reporting • Notarized affidavits • Fully searchable archive Call to schedule a demo today! 518 464 6483 Increase revenue and profitability and cut costs of processing public notices Streamline the process, eliminate the need for in-house staff to process public notices, use best practices and cutting edge technology and make more money! 24/7 customer support and onboarding of newspaper clients provided by NYPS

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