The Indiana Publisher

Training session highlights value of newspapers Pete Van Baalen Fort Wayne Newspapers I've never attended a roast, except the kind that involves a hot dog. And certainly I cannot imagine being the subject of a roast, having to sit there and listen to people say horrible things about me; even if it is good-natured ridicule. Recently, I attended a training session that felt a little like a roast at times. Though some of the facts didn't feel very good- natured at the time. It was some hard cold facts about the newspaper business that I'd prefer to ignore if I could. But I can't, and shouldn't ignore them. Instead, as was the cause at this training session those issues were turned into opportunities and ultimately a positive experience. We asked a local advertising agency leader to come speak to our sales team as a part of an off-site training program. Before his arrival, we spoke about the basic expectations of our sales team from the number of sales calls, the use of spec ads and the importance of selling campaigns vs. ads. Audience, reach and frequency are the basics of any marketing campaign no matter the delivery mode. Our advertising agency representative was brought in to talk about the various competition. He talked about the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor we face, along with all the changes that have taken place in all media. I think often times we in the newspaper business get all wrapped up in the fact that we've been going through seismic shifts in our industry, forgetting that the same is true with all of our competitors. As expected, he started to talk about the negative changes in the newspaper business. Circulation has declined, both daily and Sunday. Our print audience, while getting smaller is also getting older creating long term concerns for the industry. Each fact stung as he said them, even though I'd heard every one of them countless times. But ... Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he turned to the slide to discuss all the reasons he still believed in newspapers. Just like those celebrity roasts on TV, after the hurtful comments they always came back and talked about the traits that endeared the person to them. And so it was with newspapers for him. With all the circulation loss, there was still not a single local competi- tor that could deliver a bigger audience than our Sunday newspa- per. Only Facebook can reach a bigger audience in our market. I Van Baalen April 2018 Marketing news & commentary Join newspaper business managers from around the state on the quarterly Indiana Newspaper Advertising Executives Associa- tion conference call. The 45-60 minute calls offer an opportunity to share innova- tive revenue generating ideas and experiences. 2018 call dates: May 10, Aug. 2, Oct. 3 All calls are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT. Dial 857-232-0158, enter code #599522. Page 3 Entry forms, rules and informa- tion for this year's INAEA/HSPA Advertising Contest are available online at http://www.newspapercon- test.com/hspa. Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday May 9. Questions? Email Shawn Goldsby, sgoldsby@hspa.com. Deadline May 9: 2018 INAEA/HSPA Advertising Contest See Value, page 10 Providing a safe, trustworthy platform for content — in print and online — is a valuable asset to offer the communities and advertisers we serve. Look for some additions to the Public Notice Advertising Guide- book posted on HSPA's website later this month at http://www.hspa. com/public-notice/. A Glossary of Terms concerning public notices will be posted. This Glossary of Terms could be used by newspapers as an introduction or reader service for the section of public notice advertisements in your newspaper. "Readers may not have much understanding of the rationale for public notice advertising. The glossary offers a quick explanation of what many common public notices contain," said Steve Key, executive director and general counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association. The guidebook is a living document with additions to be made as needed by advertising staffs of our member newspapers. Feel free to make suggestions for improvements to the guidebook to skey@hspa.com. Public notice advertising guidebook updates Next INAEA Revenue Sharing Idea Exchange Call May 10 www.newspaperconsultants.com | 910-323-0349 | info@newspaperconsultants.com "Your team did everything you said you'd do (and more) when you were pitching us. That's rare for a vendor - we felt more like partners, and that's much appreciated." Scott Rosenburgh, Observer-Dispatch Boost your annual advertising revenue with a new or existing TV magazine!

• Cover