Our Strategy at "Forging a new reader/advertiser 
newspaper partnership"...

We re-launched our web site in November 1998 to be a "Communications/Marketing
Interface" not a just a "Graphical User Interface"

Focus on local content and the development and integration of associated 
content ("adv verticals" and "aggregated stories") to create "target audience groupings". 

We have applied this "associated content methodology" throughout enterprise. 
In August we aggregated all "Fast Pitch Softball Tournament" content in one easy to 
find place and attracted over 10,000 page views for that area alone.

We have a open (white-space), clean, flexible, long scrollable pages with narrow 
content area to promote reading online and allow for sidebar banner ads and additional
"associated content links" placed under existing section icons -- giving the page a very
flexible layout structure  that can "breath" (open-up and/or close-up) as we add or delete
"associated content" from section sidebar areas.

We now have visitor traffic reaching over 95,000 per month and 
page views in  excess of 240,000 per month.

Our format is very readable and easy to navigate. We believe that  these statistics 
prove that our visitors are readers not just browsers - or surfers hitting us only on 
their way to somewhere else.

We maintain reader access to advertiser message at a 
maximum of three-clicks away.

This assures high visibility to advertiser message 
(visibility builds recognition ‚ recognition builds response). 

Our Built-In Extra Program - for all print advertisers: Buy a "Double Banner
and get  an extra "Standard Banner" at no additional charge (insertion limited to a 
"select list  of pages"). . .

Our Built-In FREE listing on "Local Business Directory" page to 
all "volume and bulk contract Advertisers" ("in recognition of your print advertising
commitment. . .")  - we will up sell profiles, banners, web site development and the
bringing of "Featured Offers" online from print ads (scheduled launch date mid October 1999). . .

We have recognized that we are in two businesses:

1) The communications business. -- Where our goal is, "Getting people to read our content *"
2) The marketing business. -- Where the goal is, "Getting customers to our advertisers *" 
		
* No matter if that content and advertiser is in print, online or both.

Two ways to get to a online ad:

We do this by "Bringing Advertiser Print Ad "Feature Offers" Online"
designed in the same style as client web site. Client links to the "online ad that 
the newspaper created, and that is hosted by the newspaper". 

The newspaper enables this by bringing a "FEATURED OFFER" icon link online 
that becomes an integral part of the advertiser web site through the 
use of simple hyper-media conventions -- (as we update the icon on 
our server the image on the advertiser web site page changes. This linking 
scheme establishes a "two way flow of traffic" between "advertiser server" 
and 'newspaper server" thus enhancing traffic statistics for both parties. 

This provides an integrated in print and online promotional 
advertising value while simultaneously serving to keep client web 
site fresh and up to date. Client does not have to allocate business 
resources to keep site updated - newspaper does this as a function 
of "Bringing a print ad offer online".

All "Bring Print Ad Online" buys also include a 
standard [VISIT US] link on any interior page positioned just under the content items.  
Our reader clicks reads the "Business Name and Headline" from the print ad and
then clicks the [VISIT US] button to view the online ad (ad remember is designed 
to look just like the advertiser web site -- or in our standard online ad format).
This maintains our only 3-clicks away commitment

We have used the slogan (The Sioux City Journal, In Print & Online, 
The Best in Both Worlds) and graphic consistently in all New Media 
advertising to aggressively promote in print and online -  building online traffic, 
in print stability and value for both.

Our newest promotional campaign is called - "Get Web'd Feet" - it is 
a promotion that communicates simultaneously to readers, advertising clients
and our "integrated" sales force the message that it is time 'you' got web'd feet!
We also give a certificate to the best "Got Web'd Feet" sales 
person of the month.

4th Quarter 1999:

Web Crossing and Web Chat - integrated with audience groups within 
online newspaper  and new "community" domain name (common-mind.net)

Audience segment communities - integrated with online newspaper 
main sections under a new unique "umbrella brand" domain name (common-mind.net)
- all other newspapers in our corporate family will be invited to offer this "self-publishing"
environment to their online readers. By doing this we will be able to attract the broad
membership base, the traffic numbers and the deep audience member consolidations
that national advertisers and local, expansion minded  advertisers, require before 
they will commit to long-term banner campaigns.

Into 2000:

Personalized news service - paid service bundled with print subscription 
and/or free-standing pay-per-view (micro-payment model (see "ClickShare.com) : 
"buy daily online issue" for $1.00 and/or "buy online subscription" for $__ per month)

Before this can happen we need to:
a) Have a front end editorial system that can dynamically convert print content to 
HTML - personalized news will require a wider selection of content than we can 
presently bring online through manual labor.
b) Research "Personalization and Payment Mode" software licensing, purchase 
or development
c) Marketing and implementation strategy


Prepared by: 	
Bernard Re, Jr., New Media Manager
[ask]

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. .  .  [ 1996 Diary  ]     .

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