2011 NSCMA Marketing ConferenceBreezy Point, MN

Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?

In the end, it’s very simple.

Subscribers quit the paper to read it online.

Translation.

Why does that continue to surprise Publishers?

• Fewer Inserts

• Specials to Non-Subscribers

• Failure to Follow-Through

• Poor Internal Training

• Circulation Staffing Reductions

• Content Reductions; TV and Movie Listings, Etc.

And we Enable them.

• Home Delivery Price Increases

• Single Copy Price Increases

• 3, 6 & 12 Pre-payment Options

• Editorial Staff Reductions

• Non-Local News

• Delivery Service Issues

• Restricted Redelivery Areas & Times Why won’t you pay me $200+ per year?

The Proof

Circulation Trends2007 2008 2009 2010 2007 Var%

ABC Daily 28,345 28,202 27,923 26,983 -4.81 %

ABC Sunday 33,560 33,519 32,335 31,089 -7.36%

Daily HD 22,865 20,978 20,324 20,219 -11.57%

Sunday HD 26,634 25,105 24,518 24,583 -7.7%

Daily SC 3,096 2829 2,660 2,674 -13.63%

Sunday SC 5,163 4,827 4,611 4,610 -10.71%

Web Traffic

July 2009-June 2011

• Pageviews +34% or 7,749 pages daily.

• Unique Visitors +45% or 6,128 people daily.

• Revenue increase due to traffic +0% or $0.00.

Web Traffic

July 2009-June 2011

• 77% of web traffic came from the US

• 75% of US traffic came from within our circulation area.

• 25% of our web traffic was not important to advertisers.

The Conclusion

During the same period when home delivery and single copy print units fell sharply; online traffic, specifically from within our distribution area, increased dramatically.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

The Decision

• Our Publisher wanted to protect our content, circulation units and advertising revenue.

• Our online advertising revenue was not sold per thousand pageviews or visitors.

• Online classified revenue was “upsold” for little or no money.

• Current print subscribers thought we were foolish to give our content away.

•Many subscribers resented that they subsidized online readers.

• Recent successes of other paid sites and industry trends encouraged us.

• If we failed, our exit strategy was to go back to open access.

Action Steps

We established a committee comprised of key employee-owners and called it “PLATFORM EVOLUTION” to illustrate our internal need to change and embrace new technologies and processes. This committee interviewed and selected a vendor to host our new site. We choose Town News as our partner. Meanwhile, this committee was also divided into sub-committees which were each given specific responsibilities.

DesignContent ManagementAdvertisingSubscription Sales and ServiceCommunicationMarketing

Action Steps

Each of these sub-committees was responsible for the oversight, development and initiation of key initiatives. We launched the redesigned site on June 1st and had the pay wall go into effect on June 15th. We met every day for two weeks prior to the launch and for 45 days after the launch to flush out and address any issues. We continue to meet weekly.

The entire process took approximately 9 months although we continue to flush out issues and make improvements.

We established a feedback link so that users could share their thoughts with us.

Old Home Page New Home Page

Paywall Interface

Articles have a small summary or update before asking for the user to be logged –in.

Paywall Interface

Non-subscribers are given the choice of daily or monthly access. All monthly transactions are self-renewing.

Paywall Interface

Users can choose their own username and password. Email addresses are required; we send them an authorization for them to log in with.

Feedback

As a member of a family that has daily subscribed to the TH for probably over a hundred years, I must say that I find the price of the newspaper to be fair and reasonable. Actually, the $7.95 per month for the TH online is a steal, in my mind. I really don't see how you can sell it for that. People who think they should receive TH content free online could never run a successful business.

JOE ZWACK, DUBUQUE

I am all signed up for the Online service. Will be great to access the TH when I am out and about visiting my kids in sites in the US. Easy to do and concise set up. I like it. You have a good day.

MR. C

Feedback

• I was a Dubuque resident for 40 yrs. I enjoy reading the TH online to keep up with my hometown, but will not be paying a subscription fee for it. I think what is now on the website should remain free.

• I don't like that you will be charging for a subscription. I come to the site to check obits as I live away from Dubuque. I don't come to the site for much news.• I was disappointed when it was announced that if a person wanted to continue to be able to read about Dubuque and the Obituary's that the Telegraph Herald was now going to charge as if one was receiving the daily paper. I would go on line about once a week to mainly keep up with the Obituaries since I am over 60 and have not lived there since 1968. My way of staying connected. I thought about (for about 30 seconds) paying the fee but could not justify the cost for such a small amount of information. I don't even like your new format.

Implementation

Circulation

Circulation Timeline

•May 15-31 - Editorial and ad campaigns promoting new website and free access for 7-day

print subscribers.

•June 1 – Redesigned website launches. False home page promotes changes and features a

letter to users from our Publisher.

•June 10th – Letter goes out to all 7-day print subscribers with ID cards. Letter includes

instructions on how to log-in to their accounts.

•June 12th – Sunday; we inserted a tab in the paper detailing registration process and

promoting the free and paid components of the site.

•June 15th – Paywall goes live.

•June 13-17 – The Circulation Department took over 4,000 phone calls from people wanting

to know more. Many calls were from people who had never been on the site before.

2011 Circulation DepartmentMike Newland

Lee LeeserOperations Supervisor

Connie Hennings

Aimee Freisinger

Megan Ralston

CareyJacobs

Linda Wesenberg

Karen Thorson

TiffanyFrederick

Open PT CSR

Michelle SchmidtSales Manager

Jesse GravesKiosk

Char EddyNIE

Kasey CopelandRetention

2 OpenPT Sales

District Sales Manager

Nicole Sindt

Sara Hoover

Bill Hefel

Patrick Caudill

Chris HilkinTransportation

Manager

Jeff Funk

4 PT Drivers

Dept. Members w/Online DutiesMike Newland

Lee LeeserOperations Supervisor

Connie Hennings

Aimee Freisinger

Megan Ralston

CareyJacobs

Linda Wesenberg

Karen Thorson

TiffanyFrederick

Jenna Goertz

Michelle SchmidtSales Manager

Jesse GravesKiosk

Char EddyNIE

Kasey CopelandRetention

2 OpenPT Sales

District Sales Manager

Nicole Sindt

Sara Hoover

Bill Hefel

Patrick Caudill

Chris HilkinTransportation

Manager

Jeff Funk

4 PT Drivers

Lessons Learned - From our Editor

Form small, more nimble committees for planning and decision-making.

· There are too many decisions to have them all made by committee.

· Secure a higher level of commitment to the project from various key players earlier. Half the team can’t wait until the Seventh Inning to start paying attention or to break away from other priorities.

· The website is not just an Editorial product. Advertising needs to run in tandem and be ready to execute its plan on Day 1.

· Give customers plenty of notice in advance of the subscription program. They might not like paying for content online, but they can’t say they are surprised. And print-only subscribers will “get it” and support you in the conversion.

1)Needed more time to test site and signup/subscription process

2) Focus groups to get public opinion on site design/layout (we didn't really get anyone’s opinion once the pages were built internally. We just ended up using what should have been a first draft due to the rush we were in)

3) Should have a single user log-in that works on both THonline and Access Dubuque sites. They currently require different log-ins

4) Different bulk e-mail/breaking news system that would not have required people to sign up for the new list (so we could have used our existing subscriber list) and would also retain the ability to send breaking news e-mails automatically when that content is added to site

5) More content in our ads about the paywall that emphasized what would remain free on the site

Lessons Learned – From our Web Developer

Lessons Learned – From Circulation Director

• More clearly think about how the paywall will impact the circulation department and its staff.

•Have a clearly defined sales strategy including online only.

•Sell packages and combinations from the start.

•Launch with a higher price and offer a discount for signing-up.

•Map what happens to a subscriber:• On vacation, vacpak, NIE donation, etc.• Call-in versus automatic interface like Chatterbox and Online.

Success!

During the first 90 days, we have:

•Added 786 paid online subscribers to our Daily ABC number.

•Sold 508 online single copy editions.

•Registered 5,984 7-day print subscribers

•Impact on September ABC Report + 798 paid subscriptions.

•Impact on FY11-12 Circ Revenue + $50,000

• Nonpay (renewal) stops are down 40% since June 15, 2011.

Questions & Answers

Mike NewlandCirculation and Operations Director

Telegraph Herald a division of Woodward Communications, Inc.

mnewland@wcinet.com563-588-5629