Opinion: New thinking is the key to reinvigorating classifieds
Posted by Katherine Thompson on July 10, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Regional newspapers are becoming noticeably thinner; classified advertisements and standard advertisers are migrating to the web. With this, newspaper and advertising executives are coming up with new and exciting advertising and layout formats aimed at winning back those lost readers.
Northcliffe Media is branching out in their content to new fields of interest. Northcliffe's MD and Chairman of the Newspaper Society, Michael Polesi, advocates adding local traffic news, bus timetables and even the night chemists' opening hours. Such content may appear mundane, but it keeps users returning to its sites and makes it a vital local service. This type of information has obvious potential tie-ins with local advertisers.
Bill Ostendorf, CEO of Creative Circle Advertising Solutions and Creative Circle Media Consulting believes that one of the key weaknesses of most newspaper classifieds is that it is separate to the rest of the newspaper. Ostendorf feels it might be easier to create
innovative, new categories if we could put them in appropriate vertical sections. He suggests a good upsell for car ads, for example, suggesting that it might be apropriate to put a duplicate listing in the sports section.
These ideas can also be used for standard advertisements, if the advertisement is for a DIY store, the advert should be in the "Homes and Gardens" section.
A 2006 survey by Ostendorf's company makes stark reading: 40% of classifieds readers said it's hard to find things, 41% said classifieds sections are too hard to read, 38% said they're too disorganized, and 59% said they would use classifieds more if photos accompanied ads.
Johnston Press Chairman Roger Parry points out that the new websites carrying classified, such as Monster and Primelocation, do not build loyalty with their readers and that they have sprung up quickly. As a result, it seems clear that local newspapers can win back their readers if they think innovatively and serve their community in new ways.
Source: Guardian and Reinvigorating Classifieds
Northcliffe Media is branching out in their content to new fields of interest. Northcliffe's MD and Chairman of the Newspaper Society, Michael Polesi, advocates adding local traffic news, bus timetables and even the night chemists' opening hours. Such content may appear mundane, but it keeps users returning to its sites and makes it a vital local service. This type of information has obvious potential tie-ins with local advertisers.
Bill Ostendorf, CEO of Creative Circle Advertising Solutions and Creative Circle Media Consulting believes that one of the key weaknesses of most newspaper classifieds is that it is separate to the rest of the newspaper. Ostendorf feels it might be easier to create
innovative, new categories if we could put them in appropriate vertical sections. He suggests a good upsell for car ads, for example, suggesting that it might be apropriate to put a duplicate listing in the sports section.
These ideas can also be used for standard advertisements, if the advertisement is for a DIY store, the advert should be in the "Homes and Gardens" section.
A 2006 survey by Ostendorf's company makes stark reading: 40% of classifieds readers said it's hard to find things, 41% said classifieds sections are too hard to read, 38% said they're too disorganized, and 59% said they would use classifieds more if photos accompanied ads.
Johnston Press Chairman Roger Parry points out that the new websites carrying classified, such as Monster and Primelocation, do not build loyalty with their readers and that they have sprung up quickly. As a result, it seems clear that local newspapers can win back their readers if they think innovatively and serve their community in new ways.
Source: Guardian and Reinvigorating Classifieds
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The statement that 'Monster and Primelocation, do not build loyalty with their readers' seems completely unfounded.
Both websites try (and succeed) in building a brand that people respond to.
It's harder to build loyalty online as users have a wide range of choice unlike with regional print where there is often less choice for the consumer.