AdNewsMarch 9 marks registration deadline

ON THE INSIDE

CALENDAR

Page 3 - Sales lessons from a Girl Scout

Page 4 - Selling into the APA Networks is as easy as 1-2-3

MARCH 13Webinar: How to Sell

Effective Multi-Channel Campaigns

MARCH 15 - 16Ad Conference,

Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Petit Jean

Mountain

JUNE 27 - 30APA SuperConvention,

Inn of the Ozarks,Eureka Springs

“Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch

Arkansas Press Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Arkansas Press Association | 411 South Victory, Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.374.1500

A Monthly Publication Supporting APA Member Advertising Professionals

ARK

ANSA

S Vol. 15 | Issue 2 | February 2018

Wirges to offer sales, revenue tips at APA Ad Conference

If you are looking for tips on how to increase sales and revenue, then you won’t want to miss Kelly Wirges at the 2018 Arkansas Press Association (APA) Advertising Conference next month. The conference is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16 at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain.

Wirges will lead three separate sessions on March 15: “Don’t be an Average Joe (or Josephine) Part 1” at 1:30 p.m.; “Don’t be an Average Joe (or Josephine) Part 2” at 2:30 p.m. and “Developing a

Competitive Advantage” at 3:30 p.m.For more than 25 years, Wirges has assisted

companies to increase sales and revenue in all facets of business. In her career she has enjoyed positions in sales, marketing and management and has been a partner at an advertising agency focusing on small business development. In 1993 she founded ProMax Training & Consulting, Inc. ProMax develops practical customized solutions that help companies retain, develop and align talent with business strategies.

She has authored more than 50 training programs, has customized materials for hundreds of companies, and has helped more than 200,000 ProMax alumni increase their success. Wirges is known for her ability to combine a dynamic presentation and lively interaction with the necessary information and tools to achieve the desired results.

“Kelly understands the challenges and opportunities that exist in today’s competitive and complex environment,” said Ashley Wimberley,

APA executive director. “With this knowledge she prepares and shares practical techniques that can be put-to-work immediately for increased success.”

The ad conference will get under way with registration at 1 p.m. March 15. Programming will begin at 1:30 p.m. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. in the River Rock Grill.

The agenda for March 16 includes the HOT Ideas Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. followed by Round Table Discussions at 9:30 a.m. The 2018 Newspaper Advertising Awards Luncheon is set to begin at noon.

The $125 conference fee includes the reception and dinner on Thursday, breaks both days, Friday breakfast, awards luncheon and all conference materials. Hotel rooms are $110 per night. Single the awards luncheon tickets are available for $40 each.

You can register online by going to www.arkansaspress.org/event/2018AdConference or sending registration and payment by Friday, March 9 to Arkansas Press Association, 411 South Victory, Little Rock, AR 72201 or fax it to 501-374-7509. Questions should be directed to Terri Cobb at the APA office at 501-374-1500.

Kelly Wirges

Easy As1-2-3

February 2018 AdNews | 1

Selling effective multi-channel campaigns

Greg Swanson, partner/business development leader for Itzontarget.com and Destination Commerce Corporation’s OneBoat community CMS, will lead a webinar at 2 p.m. CST Tuesday, March 13 that will give you tips on how to use all your sales tools to effectively sell multi-channel campaigns.

This webinar will put the strategy in creating and selling multi-channel marketing strategies. Swanson will review integrated packages incorporating both digital and print that really work. From the start you’ll learn why geo-targeting, contextual and behavioral targeting based on search or browsing history, and social advertising are not products, but tactics.

Swanson, a digital advertising sales leader who has directed sales initiatives at major media chains, co-founded one of the nation’s largest travel guide and helped launch an alternative newsweekly.

To register go to inlandpress.org and click on “Webinars.” Registration for members of co-sponsoring associations is $15 and $25 for non-members. Questions should be directed to Patty Slusher at 847-795-0308.

Rebecca Payne has been in newspaper advertising sales for more than 21 years. However, a little more than five years ago she began selling advertising for radio as well when she went to work as a sales rep for Arkansas Weekly and W.R.D. Entertainment, Inc. in Batesville. The company owns both the newspaper and several radio stations.

The previous 16 years Payne worked in sales at the Batesville Daily Guard.

“Selling radio advertising is a lot different than selling for newspapers,” she said. “It was a whole new ballgame for me because there are so many different ways to sell radio. At first I was overwhelmed and would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. But once I got into a routine, it worked out.

“Pricing radio advertising depends on how long a spot is, the time of day the spot runs and how many times the spot runs. With a newspaper ad, all you have to decide is what size the ad will be, will it have color and will it run more than one week.”

Payne said she really enjoys meeting people whether she’s selling for print or broadcast. Sometimes customers want both types of ads so she can bundle print and radio together. Other customers just want one of the other.

The veteran sales rep says she works with a lot of good people.“We are like one big family. We all get along,” she said. “I enjoy

going to work.”Payne said it is important to get to know customers and build a

rapport with them.“To be successful you have to have relationships with your

customers,” she added.Selling advertising for both newspaper and radio keeps Payne

busy. She finds planning her days and weeks helps her manage

her time and keeps her organized. Finding new customers can be difficult in Batesville and Independence County so she has ventured into White County and found a few customers there.

A native of Batesville, Payne graduated from high school in her hometown in 1985. She attended college for a short time, but decided college wasn’t for her. She worked for a couple of years for a local bank before starting her newspaper career in 1997.

Payne has been married for 28 years. She and her husband have two children and two grandchildren.

Payne succeeds in combining print, radio ad salesFrom the Field Feature

Arkansas Weekly’s Rebecca Payne (left) goes over package sponsorship prices with Mandi Curtwright, owner of the Melba Theater in Batesville.

February 2018 AdNews | 2

continued on page 4

Sales lessons from a Girl Scout

Neil McConnell, APA Marketing Consultant

Earn BIG money in 2018 for you and your Newspaper

By Jim Karrh Little Rock consultant, coach and professional speaker

It’s baaaack! Girl Scout Cookie time! Don’t worry, I am not going to ask you to buy any (we have three sons and no daughters in the Karrh home). But I do recommend that while you ponder Thin Mints you also consider the marketing and sales strategies used by the all-time record-setting Girl Scout cookie seller.

During last year’s cycle, Charlotte McCourt (age 11 at the time) managed to increase her sales by 25,786 boxes compared with the year before. You might think that a remarkable chain of events would be necessary for that result. You would be right. But that chain of events was only set in motion when young Charlotte chose to offer a prospective buyer a large serving of brutal honesty (delivered with sprinkles of humor).

Lesson One: Make your message different. During the sales drive, Charlotte heard her father, Sean McCourt, mention that a longtime friend of his was “very rich” and might want to donate some boxes to American troops overseas. Less than an hour later, Sean noticed in his sent folder an email Charlotte had sent to his rich friend.

The email was not the expected “you know my parents so please buy some cookies from me” plea. Instead, Charlotte offered her

personal rating (on a 1-10 scale) of each of the varieties of Girl Scout cookies plus a lot of guidance on what to buy.

I generally advise clients to make their messages brief and not too product-focused. But if the message is truly distinctive and engaging, then the audience will hang in there with you. Charlotte’s email was lengthy but it was a must-read.

Lesson Two: Use authenticity to earn trust. Charlotte did not recite Girl Scout talking points. Not all of her personal reviews were glowing. Oh, some of the cookies received personal ratings of 9 on the 1-10 scale and descriptions like “inspired,” but other varieties were tagged with

The Arkansas Regional Dispaly Advertising Network (ARDAN) and Statewide Classifieds Advertising Network (SCAN) programs were designed to give member newspapers and the press associations an additional way to generate revenue. We are striving to make the networks an easy source of additional income and want to keep it simple for all involved. We all want to make a little more money, and the networks are a perfect way to help all newspapers and sales associates achieve just that.

The concept is simple, just ask your client if they would consider expanding their reach and coverage. This will give them the opportunity to reach more potential customers in rural communities across Arkansas. Your customer can select either statewide, any one of the four regions or a combination of the four regions (Northwest, Northeast, Central and Southern). Once the ad is sold, just send us the camera-ready art. After you collect the payment, your paper keeps half the money and the other half is sent to the APA. Your paper gets to keep 50% of the revenue sold! That can add up fast!

For example, if you sold a $2,500 statewide ad your newspaper gets to keeps $1,250. This program not only benefits the newspaper but the sales staff as well.

Below is a bonus program sure to motivate any salesperson:ARDAN Bonus Program

For each new 2x2 ad placed statewide receive $125 (or $25 per region). For repeat clients 2x2 ad placed statewide receive $75 (or $15 per region).For each new 2x4 ad placed statewide receive $250 (or $50 per region). For repeat clients 2x4 ad placed statewide receive $125 (or $25 per region).

ARSCAN Bonus Program For each new classified ad, receive $25 for the first run and $12.50 for every additional run.For repeat clients receive $10 per week as a bonus.

Once the ad has been sold please call or email me and I’ll be more the happy to walk you through the process. Cash bonuses will be paid out monthly after APA receives payment for the ads. If you need more information or additional help, I can be contacted by phone at 501-374-1500 or by email neil@arkansaspress.org.

See flyer on page 7 of this edition of AdNews for more details.

2.for you and your paper!

Example: Sell a 2x4 Statewide DAN - $2,500

Newspaper Earns - $1,250Sales Rep Earns - $250

Questions?For more information about

selling the networks, contact: Neil McConnell

neil@arkansaspress.org or 501-374-1500

Earn ExtraRevenue...

3 Simple Steps to Generate More Revenue for Your Newspaper!

1.“Have you ever considered

expanding your reach & coverage regionally

or statewide?”

Ask Your Client...

3.Email your order & ad to Neil

at neil@arkansaspress.org and he’ll do the rest!

Send to APA...

@

Easy As 1-2-3With the

Arkansas Press Association Network Programsit’s as Easy as

February 2018 AdNews | 3

NNA preps to fight proposed newsprint tariffBy Tonda F. Rush NNA Director of Public Policy & General Counsel

WASHINGTON—Alarm bells were sounded in the community newspaper industry in January when the U.S. Department of Commerce levied preliminary tariffs against the Canadian newsprint supply. Tariffs ranging from about 5 percent to nearly 10 percent for one producer were announced for collection beginning Jan. 16. The cash deposits will be held in an escrow account while federal agencies complete investigations.

On separate tracks are inquiries by the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC), an eight-member body that acts both as adviser to DOC and independently assesses sanctions.

Complaints last August by North Pacific Paper Company (NORPAC) in Longview, Wash., initiated

the investigations. NORPAC alleges that Canadian paper

producers receive unfair subsidies from their

governments and that newsprint is being

dumped into the U.S. at prices that are lower than those available in Canada. A preliminary finding of negative impact

upon U.S. producers begins the formal

process. Then a preliminary tariff can be

assessed, which occurred on Jan. 8.

Now the two agencies will proceed with investigations on

separate timelines as specified in U.S. law. At the ITC, in particular,

a quasi-judicial process will begin at which downstream purchasers like newspaper publishers are not formally permitted to participate. Both investigations and attendant findings are expected to conclude by mid-summer.

National Newspaper Association (NNA) President Susan Rowell, publisher of the Lancaster (S.C.) News, alerted NNA members in January that she considered the situation extremely grave.

“We are going to fight this set of proposed sanctions,” she said. “Our members will take their case to Capitol Hill on March 15 and urge members of Congress to get involved in this proceeding. Because NNA members are not permitted to directly intervene in the case, we must rely upon our elected representatives to speak out for us.

“There are many problems with this case, as we understand it. One is that NORPAC’s 260 jobs that it claims to be at stake are a drop in the bucket of the U.S. economy when you consider them against the thousands of jobs in the newspaper business, our suppliers and, most of all, our advertisers who could lose a critical marketing tool for their own businesses. Another is that most of the Canadian paper is sold in the Northeast and upper Midwest. NORPAC’s market is in the west. Tariffs would be unlikely to benefit that company. If NORPAC’s prices are falling, it is because demand for newsprint is falling, and that is likely to continue—and to be accelerated if heavy tariffs come out of the case.

“But the most concerning is that these sanctions on the North American newsprint market would certainly send a signal to paper producers to retool their mills to produce paper grades with more robust and less threatened markets. We could seriously lose critical mass in our newsprint supply,” said Rowell.

NNA is joining with a large coalition of publishers, paper producers and concerned stakeholders to counter the complaints. The News Media Alliance and Resolute Forest Products are the principals in the coalition, and are joined by other national groups. NNA’s work will be guided by its government relations committee, chaired by Michael Fishman, Morristown, Tenn.; and Matthew Paxton IV, Lexington, Va.

words and phrases such as “unoriginality,” “blandness” and “bleak, flavorless, gluten-free wasteland.” The exception was the S’more, which Charlotte had not tried and “could not rate in good conscience.” Have you ever heard that from your neighborhood Girl Scout?

One of the best ways to build trust in the eyes of buyers is to be honest, especially when your recommendations seem counter to your interests (such as selling as many boxes and varieties of cookies as possible). Charlotte’s email was a one-way communication, so she could not ask questions (such as whether the person was gluten intolerant). In the absence of a two-way conversation, Charlotte’s candor showed she was willing to potentially lose part of a sale.

Lesson Three: Spread the word. Here’s where the viral juice comes in. Sean McCourt, Charlotte’s father, works with Mike Rowe (of “Dirty Jobs” TV fame) on Rowe’s podcast “The Way I Heard It.” McCourt showed the email to Rowe, who liked it so much that

he read it on his Facebook page. That video received more than 10 million views. On the video, between belly laughs, Rowe said, “A basic tenet of sales is that you can’t sell a product unless people first trust you. The best way to get them to trust you is to tell the truth.”

Honesty was a great policy for Charlotte. She shut down her website after selling 26,086 boxes and donating 12,430 of them.

Sure, Charlotte caught lightning in a bottle (or rather, a cookie box) because her email found its way to someone with a huge social-media following. You and I don’t have that many followers. Nevertheless, most companies do not come close to engaging all of their potential messengers (and, by extension, those messengers’ networks of friends). Leaders need to recognize that nearly everyone close to the organization — not just those in sales, marketing or customer service — is connected and equipped to help spread the word.

The Thin Mint got a 9, by the way.

Sales lessonscontinued from page 3

February 2018 AdNews | 4

APA's 2018 Perfect Performance List

When businesses and organizations schedule newspaper advertising through Arkansas Press Services (APS), it is important that all the ads run correctly and on time. The Arkansas Press Association Board of Directors wishes to recognize member newspapers that run ads error free. APA’s Perfect Performance Club – a listing of all member newspapers that have run every ad scheduled through APS this year with no errors – will run every month in AdNews.

At the end of the year, APS will reward a newspapers still on the list for their staffs’ hard work and dedication to perfection.

Alma JournalAmity – The StandardArkadelphia – The Daily Siftings

HeraldAshdown – Little River NewsBatesville – Arkansas WeeklyBatesville Daily GuardBella Vista – The Weekly VistaBenton – The Saline CourierBerryville – Carroll County News

MidweekBerryville – Carroll County News

Weekend EditionBlytheville – Courier NewsBooneville DemocratCalico Rock – White River CurrentCamden NewsCharleston ExpressCherokee Village – Villager JournalClarksville – Johnson County GraphicClinton – Van Buren County DemocratConway – Log Cabin DemocratCorning – Clay County Courier Crossett – The Ashley News ObserverDanville – Yell County RecordDardanelle – Post-DispatchDe Queen BeeDeWitt Era-EnterpriseDumas ClarionEl Dorado News-TimesEngland DemocratEudora EnterpriseEureka Springs – Lovely County

CitizenFairfield Bay – Lake Area WeeklyFarmington – Washington County

Enterprise-LeaderFayetteville – Northwest Arkansas

Democrat-Gazette Flippin – The Mountaineer EchoFordyce News-AdvocateForrest City – Times-HeraldFort Smith – Times RecordGlenwood HeraldGravette – Westside Eagle Observer

Greenwood DemocratGurdon TimesHamburg – Ashley County LedgerHampton – South Arkansas SunHardy – Spring River ChronicleHarrisburg – The Modern NewsHarrison Daily TimesHazen – Grand Prairie HeraldHeber Springs – Sun-TimesThe Hope StarHorseshoe Bend – Pacesetting TimesHot Springs – The Sentinel-RecordHot Springs Village VoiceHuntsville – Madison County RecordImboden – The Ozark JournalJacksonville – The LeaderJasper – Newton County TimesJonesboro – The SunLake Village – Chicot County

SpectatorLittle Rock – Arkansas BusinessLittle Rock – Arkansas Democrat-

GazetteLittle Rock – Arkansas TimesLittle Rock – The Daily RecordLonoke DemocratMagnolia – Banner-NewsMalvern Daily RecordManila – The Town CrierMansfield – The CitizenMarianna – Courier-IndexMarshall Mountain WaveMcCrory – Woodruff County Monitor-

Leader-AdvocateMcGehee-Dermott Times-NewsThe Melbourne TimesThe Mena StarMonticello – Advance MonticellonianMorrilton – Conway County Petit Jean

Country HeadlightMount Ida – Montgomery County

News Mountain Home – The Baxter

Bulletin Mountain View – Stone County Leader

Murfreesboro DiamondNashville News-LeaderNewport IndependentThe Osceola TimesOzark SpectatorParagould Daily PressParis ExpressPea Ridge – The TimesPerryville – Perry County Petit Jean

Country HeadlightPiggott/Rector – Clay County Times-

DemocratPine Bluff CommercialPocahontas Star HeraldPrescott – Nevada County PicayuneRison – Cleveland County HeraldRussellville – The CourierSalem – The News/Areawide MediaSearcy – The Daily CitizenThe Sheridan HeadlightSiloam Springs – Herald-LeaderStamps – Lafayette County PressStar City – Lincoln AmericanStar City – Lincoln LedgerTexarkana GazetteTrumann – Poinsett County Democrat

TribuneVan Buren – Press Argus-CourierWaldron NewsWalnut Ridge – The Times DispatchWarren – Eagle DemocratWest Memphis – TimesWhite Hall JournalWynne Progress

109Papers Remain in “Perfect” Standing

February 2018 AdNews | 5

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Daylight Saving Time

Begins

First Day of Spring

St. Patrick’s

DayAPA Ad Conference

Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Petit Jean

Mountain

March is...National Nutrition Month. Call on health food stores, grocery stores, vitamin and supplement stores, food banks and children’s advocacy groups (for ads soliciting donations), farmer’s markets, diet and nutrition centers, doctor’s offices, restaurants, bookstores (spotlight cookbooks and diet books), kitchen supply stores (for healthy cooking supplies).

National Craft Month. Call on arts and craft supply stores, scrapbooking stores, yarn shops, fabric stores, stained glass supply stores, arts centers, art galleries, potters, weavers, quilters, and others who might offer private lessons, community centers and local colleges (for noncredit art and craft classes open to the public).

National Women’s History Month. Call on any woman-owned or woman-run account on your list!

Call List

March Monthly Sales Planner

Good Friday

Palm Sunday

February 2018 AdNews | 6

2.for you and your paper!

Example: Sell a 2x4 Statewide DAN - $2,500

Newspaper Earns - $1,250Sales Rep Earns - $250

Questions?For more information about

selling the networks, contact: Neil McConnell

neil@arkansaspress.org or 501-374-1500

Earn ExtraRevenue...

3 Simple Steps to Generate More Revenue for Your Newspaper!

1.“Have you ever considered

expanding your reach & coverage regionally

or statewide?”

Ask Your Client...

3.Email your order & ad to Neil

at neil@arkansaspress.org and he’ll do the rest!

Send to APA...

@

Easy As 1-2-3With the

Arkansas Press Association Network Programsit’s as Easy as