Increased Ad Pages?

The following story goes to show you that some clever magazine publishers have increased ad revenue and ad pages in the current climate. How? By focusing on customer needs and delivering what clients wanted rather than pushing the same tired rate card.

http://www.foliomag.com/2009/how-we-did-it

This is not a new idea, but it is one that doesn't get much play in the print world. SOP is create a rate card, sell ads, end of story. One challenge going forward is for publishers to adapt to customer needs on an on-going basis.

Web publishers have ALWAYS used site traffic data to fine tune their sites and sell targeted ads. Their early adoption of technology that was readily available helped them operate smarter- and advertisers respond. There's no reason why print publishers shouldn't use technology to do the same. For every issue and every sales cycle, how can you offer creative and targeted opportunities to your clients?

With a CRM system like Contract, you can mine historical data, visualizing trends such as demographics and ad buys vs. time and editorial content. This will help you dial in on what your customers buy, when, and against what sort of editorial content.

IT is strategic, not just tactical. Use it to improve the way you think about your business, not just as a way to conduct day-to-day processes.