Document 6593742

Summer 2014 Edition
The SCMA May 2014 Regional Conference At
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Our Best
Attended Circulation Conference in Six Years!
COMMITTED
FOCUSED
STRONGER
The Southern Circulation Managers’ Association
Bringing Circulation Managers Together for 85 Years
Your Regional Network for Audience & Circulation Growth Strategies & Initiatives
2015 BUDGET LINE ITEM: SCMA Conference for YTD Review and ROY Growth
Visit SCMAonline.net
Better Than Ever!
[Aaron Armand - SCMA President]
Hello members and friends!
For those of us that attended the 2014 conference, what a great time we
had learning, building relationships, and socializing. I would first like to
thank all attendees and the slew of excellent presenters for participating in
the wonderful program put together by the SCMA board. I would also like
to thank our friends, Business Partners; for their support…without y’all this
conference wouldn’t have been the success it was.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to the host newspaper, The
Orlando Sentinel…who we couldn’t have done without.
[
Aaron Armand
Vice President of Circulation
The Advocate, Capital City Press
]
Now that 2014 is in the books, we now focus on 2015 and beyond. With that being said I would like to
recognize your new SCMA board members. These individuals have stepped up to the challenge and
are devoted to making sure SCMA remains the top regional association for Circulators in the nation.
[
Bernie Kosanke
Aaron Armand
Dave Rowe
Walter Goggins
Glen Tabor
Pete Pfluger
Kelly Epley
Mark Hunt
Clyde Barrow
Georgina Tougher
R Jay Driskill
Steve Edwards
Shane Marchand
Frank Maier
Chairman of the Board
President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
Secretary & Treasurer
Director at Large
Business Partner Liaison
Legal Advice
State Director-FL
State Director-FL
State Director-GA
State Director-GA
State Director-LA
State Director-TN
]
The Miami Herald, Florida
The Advocate, Louisiana
The Commercial Appeal, Tennessee
Tennessee Valley Printing Co, Alabama
Retired, Tennessee
Advance Central Services, Alabama
Never Stop Select Services, North Carolina
King & Ballow, Tennessee
Dow Jones, Florida
Scripps Treasure Coast, Florida
News Publishing Co, Georgia
Cox Media, Georgia
The Advocate, Louisiana
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tennessee
We are in the midst of planning the 2015 conference, where we will continue to bring you top
presentations, round tables, and real world initiatives proven to help the ever changing landscape of our
industry. We will continue to keep you informed on the progress of our planning, but know that we intend
to hold it in Orlando yet again. Please remember to budget for the SCMA 2015 conference as it will be
sure to pay dividends and it will be BETTER THAN EVER!
Till next time…
AA
[You can reach Aaron at aarmand@theadvocate.com or by phone at 225.388.0384.]
2]
Welcome David Rowe
A
[1st Vice President SCMA ]
t the last SCMA meeting in Orlando, I was asked
to move into the vacant position of 1st VP and immediately I responded that I
would be very happy to work with the team. I was also asked to write an article
letting all of you know who I am and what I plan to bring to the table to make
SCMA a leader in training the talent we have in our industry. This September
I will be celebrating my 42nd year in Circulation. As you can imagine, I have
seen quite a few changes to our business over the years. I would like to share
some of that with you to give you a better idea of what I would like to see
moving forward. I spent 9 years as a District Manager before getting my first
job as a Sales Manager up in the New England area. I remember having the
David Rowe
opportunity to attend NEACE (New England Area Circulation Executive)
Director
of Distribution
meeting and what a thrill it was for me to meet others in the industry that
The Commercial Appeal
shared my passion for circulation. I enjoyed it so much that I went through the
chairs and spent several years on the Board of Directors. I also remember
ICMA (International Circulation Managers Association) until it merged with Advertising to become NAA. I was
the last Promotion Awards Chairman for International Circulation Managers Association (before it merged
with Advertising to become NAA) and to this day it was one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced in
this business. ICMA was worldwide, and back in the day we had about 10 award categories that we posted
on poster board before we mailed them to the Chairman, who appointed a committee to judge. I was shocked
to see thousands of pieces arrive at my newspaper, I had to rent a warehouse there were so many! Then I
had to transport these pieces to the convention in downtown Boston and individually hang each piece so the
thousands of attendees to the conference could see them displayed. Then I was responsible for creating a
book that included all of the winning pieces and description of the results of each piece. Finally, I had to get
up in front of about 1,000 conference attendees and present the awards, and as a young executive that was
terrifying but great experience.
Times have changed to some degree, but in many ways we haven’t changed at all. We still do
telemarketing, crewing and direct mail and we still have all types of single copy promotions. What we don’t do
as well now, is rely on the carriers to promote our business and that is a shame! Conferences were a time
of sharing, imagine walking into an event and having over 1000 pieces of promotion from all over the world
to look at and bring home with us, I would like to see that again. In 2015, I would welcome that opportunity to
allow each and every newspaper within SCMA’s reach to be able to “brag” a little about what they are doing to
sell newspapers. I always tried to win an award, it made me feel great about the work my team had done and
to have others in the industry recognize them with and award for their hard work. I also stole (just kidding) all
of the other ideas and put them to use when I got back home, sometimes I had to make slight modifications
but I found a way to use some of the wonderful ideas my peers had developed. I can tell you from experience
that this young executive would probably not have survived in this business as long as I have without the help
of my peers.
That brings me to the whole point of this note, I am personally disappointed that our industry has
chosen to limit travel and deprive many young executives who are trying to make a name for themselves to
attend these wonderful sessions. I think it is such a small investment to make considering the rewards can
be so great. I have many great stories to tell and share; I remember when it was not uncommon for a larger
newspaper to send 6-8 people to a conference. We all look at numbers, and I sense the urgency to move
Circulation in the right direction. That is why now, more than ever, we need to share ideas print is still the king
right now, but focus is moving toward digital. The young executives can share digital ideas and promote print
if they are allowed the opportunity to attend these sessions. I have only briefly met the other Executive Board
Members of SCMA but I already know I am really looking forward to working with all of them. The team spirit
and dedication they display and how proud they are to be a part of this organization is all I needed to know
that we will be successful! Now we just have the task of convincing Newspaper Executives they need to allow
members of their team to join and participate in SCMA. I will be dedicated to achieving that goal before I retire
in a few short years.
[
[You can reach David at drowe@commercialappeal.com]
]
3]
Welcome Walter T. Goggins
[2nd Vice President SCMA ]
We are pleased to introduce Walter T. Goggins as 2nd
Vice President of the Southern Circulation Managers Association.
Walter is Circulation Director at Tennessee Valley Printing Co., Inc. The
Tennessee Valley Printing Company includes two daily papers and one
weekly newspaper with a combined circulation of over 42,000 daily and
46,500 on Sunday.
Walter began his newspaper career as a representative in the
Knight-Ridder Specialty Program. Knight-Ridder, at the time the time
Walter T. Goggins
Circulation Director
the 2nd largest newspaper publisher in the country, constructed such
Tennessee Valley Printing Co., Inc.
programs as a means of developing future leaders in the newspaper
industry. Having received a Bachelor’s Degree in the field of
Communications with a focus in Journalism and Public Relations from Miles College in Birmingham,
AL, Walter was set on a path to indeed become one of the future leaders in this industry.
Walter spent more than a year of extensive training with Knight-Ridder, touring properties
including the Bradenton Herald, Miami Herald and the Akron Beacon Journal. After which he returned to his hometown newspaper the Anniston Star where he worked with Dennis Dunn, past
SCMA President and Board Member as Dunn’s City District Manager. After nearly a year, Walter
would move to Florence, AL to work with New York Times owned Times Daily climbing the ranks as
District Manager, Zone Manager and Home Delivery Manager before the company was eventually
purchased by the Shelton Family, owners of the Decatur Daily in Decatur, AL.
Though under new management, Walter would continue on with what is now Tennessee
Valley Printing Co., Inc. He would also be taking on the challenge of another daily paper of near
equal volume, as well as a popular weekly newspaper, the Moulton Advertiser. Walter continued to
impress, working his way through the ranks earning titles as Group Home Delivery Manager, Home
Delivery Operations Manager, and inevitably, Circulation Director.
Beyond his accomplishments as a circulator, Walter is also a family man. His Wife Martita and
three children Walter, William and Kyra are amongst the things he is most proud of. Walter, once an
All Conference Defensive Tackle in college, coaches his two sons each year in football as a member
of the Youth Football League in the Shoals area. “I don’t know which is more stressful working with a
group of more than 150 contractors or trying to keep a group of twenty-two kids focused during
practice,” said Walter.
In going through our process of selecting officers for SCMA, Walter’s name was mentioned
amongst the board. It would begin to register that a several of us had developed a relationship of
sorts with Walter and his participation at SCMA Orlando was more than welcomed. We want to
encourage the involvement of all circulators from all different backgrounds and experiences. When
asked how he feels about his newly appointed position as 2nd Vice President with SCMA Walter
respond by saying, “I’m excited about every new opportunity, but above all things I’m grateful. It’s an
honor and a privilege and I am humbled by the opportunity. I look forward to many great years with
SCMA and I believe the newspaper industry has something to look forward to.”
Walter was appointed on May 17, 2014 by a unanimous vote amongst representatives of the
board of SCMA. On the behalf of the board we would like to Congratulate Walter T. Goggins on
becoming 2nd Vice President of SCMA and invite you to join us in welcoming him to his new role.
[
4]
]
[You can reach Walter at walter.goggins@timesdaily.com or by phone at 256-740-5784.]
Digital Subscription RetentionThe New And Not So New
Every newspaper has been working hard to develop
ways to increase digital subscription acquisition.
Marketing has played a key role in those efforts along with developing a better understanding of the meter and the importance of driving higher content
consumption by our readers.
We’ve learned the value in using introductory offers to accelerate acquisition
and the conversion rate from introductory offers to full price paid subscriptions is very good in most cases. We’ve tested term length and discounting to
increase sales and grow digital subscriptions as fast as we can.
[
Jeff Hartley
VP Consumer Revenue
Morris Publishing Group
I think you’ll agree that most of our focus has been on driving higher acquisition rates.
]
But what about retaining digital subscribers? Just like print subscriptions, we can’t ignore digital subscribers that leave us. In others words, we need to have solid retention plans for digital, just like we have for
print.
We’ve always had strategies in place to retain print subscribers. We go after them before they stop as well
as after. We test different offers to determine which ones have better retention rates. We understand more
about the customer life cycle than ever before. We’ve jumped head first into the data pool in an effort to
identify and better understand at-risk print subscribers. And now more than ever, significant portions of our
sales and marketing budgets are devoted to our retention efforts.
Granted, some of the dynamics of digital subscribers and the traditional print subscriber are different.
Many newspapers use third-party vendors to manage their digital subscription process so the customer
data resides outside of the print circulation system (many circulation systems now have digital components
built in). If so, it may take additional effort to manipulate the data and develop processes to use it properly.
Digital subscription acquisition and retention is still in its infancy. We have very little history to lean on.
We’re learning as we go. We can however, take advantage of fundamental processes involved with print
retention and apply them to digital subscriptions.
1] Talk to our customers. Develop customer friendly communication strategies that let them know we
appreciate their business. Reinforce the value of being a subscriber. Listen.
2] Test different offers. Test offers and pricing to better identify the sweet spot that maximizes revenue
and retention.
3] Provide excellent customer service. Whether customer contact, product delivery or overall value of
the subscription, we have to get every opportunity right.
4] Learn. Use data as one our most powerful tools in learning all we can about our customers. Use re
search and customer feedback to modify our strategy going forward.
By focusing on both-strategic acquisition of new digital customers and retaining as many of them as possible, is critically important.
It’s new and not so new at the same time.
[You can reach Jeff at jeff.hartley@morris.com or by phone at 706-823-3297.]
5]
It’s All About ROI
[Bernie Kosanke - SCMA Board Chairperson]
Hello, fellow circulators & audience development leaders!
Well, the first half of 2014 is in the books and we’re all launching new
programs to meet our second half challenges. Fortunately, there are a lot of
great ideas out there for the taking!
[ ]
VISIT
www.SCMAonline.net
to see some of this year’s
conference presentations.
For those of us who had the opportunity to
attend the SCMA Orlando Conference in
May, we all brought home proven strategies
and initiatives to deliver circulation copies
growth.
[
Bernie Kosanke
Assistant Circulation Director
Miami Herald / El Nuevo Herald
The 2014 Regional Conference was a huge
success. We had our highest
attendee turnout in six years and everyone was thrilled with the venue and the program.
]
The conference venue was fantastic. The folks at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort took great care of us.
Some attendees brought family and extended their stay. But top billing goes to the conference program.
From outstanding presenters to challenging work group projects, the take-a-way was outstanding. Our goal
was to deliver a high ROI and from the feedback I’m getting - We Hit the Mark!
Leveraging group interaction is key. Structured home delivery and single copy round table work sessions
along with our Hot Ideas Breakfast put everyone to work. Goals were set and everyone was engaged.
Each team presented and everyone took home great ideas.
Our conference presentations were again top notch thanks to nationally recruited talent. The program
received rave reviews. Special thanks to our speakers who covered Industry Trends & Initiatives, Audience
Growth, Digital Editions, Home Delivery, Single Copy, Legal, and the latest from AAM.
[
SCMA 2014 Conference Speakers
Michelle Gethers-Clark
John Murray
Jeff Hartley
Steve Edwards
Monica Wesolowski
Kurt M. Welu
Robert Bolone
Mark E. Hunt
Diane Szubrych
]
CEO and President of United Way of Greater Greensboro
Vice President of Circulation Marketing NAA
Vice President Consumer Revenue Morris Publishing Group
Sr. Audience Marketing Manager for Cox Media
Consumer Sales and Marketing Manager Sun-Sentinel / Tribune Co.
Single Copy Manager at Omaha World-Herald
Circulation Director Herald-Tribune Media Group Sarasota
Managing Partner King & Ballow’s Circulation/Distribution Section
Senior Manager, Publisher Relations Alliance for Audited
And Special Thanks to The Orlando Sentinel - the host newspaper for the conference!
I’d like to thank all the members of the SCMA board on their involvement in making this year’s event a
huge success and offer a very special welcome to our new board members who committed themselves
to the growth of SCMA. SCMA continues to provide developmental opportunities for those rising stars in
your organization as well as a place for seasoned leaders to give back to the industry.
We expect to return to Orlando in 2015! Don’t miss it. Build the SCMA conference into to your 2015 budget
as an initiative. It’s the conference that pays dividends. It’s all about the ROI.
8]
[You can reach Bernie at bkosanke@miamiherald.com or by phone at 305-376-4727.]
Innovation with Tradition Sales Channels
Contrary to naysayers, numerous facts contradict the belief that
newspapers are doomed. Seven in ten Americans still read content from newspapers each week. That’s 158 million U.S. adults! Our audiences are more engaged with us than other media and we garner the most trust. In fact, 56 percent
say newspapers, in print and online, are most trusted compared to 37% each for
social media and local TV. And those positive relationships extend to advertisers
who enjoy a 12% higher engagement rate from our readers compared to other
media.
While that’s great news, we struggle to grow audience.
At Tribune Publishing, we recognized our brands are highly valued and have impressive market presence, but we had to evolve. Traditional print prospects are
Monica Wesolowski
fragmented across multiple platforms, marketing resources are tightening, and
Consumer Sales & Marketing Manager
Sun-Sentinel / Tribune Co.
consumers are growing savvy about blocking sales messages.
The first change Tribune Publishing made was to reorganize the consumer marketing function into a Shared Serviced Organization. This new organization is decentralized across all
properties, but is committed to a standardized approach for going to market. From customer service, research,
acquisition, branding, systems, and planning, this structure corrals the best practices from across the country
while maintaining local market intelligence.
Second, we unified our databases, analytics, and customer-facing billing and subscriber services tools.
This allowed us to shift from a systems orientation to a marketing focus.
Finally, the Acquisition Shared Team leveraged these changes to innovate sales strategies, especially
for telemarketing, direct response, and online marketing.
[
]
Here’s what we’ve learned:
Telemarketing: Expand calling material and maximize each contact.
• Verafast’s disconnect program appends new prospects to disconnected numbers.
• Anchor’s append services link wireless and fax numbers to callable land lines.
• Cirtek is offering wireless calling services.
• Sweepstakes work to drive prospects to inbound telemarketers to capture registrations and make sales.
• Continual testing of premiums boosts conversions and EZ pay starts.
• Verafast’s DNC cleanse program compares internal DNC list with phone records for reassigned numbers.
Direct Response: Test and scale best practices.
• FSI’s with holiday themes get better results, creating excitement and urgency.
• Holiday & sports themed promotions online, in print or mailed are easily scalable across business units.
• Analytic-based targeting and pricing pays off with consumer and advertising revenue.
• Offers featuring a daily versus weekly rate, compared to newsstand rates, improve response.
• Testing response tools such as Purl prepopulated forms helps conversion rates due to ease of purchase.
Online: Innovate.
• Emails must be designed and optimized to resize for mobile readability and sign ups.
• Continual testing of vendors for lead generation such as Opt Intelligence with geo targeted offers on other
websites pays off.
• Retargeting campaigns can drive response.
• Ongoing innovation with traditional tools like Groupon, Living Social, email sign-in page take overs, and
eblasts sustain volume.
• Targeting commuters with e-edition offers delivered growth for Chicago Tribune.
• Embedded links and interstitials on home websites often perform better than traditional banners and cubes.
[You can reach Monica at mwesolowski@sunsentinel.com.]
9]
Supporting Circulation Leaders for 85 Years
Providing Success Strategies in Today’s Print & Digital Age
Benefits of Active SCMA Membership:
Expanded Network with Industry Leaders
Strategies & Initiatives that Maximize Your Results
Become an Instrument of Change at your Newspaper
Benefits of Serving in SCMA Leadership Positions:
Stronger Business Relationships
Personal Development & New Skills for your Toolbox
Become More Marketable as a Circulation Leader
Volunteer and Serve as an SCMA
State Director, Committee Head or Board Member
For more information contact:
Bernie Kosanke, SCMA Board Chairperson | SCMAonline.net
Southern Circulation Managers’ Association | Linkedin
bkosanke@miamiherald.com
10]
[
[
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress,
and working together is success.” - Henry Ford
Single Copy:
Visibility + Presentation = Sales
What’s happening to single copy sales at retail
dealers? Seems like everyone is down across the board, some more
than others. If you are pushing double digit declines, it’s time to take a critical look at your business. How do you do that? Simply, darken the door, put
some feet on the street, and find out what is going on.
Here are some things to look for:
My newspaper rack used to be right by the front counter, now there is a
Kurt Welu
display there with energy drinks and my rack has been pushed away from
Circulation Marketing Manager
Omaha World-Herald
the sales counter. Why?
The best way to find out is to ask the store Manager or clerk that question. The answer may surprise you.
A common response is,“I make more money on energy drinks than newspapers.” Maybe so, but newspapers drive customer traffic. Getting customers INTO your store is critical to your inside sales and newspapers help bring customers in. Newspaper customers also buy other items and become “regular” customers,
meaning they come in the store several times a week. Why not make newspapers convenient for them?
They are your customers, you know.
Another response may be, “the rack is looking bad, so
I moved it away from the counter.” You’ll need to clean
it up, fix it or replace it! Budget money may be a concern, but don’t be afraid to put a little “sweat equity”
and use your resourcefulness to solve this problem.
The better you rack looks, the better the position you
maintain. And better position translates into more
sales. Here is what we are doing to solve this problem
at retail dealers.
[
]
In June, we started using laminated shelf talkers to
brand ourselves at retail dealers. The objective is to
have customers see the Omaha World-Herald brand
“every” place they look during their retail visit. We
want them to see it walking toward the store, walking
into the store, walking around the store and walking
out of the store. And we achieve this for just pennies.
Over 1, 000 customers per day per store looking at the
Omaha World-Herald brand. An image that becomes
so common that the brain records it without any conscious effort. However, every time they see the Omaha
World-Herald brand it registers.
No matter which way the rack is turned or moved, the
Omaha World-Herald brand is clearly visible! How
does your brand look at your retail dealers?
[You can reach Kurt at kurt.welu@owh.com.]
11]
Business Partner Spotlight
It is an exciting time to be involved with SCMA as we continue
to push forward and to be challenged for innovation as well as the precise management of revenue and expenses. The conference this year
in Orlando defined the commitment from both sides of the isle; business
partner and newspaper leadership participation was in lock step, pursuing the continued legacy of our business.
[
Kelly G. Eply
President
Never Stop Select Services
]
Aaron Armand stated it best, “Our business partners, our friends.” That
really defines SCMA! We are a learning environment that fosters growth
through relationships, where we can share opposing sides of a challenging aspect of our business to find a solution while enjoying a social experience that creates unity.
The development of an SCMA conference from ground zero to success
provides an excellent opportunity for newspaper professionals to share, learn, and grow. If you’re an
audience development person or working in circulation and you are looking to share and hone your
skills, look no further; SCMA will provide that opportunity. I can honestly say it has for me.
I look forward to a successful conference in Orlando in 2015 and want to thank my fellow business partners for their continued support of SCMA.
NEVER STOP
SELECT
SERVICES
Our Starts Never Stop!
Kelly G. Epley
PRESIDENT
4231 Princess Place Dr., Suite C • Wilmington, NC 28405
919-344-5045 • Fax 884-751-4328
kepley@neverstopss.com
NEWSPAPER CALL CENTER SERVICE PROVIDER
877-751-8053 • www.neverstopss.com
NEVER STOP
SELECT
SERVICES
Interested in being highlighted in our next newsletter? Contact Glen Tabor at glentabor74@gmail.com
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