How to rake in the political dollars
Experts are predicting that 2004 will be the year when Web sites will start to win paid political advertising dollars away from TV. Susan Mernit asked online publishers what strategies have worked for them in the past, and her findings offer some good suggestions for what online news sites should do to make sure they get some of those political dollars in the coming year:
1) Deliver highly targeted audiences the campaigns want to reach.
2) Deliver informed ‘influentials.’ If not precise online targeting, then features such as Daniel Weintraub's politics blog for The Sacramento Bee, which all-but-guarantee a politically-minded audience.
3) Market yourself as an alternative when local TV sells out.
4) Give political advertisers a price break.
5) Recruit sponsors who value local credibility and depth. CJOnline’s Legislature section is must-read for the state’s lawmakers, lobbyists and newshounds -- and thus an easy sell.
6) Get buzz for candidates by offering something new and different.
7) Offer cross-media bundles where online is just part of the buy. A key to making this successful is creating compelling cross-media journalism projects.
8) Provide in-depth measurements and ROI analysis.
9) Be a design and production resource.
10) Be prepared for last-minute buys.
Top-notch political coverage can be very expensive during a presidential election year, so online news sites should be thinking hard about taking these steps so they can fund the type of reporting that will help make a difference.
Dec 01, 2003 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK | DISCUSS(0)
Discussion
0 comments about 'How to rake in the political dollars'Post a comment
Site Map
