{"id":215457,"date":"2021-11-03T16:30:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T20:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/?p=215457"},"modified":"2021-11-03T18:51:56","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T22:51:56","slug":"why-small-publishers-have-big-advantages-in-digital-advertising-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lionpublishers.com\/why-small-publishers-have-big-advantages-in-digital-advertising-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Why small publishers have big advantages in digital advertising sales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Q&A is sponsored by <\/em>Broadstreet Ads<\/em><\/a>, in recognition of <\/em>LION\u2019s Local Journalism Awards<\/em><\/a> and the continued dedication and excellence of LION members<\/a> across North America. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advertising is still the primary revenue stream<\/a> for digital news, and despite the challenges that independent publishers face trying to compete in this market, there are also real advantages to being a local operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this Q&A, Broadstreet founder Kenny Katzgrau explains a few of the ways that local publishers can grow advertising revenue<\/a> by leveraging their strengths and capitalizing on their human scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a local business wants to buy advertising, they have a lot of options to do that through a self-service platform. Why might they prefer to work with a local news organization instead?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A good business owner knows that they can\u2019t do it all alone, and the ones who try to take the lone path typically don\u2019t make it very far. They need to delegate to employees and trusted partners to help them achieve their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small business owners often don\u2019t have the time or expertise to handle their own marketing and advertising needs, and they like working with local people that they know and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s where the local publisher comes in as the perfect candidate to help small businesses generate awareness, attract potential customers and grow their bottom lines. They have the knowledge of advertising, the audience they\u2019re trying to reach, and an opportunity to help clarify those goals and put a plan in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A face-to-face sales meeting is obviously one thing that large platforms can\u2019t offer. How can local publishers make the most of that opportunity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Publishers should keep in mind that a sales meeting is just that: a meeting. Even the outreach to request the meeting is just exploratory \u2014 \u201chey, let me learn more about your business for 20-30 minutes and let me see if I can help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing that anyone in local sales can do is ask questions and listen to understand where you can help. Entrepreneurial journalists will find that they\u2019re surprisingly good at this, despite some initial hesitance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some simple questions to ask at a sales meeting that will cue other questions \u2014 and ultimately a direction for how a publisher can help that business owner with their marketing needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n