APA Advertising Conference keynote speaker Grogan says Arkansas newspapers need to "tell their story" to readers

Continued from on page

Grogan.

The Tennessee marketing executive said testimonials from local newspapers show that data-driven research can result in stronger sales and subscriber gains. One success story involves a small daily in New Mexico that converted dozens of radio listeners into newspaper subscribers.

“Some of the advertisers have not seen data-driven newspapers. So, it is kind of like, 'Wow, I didn’t realize that you had that kind of reach,' said Grogan.

As most Americans return to the workplace from remote working and living arrangements, Grogan agreed there has been a slight downturn in newspaper sales and website traffic nationally. However, she noted that there is also ample opportunity for growth as the industry enters the post-pandemic era.

“Certainly, when people were sitting at home, there was higher website traffic,” she said. “But, the appetite for news is still strong (and) there is a very strong appetite for digital. Yet, (readers) want newspapers to become more timely.”

Coda also recently completed a national survey of more than 5,000 people on behalf of America’s Newspapers, the Washington, D.C.-based industry trade association that includes many of the nation’s top large and small dailies.

Among other questions, the survey asked the respondents, “What could newspapers be doing better to serve their communities?”

“We were surprised by a category of respondents who said newspapers have to do a better job of marketing themselves. It used to be that you would go to the store, and you saw the (newspaper) rack and their name everywhere,” explained Grogan. “But newspapers (today) are not as visible as they need to be, and they really need to market themselves.”

During the 2021 legislative session in North Dakota, the North Dakota Newspaper Association used a 2020 Coda survey to help defeat a bill that would have eliminated the requirement for county or city governments to publish their bills and payments in local newspapers.

Coda has also conducted studies for more than 25 other press associations including Tennessee, North Carolina, Iowa, North Dakota and Kansas. Grogan, along with Coda Senior Vice President of Key Accounts Al Getler, presented advertising findings in October 2022 to Florida Press Association publishers, sales and marketing executives, and other customerfacing staff that can be used to create additional revenue for individual markets.

They have also done research for a variety of newspapers, ranging from large clients including Gannett, Arizona Daily

News, The Buffalo News, St. Louis PostDispatch, Omaha World-News, and the Washington Post to smaller newspapers with a circulation of only a few thousand subscribers.

“Americans, and people in Arkansas, believe in newspapers – they value newspapers, and they want newspapers to succeed and that’s a great start,” said Grogan. “We don’t see that advocacy as strong for local TV and radio stations.”

The 2023 APA Advertising Conference will be April 28 at the Red & Blue Events Venue in Little Rock. Grogan’s session will start off the day.

Following Grogan will be a panel discussion, “Best Revenue Products,” featuring Jennifer Allen, owner and publisher of the Hot Springs Village Voice, Andrew Bagley, owner and co-publisher of The Helena World and Monroe County Argus and Rhonda Overbey, regional publisher and advertising director of the Malvern Daily Record and the Saline Courier in Benton.

The APA Better Newspaper Advertising Contest awards ceremony, emceed by Roby Brock of Talk Business & Politics, will close out the day.