Go Mobile with CCText™ !
Have you taken advantage of our latest way to help your advertisers reach your readers? If you haven't yet, it's time to take a look at
CCText™ , the latest addition to our line of revenue generating programs.
CCText™ will help you put your advertisers literally in the palm of your readers' hands. CCText™ delivers extended details for your Real Estate, Garage Sale, Auto, and Entertainment listings, via text message, to your reader's cell phone or other mobile device.
Each listing in your classified category is assigned a textable code by Classified Concepts and printed in your classified section. Readers text the codes of the listings to 79704 and receive details sent directly to their mobile devices including:
- And, even driving directions!
You can view a demo
here.
Readers will enjoy the added convenience of being able to obtain local information on the go, while advertisers will benefit from the added exposure of reaching your readers through the latest technologies.
The best part is, there's no added work for you, and there are no added fees! CCText™ is a value-add to our directory service at no additional cost to you. So, if you currently use our directory service with your Real Estate, Garage Sale, Auto, or Entertainment product, just call us and say, "I want to go mobile!" We'll get you set up right away.
And, if you don't currently take advantage of our directory service, contact us to learn how to get started today. Call 866.955.6277, or email
info@classifiedconcepts.com.
Thanks for Joining Us at the WCAA Conference in Portland!
For those of you who participated in the conference, you know it was an informative, lively, and invigorating experience for all. We had a great time, and we hope you did too.
And a big congratulations goes out to our grand-prize winner, Steve Scott, of the Pacific Newspaper Group in Vancouver! He will be enjoying a two-day, two-night stay for two in Santa Barbara, complete with a wine tasting tour.
Chances are we'll be heading your way in the next couple of months as we participate in the following shows:
- New England Newspaper Advertising Executives Association (NENAEA), October 23-24, Ledyard, CT.
- Northern Classified Advertising Managers Association, (NCAMA), October 26-28, Montreal, Quebec.
- Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA), Classified Advertising Conference, November 18-19, Las Vegas, NV.
If you are attending any of these conferences, be sure to take a few minutes to stop by our booth. We really look forward to meeting you face-to-face!
Partnerships and Developments
Classified Concepts proudly announces that five papers from the Sun-Times News Group in Illinois have signed on for Classified Concepts' New Builder program! We extend a warm welcome to the following papers:
- The Pioneer Press (Glenview)
- The SouthtownStar, (Tinley Park)
How Results=Revenue
The Billings Gazette is a prime example of how even during the slowing of the housing market, advertisers realize the importance of reaching audiences in creative ways, and are willing to pay newspapers for that opportunity.
The Billings Gazette was the first of Lee Enterprises' daily papers to launch their Classified Concepts' Open House program when the paper group signed on. The Gazette redesigned their print page to showcase three premium ad positions around their Classified Concepts' map. In addition they also sell positions on the online map, with an increase in price if an advertiser wants a ìfeaturedî position.
Their redesigned pricing structure has allowed Billings to experience very significant gains in revenue this year in their real estate section, as they can offer advertisers attractive, new options. Ryan Brosseau, the Gazette's Classified Advertising Manager, stated that ìBoth our readers and real estate advertisers have welcomed the open house map in print and
online." Keep up the good work, Billings!
Industry News
According to Nielson Mobile, people are increasingly using their phones to surf the Web. Of the 95 million mobile Internet subscribers, 40 million actively use their phones to go online, double the number two years ago. Thirteen million use their phones to read the news, and a cell phone version of a Web site extends a site's reach by 13 percent. (New York Times, July 26, 2008)
What does this mean for your paper? With your readers looking for up-to-the-minute information on their cell phones, your paper is in a prime position to offer advertisers something that not all media can — a very large, diverse, and importantly, local audience! As this trend is only expected to rise, taking advantage of programs like CCText™ will help your paper stay ahead of the times.
From Sarah's Desk
The Classified Concepts team just returned from exhibiting at the Western Classified Advertising Association annual conference in Portland, Sept. 7-10. This is a special conference to me for many reasons. I've been involved with WCAA since 1997, and I feel grateful for the wealth of ideas, friends and resources that the WCAA network has provided me through those years — both in my newspaper career and now from a new perspective in my role here at Classified Concepts.
This year, I was able to meet people face-to-face that I have worked closely with but never met in personñ people like Christy Haszier, Classified Manager at the Twin Falls Times-News in Idaho. Christy and I have had many phone meetings together and shared countless emails as Twin Falls launched the Open House and Garage Sale Map programs with Classified Concepts this year, but nothing takes the place of a smile and a handshake in person. Now I feel like I really know Christy. And it's a pleasure.
Another special aspect of attending this conference on the ìvendor sideî is the ability to sponsor a crucial component of the meeting. Classified Concepts has sponsored the ìBright Ideasî contest every year since its inception five years ago. Exchanging ideas has always been a cornerstone of WCAA's philosophy. The ìBright Ideasî contest & accompanying book give each member newspaper the opportunity to share, and gives each conference attendee a tangible, take-home ìhow toî book full of ideas and contact information. This year the conference agenda, overseen by new WCAA President Rebecca Bradner, incorporated live ìBright Ideasî exchange sessions to coincide with each of the categories of business discussed each day.
Classified Concepts sponsors this contest to help WCAA help its members, and also because sharing bright ideas is something that we do every day; describing how newspapers are using our map programs to engage their readers, please their advertisers and generate significant new revenue. Call us for a bright idea any time! —
Sarah Sinclair, Client Services Manager.
