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U.S. Stalking economy is likely here to stay.

In Business, Dayton Ohio News, Economy, Media, Opinion, Technology on December 5, 2013 at 12:00 am

DIH LOGOIf you shop online or use social media on a regular basis, you’ve probably wondered how the ads you see seem so perfectly suited to your own interests. That’s because you told them. Really, you did, but it’s unlikely you were even aware of having done so.

Some experts refer to this practice as just another component of today’s ever advancing “stalker economy,” referring to constant surveillance for what you buy, talk about and “LIKE” online. It’s all being monitored by websites and social media pages on which the transaction occurs. The data is collected, analyzed, and regurgitated into useful information and sold to future advertisers.

No longer do advertisers need to track ‘cookies,’ those tiny bread crumbs of data left behind when you visit a website that lay a clean, detailed trail of your online pathways. Instead, they just get the information directly from you – in many different ways.

While there is so-called, “do not track” legislation designed to regulate companies which monitor and customize ads based on a user’s experiences, the laws are mostly toothless. Much of the existing legislation makes compliance voluntary. Plus, if a user does not want to be tracked, the information is still collected but no personalized advertising will be generated. Why even bother having the laws in the first place?

Today’s “stalking economy” is unlikely to change but rather get progressively more invasive and nosey because of the explosion of mobile devices and enhanced cellular communication options. According to the CTIA-The Wireless Association, 89-percent of people living in the United States have mobile broadband subscriptions.

The CTIA’s research shows that, “The U.S. wireless industry is valued at $195.5 billion, which is larger than publishing, agriculture, hotels and lodging, air transportation, motion picture and recording and motor vehicle manufacturing industry segments.”

It might sound like just a lot of meaningless industry trivia until you consider how much goes into its infrastructure and operation. From website and app development to marketing and advertising strategies, hundreds of thousands are employed in the business of keeping you connected to your favorite things. And the advertisers sell to millions that way.

Many experts still believe the mobile and web-based media industries are still just in their infancy! Think of it, just five years ago most cell phones were barely capable of sending a text message, today people can do their banking, video chat with their children away at college and watch the TV show they missed the night before.

Learning to capitalize on America’s obsession with the web has made tracking essential, but still relatively unwanted. Of course there are those who simply don’t care if their online activity is being monitored. If anything, these individuals believe they’ll be of the first to know about a new product or service and be in on version 1-point-0, trend-setting from the ground floor.

Most websites allow a user to opt-out from receiving advertising material, but that won’t stop them from keeping an eye on them. So what’s the good side of the “stalker economy” to the consumer? Over the long haul, consumers are more frequently introduced to products and services they wouldn’t have otherwise known about and in a much shorter time period than would have been possible otherwise.

The consumer also wins because advertising to a highly focused target market will cost less to execute. Since marketing is one of the most expensive parts of selling a product, this will help the merchant maintain affordability.

It’s doubtful that people will ever be completely free from electronic snooping, at least the kind that keeps a running list of our Amazon purchases. But you can do some things to limit what they see. First, read everything; every single line presented to you on a website regarding your account or how your information is used. The rest is due diligence. Keep a running record of websites you use for social media, shopping, whatever. Make sure they have what you want them to have and no more. In any case, it’s up to you to decide how much to put out there. Keep it as little as possible.

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Referral marketing organization to hold visitors day November 14

In Business, Dayton Ohio News, Economy, Education, Jobs, Local News, News Media, Uncategorized on October 24, 2013 at 7:00 am

097DAYTON, OH – The Greater Dayton Professionals Chapter of Business Network International (BNI), will hold a visitors day event from 7:30 am to 9:30 am on Thursday, November 14, at the Event Connections, 4140 Linden Avenue in Dayton. The free, no-obligation networking event is open to all entrepreneurs, business managers and sales professionals in the Dayton/Miami Valley region.

The Greater Dayton Professionals BNI Chapter is one of the oldest of 23 in the Miami Valley region. Founded in 1985 by professional networking guru Dr. Ivan Misner, BNI has more than 6,400 chapters world-wide.  According to the leadership team of the Greater Dayton Professionals chapter, BNI’s purpose is to help members create a wide-reaching, profitable referral network free of internal competition, something unavailable from chamber organizations or service clubs.

Along with the open networking opportunity, each participant will have the chance to introduce themselves to the group and give a one-minute sales presentation. Many of the Greater Dayton Professionals BNI members will feature table displays and there will be a special presentation on referral-based marketing by BNI Executive Director Darrel Bender.

Gery L. Deer, of GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing, is the vice president and public relations coordinator for the chapter. “We are interested in meeting highly motivated, professional business leaders who want to increase their sales as much as 30-percent from referral marketing,” Deer says. “This event provides our visitors with the opportunity to observe the process first-hand and see the success achieved by our members.” He also added that so far in 2013, his chapter has passed between them nearly a half-million dollars in closed business.

Using the organizational philosophy called “Givers Gain” members trade in fully-qualified, outside referrals rather than open-ended, unchecked leads. “In order to pass a referral to another member of our chapter, the giver is required to have already communicated with the subject beforehand,” Deer explains. “Qualifying the referral in this way before passing it, rather than giving random leads is what separates BNI from other organizations and nearly assures a closed sale.”

At present, the Greater Dayton Professionals BNI Chapter is looking for applicants to fill a host of classifications including mortgage broker, banker, health insurance provider, property title agency and more.  Visitors to the chapter are encouraged to bring plenty of business cards and invite others to accompany them to the event.

A brief visitor orientation will be held immediately following the business meeting. For more information go online to http://www.greaterdaytonpros.com or contact chapter public relations coordinator, Gery L. Deer, at (937) 902-4857 or email gdeer@gldenterprises.net.

Vanessa Freeman interviews GDP-BNI VP Gery Deer and President Justine Kangas about upcoming visitors day. http://www.wdtn.com/living-dayton/business-network-international

Vanessa Freeman interviews GDP-BNI VP Gery Deer and President Justine Kangas about upcoming visitors day. 

Editor’s Note: Click to view the  LIVING DAYTON interview with Greater Dayton Professionals Chapter President Justine Kangas, of Manning & Associates CPAs and PR Consultant Gery L. Deer discussing the visitors day and the future growth of her BNI chapter. 

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Saving our downtowns, one megamall at a time

In Business, Dayton Ohio News, Economy, history, Jobs, Local News, Opinion, Politics, Uncategorized on September 25, 2013 at 9:37 am

DIH LOGOLast week I covered a story for the local newspaper about a business that has been in downtown Xenia, Ohio for more than 70 years. To celebrate, the chamber of commerce held a ribbon cutting attended by the usual fare of friends, associates and dignitaries, all wanting either to sincerely congratulate the proprietors or mug their way into the photo op. Whatever their reasons for attending, it was refreshing to see people taking an interest in a small town’s revitalization.

Every day local governments offer tax breaks and other perks designed to attract new businesses to settle in their region, the obvious benefits to which are jobs and tax revenue. A good idea, of course, but while they’re building new strip malls on one end of town, the downtown sits empty and abandoned leaving the same government officials to puzzle over what to do with empty, decaying buildings.

So why not provide more incentive for businesses to locate in existing downtown areas before adding more sprawl? For those already there, encourage them to stay rather than making it easier for them to move into the latest strip mall.

Some communities sprang up from joined housing developments but for those like Xenia, Bellbrook, Jamestown and Fairborn, there is history, culture and charm still to be reclaimed. It’s truly puzzling why there is not more incentive to do what Xenia’s business owners are doing very well – revitalize and rejuvenate the downtown.

mall interiorMost confusing of all is the approval by local governments of sprawling mega-malls like The Greene, in Kettering, or is it Beavercreek? I’m not sure even they know where they are located. The brick walkways and old-fashioned street lights illuminating an array of sidewalk cafes and specialty shops were designed to look just like old downtown shopping squares that have long since been abandoned.

While they might add something to the local job market, these monster malls with their fake skylines, congested parking lots and Segway-riding rent-a-cops, do little to enhance the community. The sad thing is, eventually, the buildings go out of style and repulse new customers after a dozen years or so.

When Beavercreek’s Mall at Fairfield Commons first opened, it was all the rage; no more driving all the way out to Centerville or northwest Dayton to shop at an indoor mall. Today, there are huge unoccupied spaces in all of the indoor retail behemoths as businesses either shut down or move into newly-designed malls.

Believe it or not, “If you build it, they will come,” applies far more to retail sales than it ever did to a cornfield baseball diamond, so build it downtown. No matter where you put the temples of American gluttony and materialism people will find them and go to worship the almighty Abercrombie.

City governments should do more to help property owners attract major tenants to the old downtown areas, particularly big mall-style anchor stores. It would only take a couple of them to generate more interest from others and grow revenue for the property owners and the municipality.

Over the next month or so, small town politicians will be scrambling to win over your vote. Ask them the same questions posed here. If we really want to save our downtown areas, we have to start at the government level.

Instead of spending time and money worrying about ridiculous issues like whether a store’s sign is wood or plastic, how about making it easier and more attractive for businesses to locate in the downtown areas? It really is that easy.

A civic ambassador with a high-level business background in national retail sales could help to develop a plan of action and take it to companies like Macy’s and Abercrombie. Show them that it’s possible to create the genuine version of the fake atmosphere so popular at the outdoor malls. If it’s done properly, it would bring people downtown again to shop, eat and socialize.

Small business cannot support such efforts without a few major players in the ballgame. If there are to be more 70-year old businesses downtown, there needs to be a downtown for them to be in.

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Xenia law firm celebrates more than 70 years downtown

In Business, Dayton Ohio News, Economy, history, Local News, News Media, Politics, Uncategorized on September 20, 2013 at 7:14 am

By Gery L. Deer

Editor

(Front Row From Left) Attorney Jeremiah Webb, Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Liming, Attorney Alan Anderson, Xenia Mayor Marsha Bayless, Attorney David Phipps, Jim Saner (Montgomery Insurance) and Diane Davis. Photo by Gery L. Deer

(Front Row From Left) Attorney Jeremiah Webb, Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Liming, Attorney Alan Anderson, Xenia Mayor Marsha Bayless, Attorney David Phipps, Jim Saner (Montgomery Insurance) and Diane Davis. Photo by Gery L. Deer

XENIA, OH – When Robert Hirst Wead opened his law practice at the southwest corner of Main and Detroit Streets in Xenia’s Allen building, he probably had no idea it would still be serving Greene County more than 70 years later. On Wednesday, September 18 Wead, Anderson, Phipps and Aultman, LLC celebrated the milestone with a new sign, a ribbon cutting reception and a commitment to their part in the continuing rejuvenation of the city’s downtown.

About six years after Wead opened his original office, Philip Aultman joined him as a partner. Over the years, the firm was home for as many as six attorneys and the original partners have since passed away. Today, there are three lawyers working in the firm headed up by partners David Phipps and Alan Anderson. Phipps joined the team in 1991 and Anderson got his start with the practice back in 1979.

In addition to his private practice, Anderson is also currently serving on the Greene County Board of Commissioners. He believes that the current efforts toward the revitalization of Xenia one of the greatest benefits to those who live and work downtown.

“Xenia is so blessed to have a thriving, active downtown and the business owners and the city should be commended for all of their hard work towards continued improvement,” he says. “We’ve got nice restaurants, the new Harvest Moon Bakery, and there are some great businesses coming in downtown. We have a wonderful chamber of commerce with a lot of young people. When you get young people involved you know you have a future and they’re going to be building towards it.”

IMG_6316The third and latest addition to the team is attorney of counsel, Jeremiah B. Webb, who came on in February. A University of Dayton School of Law graduate, Webb was instrumental in the design and execution of the firm’s signage upgrade.

“I’m proud to be a part of Wead, Anderson, Phipps and Aultman,” Webb says. “Although our efforts may pale in comparison to other recent community improvements, we are yet another example, however small, of Xenia’s progress and movement toward a brighter future.”

Alan Anderson adds that there is plenty more to do. “We’re not done here yet,” he says, referring to the revitalization of Xenia and his own office building. “We’re going get some lighting on the sign and do some painting, possibly a mural on the side of the building.”

IMG_6312The ribbon cutting event was organized by the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce and attended by local business associates. Wead, Anderson, Phipps and Aultman, LLC, is located at 53 W. Main Street. For more information go online to www.wapalawxenia.com or call (937) 372-4436.

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T-Willy’s Yogurt Emporium celebrates first anniversary with customer appreciation day

In Business, Children and Family, Dayton Ohio News, Economy, Entertainment, Food, Local News, Senior Lifestyle, sociology, Uncategorized on September 17, 2013 at 5:52 pm
T-Willy's owner Wendy Preiser

T-Willy’s owner Wendy Preiser – Click the photo to watch WDTN-TV2’s Living Dayton host Shaun Kraisman as he takes on the adventure of T-Willy’s!

CENTERVILLE / WASHINGTON TWP. – When Wendy Preiser opened T-Willy’s Yogurt Emporium last year she invited patrons to come and express their creative, adventurous side – and that they did. As her way of saying, “thanks,” Preiser will celebrate the store’s first anniversary with a customer appreciate day from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 28. Visitors to the unique, frozen yogurt shop can enjoy spin art, win door prizes, get a temporary tattoo or even enter to win a year of free yogurt.

Located in Washington Square Shopping Center, T-Willy’s offers a rotating menu of specially blended frozen yogurt flavors including Lemon Pound Cake, Salted Caramel Pretzel, Peanut Butter, and Key Lime Pie. Of course chocolate and vanilla are available for those who want an old favorite. All of the yogurt and toppings are sold by the ounce, in cups.   Mixing and matching is highly encouraged. There are always options that have no sugar added and most are gluten free.

T-Willy’s Yogurt Emporium brought about a brand-new way of enjoying frozen soft-served yogurt. Inspiration can be found everywhere inside the store, from the adventurous mural on the wall to the huge, tree-trunk toppings table.

According to Preiser, T-Willy’s frozen soft serve offers one of the highest counts of live and active yogurt cultures. The average 4-ounce serving contains less than 0.5 grams of dairy butter fat. “Yogurt is such a great basis because it is healthy, tasty and fun,” Preiser says. “My philosophy on food is that we should pay more attention to what we put in our bodies and less about what we leave out.  If we eat consciously, the occasional treat can be good for us physically and especially emotionally.”

Just one example of the favorite flavor creations is this months’s Oompa-Octoberfest.  It starts with swirls of vanilla yogurt and a squirt of peanut butter topping dusted with fresh coconut.  Then they throw on a scoop of chocolate covered pretzels and a dollop of cherry pie filling.  “Our store is about trying something new,” Preiser says. “There will always be something to intrigue and inspire our customers.”

T-Willy’s Frozen Yogurt Emporium is located at 6085 Far Hills Ave., across from Siebenthalers  and shares a parking lot with  Dorothy Lane Market. For more information go online to www.twillysyogurt.com or call 937-567-7818.

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Crafters Lodge to open in Sugarcreek Plaza, September 20

In Business, Children and Family, Economy, Education, Local News, Senior Lifestyle, Uncategorized on September 10, 2013 at 9:50 am

Bellbrook / CLLOGOSugarcreek Twp., OH – On Friday, September 20th, Sugarcreek Township residents JoBeth and Scott Bryant invite the public to join them at the grand opening of their new craft store, Crafters Lodge, 6056 Wilmington Pike, just behind Fazoli’s. Festivities begin at 4PM with the official ribbon cutting presented by the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Chamber of Commerce.

“Our store is intended to provide high-end supplies and expertise to the serious crafter of a kind you won’t find at the big-box stores,” says co-owner JoBeth Bryant. She and her husband, Scott, who currently serves as a Sugarcreek Township Trustee, established their business in their home area to better serve their community.

“My mom was an incredibly talented crafter; she could do anything,” says Bryant. She says her store was born from a desire to honor the gift of crafting passed to her by her mother, who can no longer participate because of Alzheimer’s disease. “As I was growing up she would take me with her to craft classes and I was usually given a project of my own to work on. We want to provide a similar experience to other families.”

In particular, Bryant believes many of the old needle arts are dying simply because they are no longer being taught to the younger generation, so the skills are lost.  “We hope to help revive many of these arts,” she says, “such as bobbin lace making, tatting, embroidery, spinning and weaving to name a few.

Another unique offering of the Crafters Lodge will be hosting American Girl Birthday Parties. For a flat fee the store will provide American Girl party supplies, a Happy Birthday banner, and an authentic American Girl craft with instruction.  Seating is limited to twelve, including the birthday girl and girls are encouraged to bring their American Girl dolls along.

In addition to stock items, Crafters Lodge will be able to order specialty supplies. “If there is a product you want and you don’t see it on the shelf, please ask,” Bryant says. “Chances are good that we can have it for you within a day or two.” After the grand opening, Crafters Lodge will keep regular store hours Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 am to 8:00pm, Sunday noon to 6:00 pm and closed on Monday. For more information and a schedule of classes, visit the store’s website, www.crafterslodge.com or call (937) 470-2649.

Check out the video clip on WDTN-TV2’s “Living Dayton” 

Crafters_Lodge_LD_Jo_Beth

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Shocking! Power companies mislead consumers.

In Business, Children and Family, Economy, Opinion, Senior Lifestyle, Technology, Uncategorized on September 4, 2013 at 9:39 am

DIH LOGO

Today, everyone is trying to save money. From groceries to utilities, we are all looking for a way to hold on to every dollar, particularly our seniors and others on fixed or limited incomes. Unfortunately, some companies are taking advantage of tough times by promising extensive savings on electric bills by switching to third party power suppliers.

Three years ago, my father’s electric bill was increasingly high. I had seen information on a company called “DPL Energy,” being advertised as a partner to Dayton Power and Light (DP&L), offering as much as a 25 percent savings. So, we signed up for the program and DPL Energy became our official service provider.

Confusingly, the electricity bill still comes from DP&L. As time went on, the savings was negligible and outweighed by a definite increase in additional fees for using the outside provider.

IMG_6295Essentially, these companies are “resellers” who broker DP&L’s electric power at a lower rate. Your electricity still originates with the main provider and you continue to call them for outages, emergencies and so on. Plus, once you’re signed up, they make it extremely hard to go back.

Much like cellular phone contracts, if you leave one of these third party plans, there is a termination fee or you must wait until the contract expires – and even then there may be a charge. Having saved nothing, we waited, and finally cancelled the plan. About a year after we left DPL Energy’s plan, my father was apparently signed up with another one of these companies called IGS Energy, although, we have no clear idea how.

According to IGS, someone came to his house and “signed him up by phone.” You read that right. We were told he was signed up in person, but the salesman called in the request for service. First, I don’t believe that anyone went all the way out to where he lives in the middle of nowhere on a cold call without getting any sort of signature verifying his enrollment. I am still investigating this part of the story.

In the end, dad made a couple of late payments and IGS dropped him anyway, but here’s where things get really expensive. According to the DP&L representative I spoke to, since we were signed up with a third party provider, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) requires DP&L to charge a deposit equal to 130 percent of your average monthly usage. Dad’s deposit fee was over $600. You are essentially being punished for having left the behemoth power company.

Most dangerous of all is the fact that the only requirements to sign up for these misleading programs is your power company account number and the word “yes” anywhere in your conversation with them. Imagine a telemarketer speaking to an elderly person or someone hard of hearing and saying, “I am calling about your DP&L bill.” That’s all they’re going to hear. Panic, concern and fear take over and they listen to whatever the caller has to say because they are afraid of losing power for some reason. It’s really despicable.

Additionally, my investigation turned up the fact that these third party companies are unregulated by the PUCO. There was no explanation as to why there is no oversight, but nothing about their operation is managed by a government agency.

Since DPL Energy is misleadingly branded alongside DP&L while simultaneously claiming not to be the same company, it seems more to me like a way for the mammoth power provider to collect unregulated revenue with plausible deniability. Perhaps Ohio Attorney General DeWine could tear himself away from snooping in the personal records of honest citizens and focus his resources on investigating unscrupulous power companies?

The moral here is to be careful. In my experience, there is no savings with these third-party power companies. Exorbitant fees, inconsistent billing practices and misleading advertising all outweigh any potential benefit.

 

Watch the news story on this topic with Gery L. Deer and WKEF-TV, ABC 22 Dayton … 

http://abc22now.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wkef_vid_15751.shtml

 

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Jamestown business celebrates 15 years with televised ribbon cutting

In Business, Economy, Entertainment, Jobs, Local News, television, Uncategorized on September 3, 2013 at 6:39 pm
Deer In Headlines author and Living Dayton business contributor, Gery L. Deer in the "Stafford Jewelers Diamond Room" at WDTN.

Deer In Headlines author and Living Dayton business contributor, Gery L. Deer in the “Stafford Jewelers Diamond Room” at WDTN.

DAYTON, OH – On Thursday, September 5th, GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing in Jamestown will celebrate 15 years in business with a televised ribbon cutting event on the set of the WDTN-TV2 daytime talk show, Living Dayton. Viewers can see the program live on Dayton channel 2 or streaming online at http://www.livingdaytontv.com.

In March of 1998, Gery L. Deer, of Jamestown, started the business from the spare bedroom of a London, Ohio apartment. Originally called GLD Enterprises & Productions, the company had two areas of focus: on-site computer support and entertainment development. It later expanded into variety talent placement and commercial public relations services.

The name and focus have changed slightly over time and today GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing specializes in communications services for all types and sizes of business including commercial copywriting, public relations and marketing consulting. The company also has two separate divisions for IT support and entertainment development, each serving a limited and exclusive clientele.

In addition to the anniversary celebration, the firm is also launching a totally re-designed website at www.gldenterprises.net and recognizing the addition of its first outside sales and business development specialist. Karen Schroeder joined up in August to help develop house account projects and provide a liaison to the growing community of women-owned companies in the area.

An award-nominated freelance writer and entrepreneur for more than two decades, Deer has also served as the on-air business expert to the Living Dayton program since it started in February of 2012. His educational background is in engineering and writing, but he learned his business sense from his family’s entrepreneurial history.

GLD_Enterprises_ol“We’ve had to make a great many adjustments to the business over the years to keep going, sometimes even altering it into a part-time status,” Deer says. “But this is an important milestone for us and the local economy, particularly since we hire so many other freelance professionals, from graphics artists to research analysts.”

Deer says his company is one of the most streamlined independent businesses in the area. “We do everything we can to save money, get the most from our efforts and act as a partner to our customers in their long-term success,” he says. “We are grateful that we have such a loyal clientele and we hope the next 15 years give us the opportunity to help more Miami Valley businesses succeed and grow.”

More information about GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing and the televised event is available online at www.gldenterprises.net or by calling (937) 902-4857.

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Extra! Extra! Examining the plight of print.

In Books, Business, Entertainment, Local News, Media, National News, Opinion, Print Media, Technology on August 13, 2013 at 4:49 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

electronic_printAre newspapers dead? Since most of the mass distribution for Deer in Headlines is still in print media, then chances are if you’re reading this it’s probably printed in a newspaper. But it’s also circulated in a fair number of online publications as well so if the publication you’re reading ever went belly-up, you can still find it on the web.

When Amazon’s chairperson, Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post, the publication’s circulation had dropped by 40-percent over the last year. A seriously risky bet, Bezos picked up the media icon for pennies and paid for it out of his own pocket. The intention was to preserve the paper in its current state, but it’s just as likely he will take it to the next logical level – all digital.

Far more costly to produce than their digital counterparts, print publications still have a purpose among certain die-hards and the older generation. There’s something about holding that printed page in your hand that has brings about an emotional response unique to each reader.

I’m kind of caught in the middle. I like having a printed page in front of me, whether it’s a book, magazine or newspaper. But I like the convenience of digital media too. If you’re stuck waiting to be seated at a restaurant or in the doctor’s waiting room, you can always bring up something to read on your smart phone or Kindle.

Eventually, pretty much all periodicals (newspapers, magazines, etc.) will be converted to digital, but in my opinion, it’s not just the media format that’s killing print publications. Less ambitious salespeople and a lack of knowledge among advertisers have also helped contribute to their demise.

Publications, like any other media, survive by the vicious circle of subscribers and advertising. The more subscribers, the more profitable the ad revenue, but if the content is lacking no one is going to subscribe. The numbers drop and ad revenue falls along with circulation.

Plus, have you noticed how much smaller your newspaper is these days? Most have shrunken both in sheet size and number of pages, with some content located online to drive people to the publisher’s website. As a practical consumer, why would you pay $1.50 for a publication that has less content than it did when it was 75-cents? Unfortunately, if you want to keep getting a print publication you’ll have to pay whatever price they ask.

Advertising rates are going up too, though that one thoroughly perplexes me. Lower circulation should drive down ad prices, but many publishers are trying to recover lost revenue by adding web-based exposure in conjunction with print packages. For some, it’s too little, too late, however.

An ever more computer-savvy population will eventually drive print to its ultimate end. Attempting to preserve it will be a costly and finally pointless endeavor but some people are making the effort, as Bezos seems to be. But then again, he’s a billionaire and that’s what it would take – deep pockets.

No business can continue to operate in the red, always hemorrhaging money. Unless the operator is treating it like a hobby and has the disposable income to keep it going, it will die.

If you want to keep the presses running on your local newspaper, I suggest the following. First, contact the publisher and remind them how important the paper is to the community. If you are part of a business or organization, make sure to send press releases and other news-worthy information to the editors so they have good, local content to draw from. Include detailed contact information and artwork (photos).

Demand local coverage written by local correspondents. Small, hometown papers can do better financially on their own level than national publications when they have good, locally-created content to drive circulation and advertising.

If you own a business or are part of a community organization, advertise in the local newspaper but do it correctly. You need to display your ad regularly and consistently in the same publication for at least several months before you see a response. Be consistent and be patient. And finally, go buy a paper! You’re helping the community and the economy.

 

Deer In Headlines is syndicated by and intellectual property of Gery L. Deer / GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing. All rights reserved.