If your ad sales have hit a plateau this year, you’re not alone.
As the cost of publishing continue to squeeze budgets, disappointing or even diminishing advertising sales revenues are a worrying reality for membership organisations throughout the UK.
Faced by the cost of living crisis – whether real, perceived or anticipated – consumers and businesses alike are thinking twice before they spend. Advertisers have been quick to respond: the smartest ad buyers are looking for evidence of real returns, before they invest in a new campaign or placement, as competition for share-of-spend grows more fierce.
It’s no surprise, then that many membership organisations’ are seeing their placements become harder and harder to fill with quality, relevant advertiser content.
So what does that mean for your ad revenue targets?
If, like many membership organisations, you rely on advertising sales as a much-needed source of revenue for your organisation – what can you do to protect and preserve them? And is it still possible to grow your advertising revenues year-on-year, when other organisations similar to yours are struggling to match last year’s sales figures?
The good news is that not every membership organisation is experiencing a downturn in advertising performance:
Tesco’s colleague magazine has seen a 35% increase in new advertising relationships over the past 12 months.
And ad sales success isn’t reserved for the biggest brands in the membership market place:
- The Landscaper have seen a 20% increase in ad sales revenues over six months, with quality advertisers eager to connect with their 5000-strong reader community.
- The National Deaf Children’s Society (70,000 members) saw 30% growth in revenues over 9 months – and are now enjoying the peace of mind that comes from a 60% increase in forward bookings.
Successes like these are not just ‘good luck’.
We’ve audited dozens of ad-sales strategies over the past twelve months, to identify five common tactics that membership organisations like yours are using to deliver advertising sales strategies that deliver consistent results in today’s difficult sales environment:
- Create unrivalled value: in a difficult climate, the best advertisers will pay a premium for high-value positions. Think laterally to find ways to deliver reader engagement, and advertisers will be glad to pay.
- Monetise every gram of your postage band, with loose- or bound inserts that add real value for advertisers – at no additional postage cost to you.
- Create high-value online advertising positions on your website. Scarcity sells! High value, low volume placements will attract the best advertisers, whilst adding value to your members’ experience … and to your bottom line.
- Monetise your digital news. The smartest advertisers are always on the lookout for ways to reach the best prospects, more directly. Offering strictly limited ad sales placements in your own digital communications is a win-win for organisations and advertisers alike.
- Bespoke digital advertising opportunities: partner with your best-fit advertisers to offer ‘solus’ opportunities to connect with your membership body – creating benefit for your members whilst boosting your own monthly sales revenues.
These are the five advertising sales tactics that are delivering the best results for membership organisations like yours, right now.
For complementary, bespoke recommendations of what to do to assure an ad-sales success story for YOUR organisation, contact us today for a free ad sales audit.
