Ten Ways To Impress Your Publisher A checklist for the audience & circula<on team
Create Legendary Customer Service
Catch Subscribers and Keep Them
Measure What Matters
Make More Profit
“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural
consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals”
~Jim Rohn
Create Legendary Customer Service
The CPM only measures your service by those who bother to call & complain
Create Legendary Customer Service
Conduct Subscriber Sa<sfac<on Surveys via email blast, on your website, ROP, on invoice remiNances. Score yourself. Talk regularly about your score!
Train Customer Service Reps to ask “Are you pleased with your delivery service” before concluding every conversa<on, regardless of the reason for the conversa<on.
Run ROP ads invi<ng subscribers to call if their service is less than perfect. You’ll be surprised how many have consistent problems but never bother to call.
Create Legendary Customer Service
Offer same-‐day redelivery of missed or wet papers wherever possible and as early as possible. Could you even take it to them at work if they’ve already leU for the day?
When redelivering, knock on the door, look them in the eye, apologize, and give them your card.
Along with the paper, give them a small “I’m sorry” giU like a restaurant coupon, or a useful item with your company logo on it.
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them
Voluntary Subscriber
Costs nearly nothing to acquire
Has the highest
reten<on rate
Is most engaged with your content
Three facts about the voluntary subscriber
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them
You probably have hundreds of vending machines across your market. Every machine should display a subscrip<on call to ac<on.
The subscrip<on call to ac<on should be the easiest thing to find on your website. Pay your IT people a commission for every subscrip<on started through your website.
Use the “Sign Up” buNon on your Facebook page to send people to the subscrip<on URL. Use the “Offer/Event” func<on to sell subscrip<ons at $0.00 cost-‐per-‐order.
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them Yesterday
• Telemarke<ng • Kiosk • Door to Door • Sampling
Today
• Telemarke<ng • Reverse Telemarke<ng • Kiosk • Door to Door • Email • Social Media • Direct Mail • Every Door Direct • Text Message • Groupon • Affiliate e-‐Commerce • Inserts • Rewards Site • Voluntary Sampling • Fundraisers • Events
Tomorrow
• ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? • ?
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them
Work with your team and the ad design team to develop an annual marke<ng strategy for home delivery across all print and digital channels.
Build a shared marke<ng calendar for the circula<on department of all scheduled campaigns, ROP & insert run dates, web ad dates, and discuss weekly.
Track results for each campaign and channel with promo<on codes and use data for future planning.
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them Start
Verifica<on Call
Welcome LeNer or Brochure
Early Bird Renewal Offer
1st Renewal Bill
Automated Reten<on Phone Call
2nd Renewal Reminder
Human Reten<on Phone Call
“Final Issue” bag
Subscriber Reten<on Begins on Day One
Catch Subscribers & Keep Them
Be obsessive about keeping contact informa<on current. Verify correct phone number with every conversa<on. Get email addresses. Add value to the subscrip<on frequently. Offer a Reader Rewards program, free niche newsleNers or publica<ons, one-‐<me 7-‐day upgrades for weekend subscribers, etc. Automate expira<on calling, with op<on to “press 1” and speak to a reten<on specialist, to call as many people as possible in the least amount of <me. Automate e-‐mail expira<on no<fica<ons
Send a coupon for an “early bird” credit with your welcome leNer to be redeemed for extra <me if full renewal payment is received before expira<on.
Do everything you can to make sure the paper begins on the day it’s supposed to. Never permit poor service.
Measure What MaNers
Home Delivery
Trends
Churn
Reten<on by Source
Stop Reasons
Single Copy
Sellout %
Return %
Trends at Top 10 Outlets
Customer Service
Survey Score
CPM
Poor Service Stops
Profit & Loss
Acquisi<on Cost
Rack Pilferage
Department Profitability
Digital Audience
Website Analy<cs
Conversion Rate
Social Media Stats
Basics everyone on your team should know and understand
Make More Profit
Addic<on
Subscribers Cancel & Wait
Voids Your Regular Rate
Minimizes Consumer Mindset Value
Four hard facts about the effect of discoun<ng
Make More Profit
Offer a premium instead of a discount. This retrains the consumer to pay your regular rate. Easier to budget premium expense than discounted revenue.
Create a stair-‐step rate structure to gradually move discounted subscribers back toward full rate over <me.
Find ways to add value to a full-‐rate subscrip<on with reader rewards, niche or exclusive content, etc.
Make More Profit
Good Samaritan
Fund
When someone calls to cancel because they are
moving, or the recipient has died, ask them if they would
like to donate their remaining balance to the
Good Samaritan Fund which provides free or low-‐cost subscrip<ons to those who
can’t afford it.
Make More Profit
Charge a Refund Processing Fee to offset your expenses and encourage reten<on un<l expira<on.
Make excep<ons for poor service stops, though you should never have one!
Make More Profit
Three Examples of New Revenue Ini<a<ves
• 7-‐Day Subscribers can add as many addi<onal Sunday copies to their home delivery for 60 cents each.
• All pre-‐paid through the end of their term.
• Weekend-‐only subscribers upgrade to 7-‐days to get addi<onal Sunday copies & coupons
Make More Profit
Three Examples of New Revenue Ini<a<ves
• Sunday-‐only home delivery, priced higher than 7-‐day delivery to avoid frequency downgrades.
• Highest priced home delivery op<on.
• Includes complete digital access all 7-‐days and reader rewards.
• People are actually paying premium price to get the day they want!
Make More Profit
Three Examples of New Revenue Ini<a<ves
• Membership model with addi<onal benefits, priced higher than print-‐only.
• Includes complete digital access, reader rewards, VIP events.
• Subscribers on discounted offers billed at membership rates for renewal.
• Customer service sells memberships not subscrip<ons.
Create Legendary Customer Service
Catch Subscribers and Keep Them
Measure What Matters
Make More Profit