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How do you get your news? • 83.9% of all British adults (41m people) read a

regional newspaper • 28.1% of those do not read a national • The average Briton spends 27.8 minutes reading

their local paper

The regional press is a £4bn industry -advertising contributes 73% of all revenues.

Wrong. People are accessing their news differently...From

this:

To this:

And the biggest change of all is:

CHOICECHOICE

There are more news sources than ever–

• Reach people• Segment our audiences• Start conversations• Engage and interact audiences• Seek views, help, feedback, information• Open new channels of communication• Be more transparent • Accept accountability

We need to find more effective ways to:

segments its regional audience to

target the Business sector

• Focusing on a niche market of business professionals• Offering bespoke print and digital channels for that

market• Inviting feedback – and listening to it• Striving for convergence by working across platforms

with external partners

Our audience (2006 research)

• Wealthy, middle-aged, influential and intelligent

• Professional and Managerial - Service sector• Enjoy golf, eating out, • Typically respond to financial services, car

advertisements• Low-tech • Relatively small population group

Our audience (2007 research)

• Growth in 25-34-year-old readership• 25% are social grade AB• Loyal (60% read the LPD 4+ times a week)• 25% hold executive roles, mainly within the

Public Service or Financial Services sectors• 27% read the LDP before 9am; 34% between

noon and 3pm

What had changed?

• 6,000 free copies of the Daily Post being circulated in key city commuter areas

• Relaunched, stand-alone website www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk with daily business news bulletins

• Niche portals www.ldpbusiness.co.uk and www.ldplegal.co.uk

And in 2008...• 60% increased readership frequency since free copies made

available• Sponsored niche online & print platforms• Launch of:

LDP Business radio showLDP Business magazineLDP Business Club LDP MobileLDP Creative

• Blogs & podcasts• 3rd party daily Markets bulletins • Live-blogging major events • Sponsored business and legal awards

Some examples...

And in 2009...

• Website redesign• More niche online channels planned• Linking out and SEO to be implemented as

standard• Reporters to have greater control over

storytelling/presentation• Ning social networks under development• Landing pages project will see greater value

for online users• Introduction of new online commenting

system 

Discovering what our audience wants...

Online tools (e.g. Omniture, Google Keyword) can help us create effective, searchable digital content

• News video packages – short, rich information bursts • Timelines – encourage return visits for updates• Blogs – promote interaction • Image galleries – especially networking events!• Podcasts – a welcome diversion from the commute• Forums – provoke debate and lead to reverse publish

opportunities

Tailoring content packages • Dedicated print pages daily, weekly 16-page

supplement• Bi-monthly magazine focusing on industry

sectors, personalities, issues and events• Downloadable content – podcasts, radio show• Rss feeds, ftse ticker, e-newsletters • Liveblogs of interest-specific events eg.

financial crisis• Branded YouTube channel extends reach

Growing our audience

• Online professional networks e.g. LinkedIn extends our connections

• Facebook groups allow us to discover/join conversations...

• ... as do bloggers• Online tagging provides greater depth for

online readers• Geo-tagging gives area-specific stories

Growing our audience

• LDP Business writers encouraged to establish themselves as brands

• Innovative storytelling promoted and shared as best practice e.g. Crowdsourcing, online polls, marketing story ideas

• Transparency and accountability must be viewed as important as accuracy and reputation

Marketing ourselves - LDP Business Club

• 800 members since Feb 2008 launch - 96% from CEO/MD managerial tier

• Members-only website channel within ldpbusiness.co.uk

• Receive exclusive content daily – e-newsletters/business bulletins/offers

• Business breakfast meetings, hosted events and networking meets

• Emphasis is on exclusive status of club and networking opportunities

FINALLY...

Engaging the business community

• Remember: They are time-poor but technology-rich

• Deliver information in quick, easy to access/load packages

• Listen to feedback – business people know what they want

• Provide real-world interaction but make it easy for them build professional local networks online too