2012 April

V I S I T U S A T W W W . S A P A T O D A Y . C O M

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association (931) 223-5708 (888)450-8329 fax 1

SAPATodayAdvancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.

Board of DirectorsThe leadership of SAPA is in good hands. The board of directors, director, and assistant are listed with contact information.

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Before and After AdvertisingJohn Foust compares sail-ing close to the wind and “selling” close to the wind. Check it out.

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Conference ScheduleWe just had an amazing conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Now, prepare to join us in New Orleans, LA September 20 - 22, 2012.

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Graphics Series Ellen Hanrahan illustrates how color, in all its many forms and formulas, works to create more effective ads.

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USPS UpdateDonna Hanbery with the Saturation Mailers Coalition outlines so many changes and topics there just isn’t room here to explain them all.

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Understanding The CustomerBob Berting teaches us how poor ad design and using reverse type can make our whole publication less effective.

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Getting the Word OutWe should all read this to remember why our publications matter.

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by Dr. Joey Faucette

The NCAA March Madness tourna-ment started with 68 teams a few weeks ago. Now four teams remain.

How did these four teams make it this far?

And what can you discover from their success that will insure you positively make your Final Four and win your business tournament?

Here are three ways to positively make your Final Four in business.

ANTICIPATE THE UNEXPECTEDTwo #15 seeds defeated two #2 seeds

3 Ways to Positively Make the Final 4

in the same day in the first round. It was the first time that ever happened in NCAA March Madness history.

Did anyone’s bracket anticipate that one?

Duke is one of those defeated teams. As Coach K said in a post-game inter-view, “Basketball is a funny game.”

So is business. On some days at work, every shot you take you score, like those two #15 seeds. Other days, it feels like every shot you take is an air ball, like those two #2 seeded teams. Some days are “Wow!” Other days are “Woe!”

The good news for you is that unlike the tournament, it’s more than “one and done” for your business. You can keep coming back to work for another day.

Anticipate the unexpected. Show up for work the next day.

Avoid the “Business will be better when…” Attitude

UNC’s point guard, Kendall Marshall, broke a bone in his right wrist. Roy Williams said before the Kansas game when his team would play without his

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE FREE PAPER INDUSTRY APRIL 2012

continued on page 2



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star guard, “Regardless, Carolina will play basketball today.”

He could have said something like, “Our team might not win against Kan-sas without Marshall.” But he didn’t.

Avoid saying, “Business will be better when…

…the economy improves”

…people go back to work”

…we move to a new location”

or something like that.

Like Roy Williams, put your best team on the floor of your business daily. Wishing for something different in your business is counterproductive unless you can and do act to change it.

Avoid the “Business will be better when” attitude. Change what you can today to improve…including your at-titude.

ACCELERATE YOUR STRENGTHSOf the Final Four teams, there is only one regional #1 seed remaining. That means that the anticipated strengths of the three other #1 seeds were unreal-ized.

The uncertainty of today’s economy

distracts many business professionals. The temptation is to focus on those diversions and attempt to control the uncontrollables, allowing the other “team”—the negative economy—to dictate your pace and momentum, rel-egating you to reacting.

Instead, focus on the positives of your business and accelerate your strengths. Push them out front in your core busi-ness. Market them heavily. Deliver them tirelessly.

If exceptional customer service is a strength, treat every phone call, email, and personal interaction with loving care. If value pricing is a strength, get out your sharp pencil. If you attract top talent with stellar employee rela-tionships, keep finding ways to im-prove their satisfaction.

The ultimate court of competition is your home court. It’s within you and your business.

Anticipate the unexpected. Avoid the “business will be better when” atti-tude. Accelerate your strengths.

Make your Final Four and positively win the March Madness champion-ship of your business.

Dr. Joey Faucette will be a featured speak-er and presenter at our upcoming confer-ence in New Orleans. He stimulates and coaches you & your organization to re-define reality and achieve your business dreams using everyday stories that define how to Work Positive.

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Free PapersWorking For You

Wouldn’t you love to see one of these?Your free community paper lets you race around in many ways. You read our printed publication at your own home at your own speed, you can zip around our website with no limits, and you can even zoom through our content on your smartphone. That’s speed without limits.

Insert Your Logo Here

Another sign we’re working for you.



PresidentTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA

985-649-9515

Vice PresidentRussell

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Past PresidentGreg Ledford

Shelby Shopper & Info

Shelby, NC 704-484-1047

TreasurerCaroline

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Board MemberAmy

Hollingshead Atlanta Thrifty Nickel

Marrietta, GA 770-971-8333

SecretaryWill ThomasExchange, Inc.

Fayetteville, TN 931-433-9737

Executive Director

Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-223-5708

Board MemberBill Derby

Johnson City News & Neighbor

Johnson City, TN423-979-1300

Administrative Assistant

Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-223-5708

SAPA Leadership

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

If you are familiar with sailing, you know that you can’t sail into the wind. You can sail at angles to the wind, and you can sail with the wind behind you, but it’s physically impossible to sail

adjustments in rudder and the sail. It’s all part of sailing.

Sailing and selling have a lot in common. In a sales presentation, it’s also impossible to sail directly into the wind. If your prospect is countering what you are trying to communicate, you have to adjust to the situation and change direction.

While some resistance comes in the form of clearly stated objections (“The price is too high.”), other negative reactions can be expressed in non-verbal terms (such as frowns or

Sailing Close To The Wind

continued on page 4

directly into the wind. If you try to sail too close to the wind, the boat will go “into irons.” Your forward progress will stop, the sails will flap loudly, and the boat may even move backwards.

Experienced sailors have been in irons enough times to know how to avoid it – and how to get going again, after stalling on the water. They can tell by the feel of the boat when to make

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association



closed body language) or general disagreement. Here are some steps to keep in mind, as you adjust your sails:

1. Acknowledge the issue. This brings to mind the standard Feel-Felt-Found formula (“I understand how you feel. Many others felt the same way, until they found...”). While this three-step formula can be effective in addressing specific objections, it has been around for so long that many prospects have heard it hundreds of times.

Even so, the formula emphasizes the

importance of getting in step with your prospect. Instead of saying “I understand how you feel,” say something like, “I understand completely that this issue is important to you.”

2. Say why you understand. This goes beyond Feel-Felt-Found – and adds depth to your response. For example, you can say, “This issue is important to you, because you want to make the best use of your budget (or another stated issue). It’s serious business to

consider the possibility of re-allocating those funds.”

3. Ask for clarification. Encourage him or her to expand on the issue. Say something like, “If you don’t mind, help me better understand your ideas on this.” You can even restate the other person’s concern and ask if your impression is correct.

4. Listen carefully. This is crucial. For years, sales people have been programmed to talk. But in this case, talking is equivalent to aiming into the face of the wind. You’ll go into irons, for certain.

Drill down. Without pushing, keep probing for clarification. Sometimes, you can simply say “Hmmm” in a curious, non-threatening tone of voice.

5. Look for points of agreement. As you listen and learn, you may find that the other person’s resistance is not as much of a deal breaker as you initially thought.

By taking a non-confrontational approach, you’ll put some wind back into your sails.

(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: [email protected]

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association

By Bob Berting, Berting Communications

I once conducted a 2 day sales train-ing program for a chain of papers who were struggling to get more business. They had readers tell them that their ads were hard to read. As a matter of fact, their whole paper was hard to read. After looking over several issues of their paper, I saw the problem—their paper was crammed with reverse type ads—white copy on a dark black background—a sea of black ink every-where. To make things worse, the ads were crammed full of type from bor-der to border making them difficult to read.

I suggested that they change their ads to eliminate much of the reverse type. I also explained that ads need to be de-signed so there are units of thought—that each unit of graphic art and copy blocks need white space around them, making them far easier to read. Once these changes were implemented, the paper had a new look that drastically improved their readership. What had happened was the advertising sales staff had slowly caused the ugly look

on a gradual basis. They felt by creating reverse type ads this would make their ads stand out. When their customers saw all the reverse type advertising, they even thought that was the thing to do.

UGLY ADS IN MANY CASES ARE A PRODUCTION PROCESS

The more ads brought in and run rap-idly through the production depart-ment, the better. I call this the “sau-sage grinder mentality”. Unfortunately well-designed ads fall by the wayside.

Many times, quality advertisers resent the look of a paper and its poorly de-signed ads. In a study by the Reader-ship Institute, it gave the opinion that people will spend more time with a

Reverse Type & Poorly Designed Ads

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I welcome your input and suggestions. I was a high school art teacher, but entered the free paper publish-ing business in the 80s. I also write articles for The Inde-pendent Publisher, and I’m still learning.E-mail: [email protected] Ellen Hanrahan ©2012

There is never just one color. Color is everything we touch, see and experience—physically and emotionally! We see lots of colors together and knowing the best way to use them can make a big difference in creating effective ads. Advertisers like to use color— lots of color since they are paying for it— especially red! I am also seeing a greater use of gradient col-ors… colors that change from one solid color to another. That can be very tricky on newsprint. A number of times, that gradient turns “muddy” somewhere in the middle. Newsprint is very porous and dot gain can really alter color—but more about that later! But it seems at most times color is an after-thought in the design process… just pick some areas and add a bit of color. Yet the proper use of color can create a huge visual impact!

Color termsHue: A color or shade Chroma: How pure a hue is in relation to gray Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue. Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue. You can lower the intensity by adding white or black to the hue. Luminance / Value: A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue. Hues with a high con-tent of white have a higher luminance or value.Shade and tint refer to a variation of a hue:Shade: A hue produced by the addition of black. Tint: A hue produced by the addition of white.Color models and effects to use when designing:Primary Colors: Red, blue and yellow. Usually associated with fun or child-like emotions. These three colors will mix to form…Secondary Colors: Orange, green and violet. Red and yellow mix, blue and yellow mix and red and blue mix. Mixing primary and secondary colors gets you the tertiary colors—but enough!Warm Colors: Reds, oranges, yellows and any variation in between are warm colors. Think sun!Cool Colors: Look to the blues and green areas on the color wheel.Monochromatic: These are colors that are vari-ations of the base color—darks, mediums and lights of the same color hue. It can provide con-trast, especially when only one color is used in your message.Analogous: These colors are located on either side of the base color, so they share undertones of the base color and can create a low contrast harmony.Complement: Colors located directly opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors offer your greatest range for contrast and offer more excitement or energy in an ad. The comple-

ment is usually used in a smaller amount — the accent color that is so often described on design shows as the color that “pops.”

There are variations on these general color wheel placements, but

we don’t need to start getting into a lot more detail—we have enough to work with if we just learn to use these color choices more effectively.

Color Printing CMYKIn the printing process we mostly use just four inks (there are some exceptions, as always!)… cyan, magenta, yellow and black, represented as CMYK. The CMYK color model (also known as pro-cess color, four color) is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. Though it varies by printer, press operator, press manufac-turer and press run, ink is typically applied in the order of the abbreviation. The “K” in CMYK stands for key since in four-color printing cyan, magenta, and yellow print-ing plates are carefully keyed or aligned with the key of the black key plate. The CMYK model works by partially or entirely masking colors on a lighter, usually white, back-ground. The ink reduces the light that would otherwise be reflected.

Such a model is called subtractive because the inks “subtract”

brightness from white.

C = CyanM = MagentaY = YellowK = Black

There is still more to be said, so next time Color Combos…

Warm colors are on this side of the Color Wheel

Cool colors are on this side of the Color Wheel

Primary Colors: Red, Blue, Yellow

Monochromatic Color

Analogous Color:Next to each other

WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF COLOR… AND YET WE RARE-LY GIVE IT MUCH THOUGHT. COLOR GETS OUR ATTEN-TION, EVOKES A MOOD, SENDS A MESSAGE AND CAN INFLUENCE OUR BEHAVIOR.

Color Complement:Across from one another

The Color WheelColors on the color wheel come from mixing the primary colors: red, blue and yellow! Primary colors are not a fundamental prop-erty of light (as is RGB) but are often related to the physiological response of the eye to light. Fundamentally, light is a continuous spectrum of the wavelengths that can be detected by the human eye, an infinite-dimensional stimulus space. The human eye normally contains only three types of color receptors, called cone cells. Each color receptor responds to different ranges of the colorspectrum.

Printing RGBThe RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue. In additive color models such as RGB, white is the “additive” combination of all primary col-ored lights, while black is the absence of light. In the CMYK model, it is the opposite: white is the natural color of the paper or other background, while black results from a full combination of col-ored inks. To save money on ink, and to produce deeper black tones, unsaturated and dark colors are produced by using black ink instead of the combination of cyan, magenta and yellow.



USPS Update:Changes that Matterby Donna Hanbery

PROMOTIONSIn March 2012, the Postal Service pub-lished its proposed final regulations for participation in 2012 mobile barcode promotion. Uniquely, the Postal Service went ahead with publishing the final rul-ing even before the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has issued a ruling on whether or not it will approve the change in prices to allow a 2%, upfront discount, on standard and first class mail with a qualifying mobile barcode for mailings in July and August 2012.

The official link for the Federal Register Regulation: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-16/pdf/2012-6086.pdf

A more readable, customer friendly site with information on the barcode promo-tion can be found on the Postal Service’s RIBBS website at: https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=mobilebarcode

As discussed in last month’s SAPAToday, the 2012 barcode promotion has more complex requirements than the 2011 barcode incentive. The 2012 promo-tion requires a high level of interaction between the consumer’s mobile device, the mail piece, and the website. Each mail piece must have directional copy that takes the consumer to a website that is relevant to the contents of the mail piece. To qualify, the website must allow the consumer to purchase a good or ser-

vice using the mobile device, including a checkout function to complete payment, or take the consumer to a personalized URL that leads to a webpage unique to the individual recipient.

Mailers and publishers wanting to par-ticipate in the promotion will need to dot their i’s and cross their t’s to make sure their piece, promotion, and the function-ing of the barcode and the website work to meet all program requirements.

The Postal Service’s RIBBS website does include a submit questions feature that allows mailers to submit questions to the Postal Service about the promotion. So far mailers have reported that the Post-al Service has been prompt with its re-sponse to questions posed.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE Q&As THAT HAVE BEEN ASKED BY SMC

TO THE USPS.Mailer Question. Does the mail piece have to show a specific product or ser-vice that can be purchased with the mobile device? Assuming I have a piece that shows a “brand” or manufacturer, and directs the consumer to the site to see all of the products and services they can buy, would this qualify as long as the consumer COULD go to the site and buy something with the mobile device?

USPS Answer. At least one of the prod-ucts or services advertised in the mail piece needs to be available for purchase

on a mobile device. If for example, if a QR code takes the recipient to a cata-log landing page, from which they can shop for products, that would qualify. If however the recipient is directed to a site from which they can’t shop for products or services, that wouldn’t qualify. As a reminder the entire experience must be mobile optimized -- including the check-out function.

Mailer Question. Could the mail piece be used to run an appeal for a non-profit or charity and direct the consumer to “Help the cause” and use the mobile bar-code to go to the site and make a dona-tion by using the mobile device? Does the charity or non-profit actually help to have a service or product to check out or “sell” or could the mail-piece drive the consumers to a site where they can complete a mobile donation using their mobile device.

USPS Answer. Charitable donations may qualify if all program requirements are met. The recipient must be able to complete a financial transaction on a mobile device and the entire experience must be mobile optimized. The direc-tional copy next to the barcode must also be clear that the purpose of the code is to facilitate a financial donation on a mobile device. The ability to make a pledge on-line would not qualify.

Mailer Question. Will a barcode placed on a detached address label qualify for the promotion?

USPS Answer. No. The discount will not be available for barcodes that are placed on a detached address label.

Stay ahead of your

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continued on page 7



POSTAL PLANS FOR INCENTIVESThe USPS President of Marketing, Paul Vogel, and staff have been talking to mailers about their plans for more pro-grams and incentives for mailers in fu-ture years. The Postal Service has been running ad campaigns on the safety and security of mail and more recently began to promote its simplified product aimed at small business, Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). The Service has stressed that mail service providers, printers, and publishers can produce and enter EDDM on behalf of their customers and hopes that its television ad campaign is stimu-lating more businesses to think about the mail as an affordable way to reach customers.

The USPS Marketing Department wants to do more promotions and pursue ideas to stimulate combinations of e-com-merce with direct mail. In a presentation to mailers, Tom Foti, Manager of Market-ing Mail, stated we would like to produce a calendar of 3 or 4 promotions for 2013 that offer opportunities for mailers and their customers to try new things. Foti stated “we love e-commerce. We like the idea of buy now, pay now.” He explained that the 2012 barcode promotion was designed to push advertisers to be on the leading edge to make consumers interact with the mail.

Longer term, the Postal Service under-stands it needs to seek more flexibility in its pricing. As the Service seeks new ways for it to earn revenue, it is open to new ideas from industry groups and individual customers. Everything from a personalized postal indicia, new ideas to incent long-term growth and even short-term sales or geographic pricing are ideas the Postal Service is beginning to explore.

IN-HOME DATE DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE

Representatives of SMC, including shared mailers, printers, and free paper publishers, have continued to speak with Postal Service representatives for customer relations and operations to ex-plore a way for the Postal Service to hon-or the requests of papers and mailers to achieve delivery during an in-home date window. As part of the Postal Service’s business plan, and move to standardize automation and acceptance of mail, an announcement was made in November 2011 that the Postal Service would no longer honor customer requested in-home dates. The rational behind this announcement was the Postal Service’s desire to standardize its operations so as to cut costs and achieve consistent han-dling of all classes of mail in accordance with service standards. Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act,

USPS Update:Changes that Matter


the Postal Service needs to track and report on its success in meeting service standards. The automation of mail, and the Intelligent Mail Barcode, is intended to help the Postal Service measure and achieve performance in accordance with service standards.

Immediately after the November an-nouncement, representatives of SMC reached out to Postal Service officials in person and in writing to discuss the needs of weekly papers and program mailers to meet customer expectations with a reasonably reliable, and predict-able, day of delivery. Free paper pub-lishers explained that many important retail customers, like grocery, food and auto, plan promotions and sale break days around certain days. Mail advertis-ing that arrives too early or too late will drive these time sensitive customers out of the mail and into the hands of com-petitors including private delivery com-panies.

We are pleased to report that the Post-al Service has been working with SMC members. The Postal Service recognizes that the mail pieces entered by our mem-bers are not automated and are not ma-chineable. Our members’ mail products are generally entered deep into the post-al system at the DDU or SCF on a fairly reliable and predicable schedule. The Service also recognizes that this type of mail is very price sensitive and profitable to the Postal Service. Saturation mail has one of the highest mark ups of all mail products.

As of the writing of this column, no for-

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SAPA Annual Conference: New Orleans, LA, September 20-22, 2012: SAPA and IFPA joined together to have one of the best joint conferences ever in Nashville in 2010. We are joining forces again in 2012. This time we’ll get to visit one of the most dynamic and interesting cities in the South —New Orleans, Louisiana.

Conference SchedulesThe theme of the conference is “Rollin’ On The River.” You can expect great speakers, local cuisine, and enjoyable activities to make this a conference to remember. Watch this space for more information as plans progress. Call Douglas Fry at 1-931-223-5708 for more info.

AFCP Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA April 19 - 21, 2012: This year’s conference will be held in conjunction with the International Classified Media Association (ICMA) Conference and Trade Show providing a unique opportunity to share some of our programs and events with publishers from around the world. For more information please call Loren Colburn at 877-203-2327.

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Integrated Management Software designed by publishers for publishers

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Community Papers: Getting The Word Outby John Szozda, General Manager Press Newspapers

SO, WHY DO I DO WHAT I DO?That’s what an industry consultant wants to know about those of us who dedicate our careers to working for a community newspaper. I thought I’d share my answer with you, our readers.

In my case, I’ve spent 28 years serving 23 communities ranging in size from the 8,600 homes in Oregon to the 80 homes in Rocky Ridge.

It’s certainly not for fame, wealth or a desk at the New York Times, although our pho-tographer, Ken Grosjean, recently had a photo reprinted in the Times. The chanc-es are slim that a Press story would get national play, but it has happened. Two come to mind: one about Marty Frankel’s

criminal enterprise before he defrauded southern insurance companies of $208 million and another about Diane Conrad, the nanny who ripped off families across the United States including a Perrysburg Township one. In this latter story, the vic-tim who was taken for $80,000 took my column entitled Dear Nanny, where did all the money go? to America’s Most Want-ed. After the story aired nationally, other victims were discovered and Conrad was arrested in a Virginia motel.

A more recent example is our story about the Northwood man who died after wait-ing 28 minutes for help to arrive after his wife placed three 9-1-1 calls. In response, the city will implement a better system to protect its residents.

Exposing scoundrels, righting wrongs and solving problems for neighbors are ob-

vious reasons to work for a community newspaper. But, these types of stories are infrequent. We do not live in a high-crime area and most of our public servants are just that—public servants who do a good job with limited resources. There are a slew of other reasons why I manage a community newspaper. Here are a few:

We help make dreams come true. I re-member a little girl who answered a clas-sified ad I placed to sell my daughter’s first bike. It was to be her first bike, too. She paid me $10 in quarters. The light in her eyes and the smile on her face gave me a new appreciation for what a classified ad can do.

Advertising can do the same for adults. I was reminded of this at a recent chamber function, sitting next to one of our most

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Justin Gerena, President, Director of Salesp: 888.592.3212 x710e: [email protected]

JB Multimedia, Inc. P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 888.592.3212 phone/fax www.jbmultimedia.net

M a k i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s i n t e r a c t i v e.

Community Papers: Getting The Word Outloyal clients and his son. He paid for col-lege educations for five children, mostly because of his business acumen, but also because he places a significant ad sched-ule in our paper. In turn, his support has helped me pay for college educations for two of my children.

I have heard similar stories from other small business owners who credit our newspaper with playing a part in their success. These businesses help build vi-able communities through the taxes they generate, the traffic they attract and the jobs they provide. Supplying a cost-effec-tive product for them is also satisfying. So, too, is helping families with their buying decisions. According to our latest audit from the Circulation Verification Council, 80 percent of those who receive The Press regularly read it and 76 percent regularly purchase products and services seen in The Press.

We also help those less fortunate and those facing a crisis. In one instance, we wrote about a young cancer victim whose insurance company wouldn’t pay for a bone marrow transplant. We also donated ads to publicize a benefit which raised more than $18,000. Over the years, we have written many such stories and do-nated many ads to community groups so they can use their limited resources to de-liver services to those in need.

We celebrate the best of us and the best in us. We write about sports triumphs, classroom excellence and personal suc-cess. This year, for example, we wrote about three women who accomplished

continued from page 8 remarkable things: One overcame Guil-lain-Barre Syndrome to play college soc-cer; one completed the 800-mile Serum Run dog sled race in Alaska; and another was the first woman pilot in the United States Marines.

We also inspire our readers. One of our regular columnists, Bryan Golden, pro-vides advice on how to meet your goals, live in the present, control your emotions and manage stress. We have received many notes about his column. Here’s one: “I just wanted to say “thank you” for your very supportive articles. They are extremely inspiring – so much so that I cut them out and mail them to my family. I always appreciate reading something of worth – your articles live up to my expec-tations.”

Over the years, I’ve written more than 150 columns about local people who rose above the difficult challenges they faced. They include the Genoa grandmother who helped solve her daughter’s murder, the East Toledo man who survived grue-some medical experiments at the hands of the Nazis during World War II and the Oregon man who donated a kidney to his father.

Our reporters have written similar stories about the courage, generosity and passion for life our readers have.

To me, community journalism is not just a minor league for the daily newspaper or a public relations firm. A good newspaper is a mirror of the community it serves, it is an outlet for the rants and raves of its read-ers, it informs, it makes you laugh, cry and care, and at times, it can make you so mad you throw your paper against the wall.

Free PapersWorking For You

SolidLocal

TrustedEffective

Respected

This local community paper is free to our readers. We’ve been that way from the beginning. We won’t change that even in the toughest of times.But we do improve this paper every issue. We won’t stand still as the market changes. Giving readers and advertisers the best value is our goal.Over the years we have become the marketplace for our community. And while other media might be shrinking, we are growing. That growth will continue, hand-in-hand, with our community.We’ll continue working for you.

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence, regardless of his or her chosen field of endeavor.

Zig Ziglar

The greatest definition for concentration I ever heard is,

“Wherever you are, be there!”Jim Rohn



continued from page 7mal solution or plan has been reached. It is hoped that some ruling and devel-opment will be released soon that will provide needed relief and guidance to mailers and postal clerks handling our mailings.

NETWORK CONSOLIDATION UPDATES

The Postal Service made a number of important updates about its network consolidation efforts and plans for

paper if they find the ads interesting and enjoyable to read. Also, editorial content was better read when the pa-per had quality advertising content.

On the other extreme, there are publi-cations who spend excessive amounts of time designing ads with the hope they’ll somehow win awards in press association ad contest divisions. These beautiful ads are just that—beautiful ads. They aren’t designed to really pull business for the advertiser.

THE IMPACT ON FUTURE ADVERTISERS

The publication with ugly ads needs to recognize the impact on future adver-tisers. The new chic restaurant think-ing about running in this newspaper wants an upscale image and may go elsewhere for their advertising cam-paign. This movement can create a domino effect and can be devastating if large chunks of advertisers start re-jecting the idea of advertising in the ugly ad newspaper. Worse, competing media will notice it too and take ad-vantage of the situation.

So if you’re worried about declining readership, start looking at your ads—they may be ugly.

Bob Berting is a professional speaker, newspaper seminar leader, and publisher marketing consultant who has conducted over 1500 seminars for the newspaper in-dustry.

Bob has a new webinar program “Getting New Business and Keeping It.” for print media associations. The 4 consecutive week course covers 4 one hour topics: 3 call selling system—understanding me-dia competition—creating eye catching ads—working with hard to please cus-tomers. Every association member pur-chasing the course receives a free Bob Berting e-book for the newspaper in-dustry “ Dynamic Advertising Sales and Image Power”.

State, Regional, or National Association leadership can contact Bob at 800-536-5408 or [email protected] to see when his course will be conducted. Berting Communications is located at 6330 Wo-burn Drive, Indianapolis In 46250.

Reverse Type & Poorly Designed Ads


USPS 2012. In February the Postal Service an-nounced that it had completed its Area Mail Process facility studies and that its decisions on what facilities would close, remain open, or be consolidated, were now available at http://usps.com/ourfu-turenetwork.

In making this announcement, the Postal Service restated some of its comments to mailers including:

No immediate changes to business ac-ceptance location or hours of operation

Deliberate timing of operational moves to limit customer impact

Continuation of destination sectional center facility (DSCF) discounts at effec-tive Bulk Mail Entry Units (BMEUs)

Expanded drop shipment appointments will be available

Continue communications.

The Postmaster General said “mail is an increasingly important part of the US election process and we are confident in the dependable and timely delivery of election related mail.” The Postal Service explained that it would move forward on its consolidation efforts in the summer months to complete internal, procedural steps that need to be taken before the Postal Service can move forward on its consolidation efforts.

The Service announcement explains fur-ther that the significant consolidation of the network sought by the Service is con-tingent upon its adoption of a final rule changing delivery standards. The Postal Service has asked the PRC to consider its proposal to revise service standards with the most notable change being a change in the current first class mail standard of one to three days to a largely two to three day standard. The PRC’s procedural schedule for considering and ruling on this request runs through July 2012.

LET’S GO POSTALSMC Executive Director, Donna Hanbery will host a session to share the latest, and answer questions, about the Postal Ser-vice including any updates on the in-home date question, the 2012 mobile barcode promotion, and other questions you care to bring.

Join Donna Hanbery for a mailers round-table discussion on Thursday afternoon, April 19, 2012 at the AFCP annual meet-ing in Atlanta.

For further information about SMC con-tact Donna Hanbery at:

33 South Sixth Street, Suite 4160Minneapolis, MN 55402(612) 340-9350 Direct Line (612) 340-9446 [email protected]



WHY I CHOOSE PRINTby Jack Guza

When I find myself inundated with nega-tive ads from a political candidate toward their opponent, or a particular product that claims to be better than the compet-ing brand, I often take a second look at the person or product that is the recipi-ent of the trash talk. Almost always, the reason for the negative talk is because the person or product getting attacked is well received by the majority of the people.

It’s easier to claim ineffectiveness rather than providing positive information about one’s self that people will want to support, or a product that people will want to buy. I believe that people know what they want and are intel-ligent enough to make their own deci-sions without someone telling them they should like someone or something, simply because they say you should do so. I don’t want anyone to tell me why I shouldn’t like a person or a product as I am capable of making my own decisions when I am given the opportunity to re-ceive pertinent information. I will look at what each person or product has to offer and then decide which I choose to sup-port with my vote at the polls or with my dollars at the cash register.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a politi-cal candidate explaining to you in your local community newspaper, what he or she actually will do if elected, rather than the constant barrage of negative attack ads directed at their opponent on TV? You could actually get to know the can-

didate by reading their own words and learning in detail what they stand for and how they plan to address tough issues. This would certainly help you choose the person you feel would address your concerns.

There are also those who will claim a tried and true product or medium is no longer preferred because it is in their best interest to do so. A perfect example of this is when some say newspapers are no longer effective and that most people prefer receiving their news and infor-mation electronically…Really??? While today’s newspapers offer multi-media options and will continue to do so, pub-lishers know their readers and advertis-ers want and need their print publication for many reasons, primarily because they are highly read and extremely effective news and advertising mediums.

According to the 2011 results of an an-nual survey conducted by the National Newspaper Association (NNA), and the research arm of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Jour-nalism, print is the preferred medium in multiple categories. The study shows that 74 percent of people in communities served by a newspaper with circulations under 15,000 read a local newspaper each week. They prefer the printed copy to the online version, with 48 percent saying they never read the local news online. They prefer to receive advertising through the newspaper (51 percent) in-stead of on the Internet (11 percent); and only about a quarter of respondents said

Report

they had found local news through a mo-bile device in the past 30 days. Slightly more (38 percent) said they had received local shopping information by mobile device. The local community newspa-per is the primary source of information about the local community for 51.8% of respondents compared to seeking infor-mation from friends and relatives (16%) and TV (13.2 %.) Readers are seven times more likely to get their news from their community newspaper than from the internet (7.4%). Less than 6% say their primary local news source is radio.

Print is engaging and oh so convenient. Like the 1977 hit by Lionel Richie and the Commodores, reading your local newspaper is “Easy Like Sunday Morn-ing.” There’s nothing like settling in and reading your local paper wherever and whenever it fits your busy lifestyle. The staff at your community newspaper work long hours to bring local news and advertising offers from area businesses together for you in a handy and easy to read format each and every week.

Fortunately, the electronic age is here to stay. The internet, smart phones, iPads and notebooks are wonderful tools that have a place in our lives - just as news-papers do. You don’t have to choose one over the other. Use whatever you would like and soak up the information. The in-ternet offers a (world) of information at your fingertips. However, when I want to put my thumb on the pulse of the com-munity that I choose to live in, I find the most comprehensive source of news, local information and advertising offer-ings that affect myself, my family, friends and co-workers in my local community newspaper. That’s why I choose print!

Jack Guza is the Executive Director of Com-munity Papers of Michigan / [email protected] / 800-783-0267



Web design is BIG business

2012 April

Documents

t w w w

s i t u s

business tournament

defeated teams

seeded teams

free paper industry

toll free

funny game