State of Local

Last year, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the TVB conference that centered on multi-platform sales for TV station Web sites. I had lots of prepared remarks that were unremarkable. But one thing I said off the cuff ended up in the New York Times: “If you don’t have any capabilities, go get some.”

The idea was simple. Stations can no longer take the “If you built it, they will come” approach when thinking about Web sales. A web site, regardless of how good or highly visited, is not enough. The time has come for another round of investment.

“Invest in what?” you might ask.

Good question.

My short answer is anything you think will work for your market. Category or “vertical” strategies seem to be making the most sense and the most money. Web products in automotive, home improvement and healthcare are all nearly a must nowadays. There are all kinds of classified products out there that are good. I like the ones that incorporate user generated content and also provide an e-commerce component.

We work with more than 70 stations around the country and I don’t know one that hasn’t already invested in or is about to invest in some new sales products that they can take to their local advertisers. The time is now because the local guys are getting smarter and expecting more from their Web advertising.

Here’s my thinking generally about what the revenue breakdown should be for your site. Fifty percent of your revenue should come from traditional Web sales (impression-based campaigns and sponsorships) and the other 50 percent should come from program and vertical sales. So, without investment in these kinds of Web opportunities, you’re probably selling half of what you could be.