I was recently asked to do a talk to a small community group.
These events can be anything from raucous to sombre, but they’re a great way to reach out and communicate what we do, as well as showing the way businesses and communities can benefit from having a dedicated, hyperlocal magazine on their doorstep.
In the aftermath of these get togethers, people generally mill about sipping their lattes, talking about the previous night’s football scores, but on this particular occasion I was bowled over by the number who came up to me to tell me how much they loved the magazine.
I had a retired local lady saying how delighted she was to have such a high-quality title drop through her letterbox; there was a building contractor truly impressed with the feedback his advert was getting; and even a young lad who used the title to check out pub and club listings.
The point was, three very different demographics each found something inspiring and worthwhile in what we provide each month, and in the reader/advertiser relationship that fuels the whole thing, what we’re talking about is a shared passion for keeping the pound local.
To say that fills me with pride is an understatement right up there with claiming Brexit to have been a smooth ride!
In business, it’s easy sometimes to become lost in numbers, deadlines, spreadsheets, hit rates and statistical analysis; but there is nothing quite like face-to-face feedback.
Hearing genuine praise from real people is, to me, a real reinforcement that what we do works.
The other, of course, is having advertisers who trust us, who use our experience and continue to come back to us.
For example, I am a big advocate of the idea that smart advertising isn’t a quickfire thing.
These days, there are so many businesses vying for a slice of the pie that the smart ones know they have to play the long game; they have to build familiarity all the while in becoming a ‘name’ in a local area.
The continued renewing of ad commitments is proof that this approach works and, after all, recognising that the hyperlocal market is a ‘slow burner’ has been at the heart of growing the MyNews empire – from simple beginnings we are now 16 titles, 100,000 physical magazines each month… and sometimes I even get the latte bought for me!
Thanks for reading and I hope you make this week one to remember.
Nik
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