3 ideas to increase your August revenue

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As vacation season nears an end, so should any hiatus in building revenue. We have just what you need to end the summer season with an A+ in August.

Advertisers to target for August

From back-to-school shopping to high school sports, there are numerous advertisers that will hop on board to finish out the summer. Here are three advertising categories to reach out to:

Healthcare

Retail

Financial Services

Hospitals

Clothing Stores

Banks

Health Centers

Furniture Stores

Credit Unions

Dentists / Orthodondists

Office Supply Stores

Insurance Providers

Sports Medicine

Electronic Stores

Investment Advisors

Eyecare Providers

Appliance Stores

Wealth Management

Top Ideas for August

1.      Sweepstakes

Back-to-school season is always a big time for spending, and that doesn't stop with school supplies. Consider shopping sprees and electronics for prizes.

As children head back to school, many parents take this time to get annual physicals and make sure student health is in tip-top shape. It's a perfect month to target healthcare sponsors. KLXF-TV in Butte, Mont., ran a sweepstakes sponsored by an eye doctor looking for new clients. Not only did the sweepstakes receive 241 entries, but it also resulted in 121 opt-ins for the sponsor. The prize of a free eye exam and $200 for eyewear drove qualified leads.



Another great advertiser in August that was mentioned above is retail. Back-to-school means new supplies and clothes, which can add up. That is why a local mall sponsored a sweepstakes run by KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs. Prize winners received one of three back-to-school shopping sprees with the outlet mall. There were 1,000 entries and 825 opt-ins for the sponsor.



Another type of sweepstakes was put on by KNXV-TV in Phoenix, which highlighted the prize of a tablet. This was a huge success, generating 5,000 entries and 2,255 opt-ins for the sponsor. Not only that, but the desire to win a tablet also brought in $5,000 of revenue for the station.


 

2.      Ballots

When it comes to highlighting local school athletes, you can't go wrong with an Athlete of the Week ballot.

Mascot Mania, a ballot run by KAKE-TV, aimed to engage its huge high school sports community. The ballot pit all the local high schools against each other for the chance to win a brand new mascot costume for their school. They secured a sponsorship with Wichita State University, a local college looking to target high school students and families as potential college students. Five rounds of voting finished with one school winning the lucky prize. The station loved the chance to participate in a "feel-good" contest that also produced great results for their station: $10,000 in revenue for the station, 35,000+ votes and 8,200+ opt-ins.

 


The Houma Courier's Barker Honda Athletes of the Week is another successful athlete ballot. With a circulation of only 14,688, the paper garnered $15,000 in revenue and 2,600 opt-ins for the sponsor.

 


Lastly for ballots is another Athlete of the Week theme. At TH Media in Dubuque, Iowa, the 28,000-circulation paper makes $18,000 each year and is now in its third year.

 

3.      Photo Contests

Every parent and grandparent will have first-day-of-school photos on their phone. Capitalize on this popular photo-taking event with a photo contest!

The Back-To-School Photo Contest from The Pocono Record in Stroudsburg, Penn., had a grocery and family resort as its sponsor. The contest's prize was a one-night stay at Camelback Lodge and passes to a waterpark. It brought $25,000 in revenue for the paper.

 

4.      Quizzes

Quizzes that fall along the lines of "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" are perfect for back-to-school season. Try a hand at a quiz like this to increase revenue and pair with a unique advertiser.

"Are You Smarter Than a Middle-Schooler?" by KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska, was sponsored by a tutoring center, Sylvan, and eyecare facility, Alaska Eye Care Centers. These are perfect advertisers to target for the month of August.


 
 
If you would like more ideas, download Your Revenue Guide to Summer Promotions & Interactive Content. This will give you all the tips and best practices you need for the months of June, July and August. Plus, you'll find three sample revenue plans to earn over $90,000 in revenue this summer.

Matt Coen is the president and co-founder of Second Street, a leading provider of private-label online promotions platforms and partner success services for media companies based in St. Louis, Mo. He can be reached at (314) 880-4902 or matt@secondstreet.com.

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