With online advertising on the rise, how can newspapers find, train and keep digital sales reps?

The need for digital sales reps in the newspaper industry is sky-rocketing but finding – and keeping – those reps on staff is a tough challenge for most media companies.

"There's just such high demand," says media analyst Gordon Borrell. "People are paying premium rates for good digital sales reps. Everybody is trying to recruit them. You can expect them to be called on by a recruiter a couple of times a year at least."

Another stumbling block: The new digitally savvy generation that employers are desperate for may not consider the newspaper biz as appealing as a company like Apple or Google with their famous millennial-friendly perks.

But newspapers haven't given up. They recognize the importance of digital sales, and if they want to succeed, they need to focus on recruiting these reps.

"Digitally savvy reps and digitally focused reps are more important than ever for our business model," said Brad Boggs, senior director of interactive sales for The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. "I think it goes without saying that upping the ante on digital sales is critically important for the future of our industry."

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