Classifieds in the news

Since the ReinventingClassifieds.com blog has been a bit quiet lately, let’s catch up with some recent classifieds news and developments.

Place your own ads online: display, not just classifieds. As noted in Newspapers & Technology, the Orange County Register has developed an online create-your-own-ad system for display ads, which can be placed in the Register as well as 23 other community newspapers owned by the company. (These are targeted print publications delivered to Register subscribers as well as non-subscribing households.) The self-serve platform utilizes templates, where advertisers can select a design and supplied graphics — or upload their own — and type in their text. Assistance for advertisers trying to create their ads is available via e-mail, live online chat, and by phone. A direct link to the new display-advertising tool is at www.OCRegister.com/expressads.

Place-your-own-ad systems are, of course, increasingly commonplace at newspapers for classifieds. (FutureofNews.com, which underwrites this website, offers one widely used system, called PlaceMyAd.) But not everyone is on board even with that yet. Jim Townsend, editorial director of Classifieds Intelligence LLC, wrote a useful advice essay in the November issue of Newspapers & Technology, “Self-serve ad ordering: cash while you sleep,” in which he not only suggests that publishers not yet on the classifieds self-service bandwagon get on board now, but also offers an excellent list of tips. While these systems aren’t rocket science, they do take some thought and care to do it right. Townsend has some particularly useful advice on upsell strategies for online place-an-ad systems.

From PBS Mediashift: “Should Newspapers Become Online Ad Brokers for Local Businesses?.” An excellent article to get you thinking about expanding the reach of newspaper advertising. (We’ll have lots more to say here about this general concept, too, in the weeks ahead.)

Free ads for the unemployed. From Editor & Publisher’s Joe Strupp, “Tennessee Weekly Offers Free Classifieds to Unemployed.” The publisher of the Oneida Independent Herald has good intentions of helping people out during tough times, though he says that the free classified-ad offer will be for a limited time. Oneida is a rural community and the paper faces no threat yet from Craigslist free ads.

Bartering comes back. Here’s an interesting result of the economic downturn. More people facing tough personal financial troubles are turning to bartering. According to this Los Angeles Times story, economists say an increase in bartering is typical during recessions. Craigslist has a barter section (example), and there are several websites specific to bartering. Perhaps it’s time for newspaper classifieds managers to consider adding barter to their services.

3rd quarter was bad; 4th will be even worse. Newsosaur Alan Mutter has the low-down on the latest newspaper ad numbers. They ain’t pretty, of course. Citing the latest Newspaper Association of America statistics, Mutter notes that the industry overall earned $8.9 billion in print sales in the three months ended in September — down just under $2 billion from the same quarter a year ago. The worst categories? You guessed it: classifieds. According to the NAA: recruitment classified sales down 43.6% to $497.5 million; real estate down 38.6% to $629.3 million; and automotive down 29.2% to $563 million. The outlook for the final quarter of 2008 is, of course, even worse, as the effects of the financial crisis and tightening of the credit markets really kick in.