Based on the first 90 days of its switch to free classifieds for individuals selling items priced at $5,000 and under, the San Diego Union-Tribune says the effort is paying off. Call volume is up 27 percent compared to the weekly average for the year, private-party ad placement is up 160 percent and online-placed ads are up 435 percent. The free three-line ads run for seven days on sdmarketplace.com, in the paper and on SignOnSanDiego.com.
The Union-Tribune is psyched enough to send out a press release touting the early results. Ad director Scott Whitley doesn;t mention CraigsList or other competitors but says the company “realized we needed to do something out of character for newspapers, and the results prove the attention-getting effort has been a success.” He stresses it’s about growing readership as much as it is about advertising. “The fact that the number of ads placed via the Internet has skyrocketed proves that we are attracting an audience more comfortable doing business online – most likely a younger audience. We feel it is vital for newspapers to use ad content to grow readership.”
Are the ads actually translating to readership beyond the classifieds or to real money? Are 90 days enough to be a real success? We’ll keep watching with interest.
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