A new website allowing small and medium-sized business owners to chat online with newspaper advertising staff has been launched by Johnston Press.
JP has designed the new venture, called jplocalbusiness,co.uk, as a guide for businesses who want to find out about local marketing and advertising services offered by the company.
The website will also offer free advice on related topics including raising awareness, engaging with customers and generating new sales.
The site’s online chat function will allow users to talk directly to JP’s sales team, and a fortnightly newsletter will also be available to registered businesses.
The homepage of the new website, with the online chat function in the bottom right hand corner
James Adams, director of marketing communications for Johnston Press, said, “The launch of jplocalbusiness.co.uk provides local businesses with a full overview of the marketing services available to them within our local titles, along with the skills and knowledge needed to promote themselves effectively.
“As a local publisher, it’s our commitment to provide the information needed and offer businesses valuable, long-term advice to reach more customers in their local areas.
“We are already seeing great results from local businesses across the UK, and look forward to seeing more success stories.”
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“..“As a local publisher, it’s our commitment to provide the information needed and offer businesses valuable, long-term advice to reach more customers in their local areas”
no it’s their job,it’s what they should be doing and it’s called ‘selling’
Has the industry fallen so low that a story about sales rep on the end of an incoming phone call is hailed as news?
If this is how the commercial side of JP is run then things are worse there than I thought
Ever heard of being ‘proactive’ JP?
It doesn’t bode well does it
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JP waiting for businesses to call in so they can discuss advertising?
then they announce it like its an innovation with gushing statements about seeing results already
jeeeez,is this for real?
In case they hadn`t noticed,and looking at their free falling sales figures they must have,businesses are walking away from the regional press these days,not coming forward to ask their advice and offer themselves up.
If they see the role of a sales rep as waiting for the phone to ring
rather than use local knowledge,business acument and good contacts to pro actively canvass business as the way ahead we might just as well wave the white flasg and all go home now.
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Proper newspapers have an office that businesses can visit; local phone number they can call and reps who know the area and don’t wait for an email but get out there and make contact. Businesses are not walking away from the local press – the local press owned by national groups, expects to get advertising just by being there. Real local papers work hard and gain the rewards. JP will get all it deserves.
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All regional press groups ABC and commercial ad revenue figures are at record all time lows hacking cough so sorry but local businesses ARE walking away.
for JP to sit back and let it happen then trumpet this lazy reactive approach to selling ads really scrapes a barrel and indicates lack of direction,lack of innovation and presumably heralds the end of their field sales selling operation, a move which if I twirls will save them a fortune in salaries bonus and car costs but will hardly damage revenues as they’re pretty much all gone anyway.
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‘ If it works ‘ ( not twirls) sorry
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“..including raising awareness, engaging with customers and generating new sales”
it sounds like things are so bad there they would be best to take their own advice,i`m sure there are some good independent local publishers around who can help them proactively gain new business.
The new wealth of local independent publishers making an impact across the uk and taking market share from the traditional larger groups aredoing so by actively seeking and securing business revenues,offering a good product to defined markets backed up by good service,not waiting for the phones to ring,if JP are content to do so it will be a very very long wait.
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