Daily Circulation: 7,288
Sunday Circulation: 7,704


List the major steps you have taken in the last four years to increase readership. Please organize your response under four headings: content, brand, service, culture.

Content
Increase go & do boxes

Increased feature style stories

Increased number of average people who appear in the paper

Increased number of stories for lifestyles section

Increased number of stories with addition information in the form of a sidebar or pull-out box

Increased number of content promotions and teasers used in the paper

Brand
Increased number of house ads used to promote content

Increased the availability of reporters, editors and photographers

Increased number of promotional ads that introduce staff

Increased number of rack cards that promote content and changes in the newspaper

Service
Changed phone greeting to be more friendly and inviting

Walk-in customers are greeted with more accessible representatives

Changing format of circulation to offer customers a more user-friendly way of getting the services we can provide them

Culture
Employee of the month rewards offered to employees in every department

Incentives given to employees for selling subscription

Rewards given to employees in advertising and editorial for excellence during the week

Regular meetings with management team and individuals to keep everyone abreast of happenings throughout the building



What is the most innovative, successful or noteworthy thing you have done on readership that you think other papers might learn from or want to emulate?
We began running "In other business" information from government meetings in a pull-out box format. Readers have responded very positively to this move and we feel it is one of the easiest ways to make meeting stories more readable.

Also, we began providing readers with promos and teasers for upcoming stories and series, which has brought new readers to the paper and others back to the paper.



What is the most persuasive indication you have that your readership efforts are producing results?
People call to let us know when we are doing things well and we have been receiving more of these type calls on a daily basis.

Rack sales have also been increasing steadily, which indicates we are reaching people not being reached previously.



What is the most important lesson you have learned as you have worked on readership in the last few years?
Culture is very important. Culture is within the building and it is very important to work with each other in order to provide customers exactly what they want when dealing with our newspaper.



What would you like to do on readership that you have not been able to do and why haven't you been able to do it?
Outside promotion of the newspaper and services has been an area we have been unable to achieve at a high level primarily due to personnel issues and time constraints.

Getting Traction on Readership

Survey Responses by Topic & Newspaper