2015 has been a good news / bad news year for Northeast Ohio Golf.
THE GOOD NEWS: by mid-October 2015, NEOHgolf.com had already matched its record-setting 2014 readership numbers. By Thanksgiving, the site reached a whopping 51,000 unique visitors, 134,000 reader sessions, and over 400,000 page views. That’s a 26% increase over 2014 with another entire month still to come.
THE BAD NEWS: overall revenues decreased in 2015, while the amount of time required to craft the website continues to increase (well past a hobby-project now!).
I love bringing this site to the golfers of Northeast Ohio, but a new plan is required for 2016.
When I started the site in 2007, I structured the ad programs like a regional online newspaper. But it’s not one, and that hasn’t worked. So it’s time to run the site like a modern golf news / event / social media property and ditch the failing newspaper industry model.
That means Content Sponsorship must be a primary revenue source for 2016, including the Tournament Calendar, email newsletters, editorial coverage and event promotions. This content makes money and builds value for a golf course / event / product, so common sense says these time-intensive assets must make money for NEOHgolf.com, too. Content Sponsors will see strong promotions and coverage; non-sponsored events and products may still be mentioned, but at a much less prominent level.
Also in 2016, the Display Advertising options for businesses will be streamlined to make them more effective. Three Display Ad formats will be offered, and all of the year-long ads will be backed with additional content and promotions to make them that much more valuable.
Expect some changes to the editorial side, too: three new content sections will be launched in 2016 to bring in new readers and followers, and a design change will be implemented to make the site easier to read and quicker to load.
With all of these changes, expect readership records to be broken again in 2016 — by a lot.
But the growth in content and reader-numbers must coincide with matching sponsor support to keep the site viable going forward. 2016 is a critical year for NEOHgolf.com, and new sponsors and partners who are willing to invest a very reasonable amount in the site are a must.
So please review the 2016 Content, Advertising and Sponsorship options on our ad rate page here. Then send me an email or give me a call at 216-577-8756 so we can discuss ways you’d like to work together to continue growing Northeast Ohio Golf!
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Allen Freeman
Northeast Ohio Golf
golf@NEOHgolf.com
