Despite the turbulent local economy and an increasingly difficult environment for newspapers globally, the Belfast Telegraph is enjoying secured annual revenue and continuing to attract new advertisers.

According to the Belfast Telegraph’s Commercial Director Simon Mann, the key issue for the newspaper, part of the Independent News and Media newspaper group, “is the general and widespread downturn in the economy and the migration of print advertising to web”.

In light of these challenges, attracting new advertisers is of utmost importance. To generate incremental revenue and increase their number of advertisers, over the last few years the Belfast Telegraph has implemented new revenue acquisition solutions in partnership with NRS Media.

The result has been over 500 new advertisers across both traditional and non-traditional business categories. The 12-month membership agreement has allowed for a consistent revenue stream, which is invaluable in volatile trading conditions, and the database offers constant opportunities to upsell.

Simon says teaming up with NRS Media has helped to create a more controlled selling environment and genuine marketing partnerships with members, and feedback from advertisers has been extremely positive.

One local advertiser said, “This advertising package has given us maximum coverage in our core areas at a minimum cost. As a result our total advertising spend for 2008 fell by 15 per cent while our turnover held up in what was a difficult trading time. I have no doubt that without this package I would have had to spend considerably more to achieve the same results.”

“NRS Media programmes have refocused our display teams on new business and improved the overall sales prospecting process”, says Simon.