Managing Online Businesses Following the Growthand Dollars

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Managing Online BusinessesFollowing the
Growthand Dollars

• David Snyder
• Associate Publisher
• Crains Chicago Business

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Our core product/strengths

• 29-year old newspaper
• Weekly news cycle
• Loyal base subscriber/readership
• Ability to sell premium- priced advertising and
  subscriptions

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Our online product

• DAILY NEWS site lauched in August 2000
• Related but separate brand, ChicagoBusiness.com,
  with strong linkage to Crains
• 160,000 registered users 225,000 unique
  visitors per month.

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Large Email news alert business

• 64,000 subscribers to weekly alert
• 60,000 subscribers to P.M. daily alert
• 60,000 subscribers to CRAINS A.M.
• 45,000 to custom alerts
• More than 4 million requested alerts sent each
  month

5
Expanding our reach

• Large user base with 75 in upper or middle
  management
• 79 online users are not print subscribers to
  Crains Chicago Business.
• 51 are not regular Crains readers.

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Growing our revenues

• Web revenues were virtually non-existent 10 years
  ago. Now a seven-figure revenue source.
• Solid margins. No printing/mailing costs. But
  continued investment in technology
• Growing 30-50 a year

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Growing our revenues

• How we make money
• Advertising sales (80-90)
• Ads sold on both Web sites and emails
• Roughly 80 also print advertisers
• Roughly 20 online-only advertisers
• Subscription fees (10-20)
• 24.95 annual for print subscribers
• 69.00 for non-print subscribers
• 99.00 combo print-online subscription
• Access to weekly issue of Crains and
  unlimited access to archives

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Build our print franchise
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Where the revenue action is

• CPM-based display advertising.
• Lions share of revenue
• Most price competition
• Growth curve will start to flatten
• Multimedia!
• High growth
• Sponsorship, not CPM driven
• Audience development biggest challenge
• Specialized products

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Multimedia
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Whats next Multimedia (Video)
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Specialized products
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Specialized products
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Think outside the box
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Think outside the box
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Managing Online BusinessesFollowing the
Growthand Dollars

• David Snyder
• Associate Publisher
• Crains Chicago Business