Best Wedding Services in Calgary
Avenue Calgary | Calgary, AB
*2021 Second Street Award – Best Niche Ballot Winner
The wedding industry was definitely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why this Best Wedding Services in Calgary was such a great idea. These businesses were looking for a way to keep their names out there even if the majority of wedding events had been cancelled. And engaged couples were still looking to schedule their (maybe slightly altered) dream weddings and wanted to know who to pick for best dress, best caterer, or even best premarital counseling. The team at Avenue Calgary sold group ads, category ads, and enhanced listings. Plus they had sponsorship packages for the print special issue. All together this campaign drove in $21,800 for the Avenue Calgary team and generated 43,700 votes.
Salute to Nurses
The Oklahoman | Oklahoma City, OK
Healthcare-themed ballots are successful in normal years, but in a year like 2020, they were thriving. Media companies and advertisers were looking for opportunities to support the healthcare workers in their communities. The Salute to Nurses secured three title sponsors, all top hospitals and healthcare facilities in Oklahoma. To honor more workers, the ballot was divided into multiple categories like Nurse Manager, Pediatrics, ICU/CCU, In-Home Care, and more. The ballot campaign generated $75,000 in revenue for the paper and drove in more than 10,000 votes.
Best in Business 2020
Colorado Springs Business Journal | Colorado Springs, CO
For a business journal, running a Best in Business is a must. The team at the Colorado Springs Business Journal did a great job with their business ballot. They incorporated sponsorship opportunities for group ads, category ads, and enhanced listings. But one thing I really love, is that the ballot experience didn’t end when voting was over. After the winners were decided, the team used the results to create additional Best in Business content on their site.
Hannaford Recipe Contest
Keene Sentinel | Keene, NH
The team at the Keene Sentinel wanted a creative way to incorporate Hannaford grocery store into a promotion. They came up with this fun recipe ballot to launch right around Thanksgiving. Recipe nominations were collected for the best Main Course Using Leftover Turkey, Dessert You Can Feel Good About Eating, and more. The five top-voted recipe submissions would win a $250 Hannaford gift card. The ballot brought in $2,500 revenue and found out that only 19% of participants had used the Hannaford To Go Service.
HighSchoolOT Honors
WRAL-TV | Raleigh, NC
WRAL’s HighSchoolOT Honors ballot has been a big revenue-driver for years. But this year, because of COVID-19, things had to change. With high school sports being so uncertain, we changed our ballot sponsorship packages. In addition, the station normally honors the winners of the ballot at a big in-person event. This year, they turned the traditional 3-hour event into a 1-hour live special on FOX 50. After their sponsorship adjustments and switching to a virtual event, their profit margin was actually much higher this year. The community thanked WRAL for continuing to host their ballot and event in a year where so many other student programs had to be cancelled.
Niche ballots are perfect for targeting a specific, passionate audience in your community. Plus, there are advertisers that would love to be front and center with that same audience. Make sure you’re incorporating niche ballots into your overall promotions strategy.
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Julie is the Senior Customer Success Manager at Second Street and a former client in local media. Her best advice for driving the most success with your revenue and audience engagement strategy is to include promotions in every business initiative.