Best of Illinois Valley
Shaw Media
Best ‘Best Of’ Ballot: Small Market Second Street Award Winner
In 2023, Shaw Media’s Readers Choice/Listeners Choice program generated $60,000 in print and $4,100 in radio. In 2024, they decided to make some changes to their programs. They reached out to Julie Foley and Matt Hummert for help, and the Best of Illinois Valley was born. They created a 3-phase regional Best Of program that, in year one, shattered expectations across the board and has become household brand within the community. They earned $166,000 in revenue, which was 177% YOY growth. They also collected over 2,000 opt-ins for their market newsletters, and, perhaps most importantly, the solidified a replicable program that has since proven successful in other markets.
Check out the full case study!
Best of the Pines 2024
The Pilot
This past year was the Best of the Pines’ 10th anniversary, and the team at The Pilot wanted to celebrate! They introduced a Hall of Fame for businesses that had won 1st place for 10 years. They also revamped their graphics theme with brightly colored paint splatters that received great feedback. They hired a graffiti artist to do a live painting on an art installation at their awards party and allowed every attendee to “tag” one side of the walls on the installation. They then created new revenue by offering the opportunity to rent out the installation for a month to 1st place businesses only, giving them a draw to their business and a photo-op for social media exposure. Their hard work paid off with nearly $350,000 in revenue, a 16% YOY increase.
Best Of Denton
Denton Record-Chronicle
The team at the Denton Record-Chronicle team knows that they can’t let their Best Of program get stagnant, which is why they love brainstorming changes each year to keep encouraging their businesses to compete and claim their title. This year, they secured a presenting sponsor, a gold sponsor, and several silver sponsors, in addition to their other typical sales packages. They also decided to offer the winners/finalists an opportunity to purchase plaques and banners, and they published a 124-page slick magazine with results. All of this lead to nearly $300,000 in revenue, a 5% increase over the previous year, proving that changes can lead to more revenue!
2024 Laredo Morning Times Readers’ Choice
Laredo Morning Times
The Laredo Morning Times team believes wholeheartedly in their Best Of program because it provides them with a valuable opportunity to strengthen their brand presence and credibility within the Laredo community. It also allows them to build trust with both existing and potential customers, reinforcing their reputation as a leader in our industry. The excitement surrounding their Laredo Morning Times Readers’ Choice created a buzz around their brand, sparking conversations, increasing customer loyalty, and also allowed them to secure a huge $248,000 in revenue!
Best of Western Kentucky
WKDZ-FM/WHVO-FM/WPKY-AM
This was the 10th year of the Best of Western Kentucky, and it continues to grow in size and revenue. After 10 years of running an honest and fruitful program, WKDZ-FM/WHVO-FM/WPKY-AM’s customers now consider placing within their ballot to be one of the biggest honors they can receive. This creates great relationships with their recurring customers, allows them to source new customers year after year, and also helps them bring in 6 figures in revenue.
Best Of Janesville/Beloit
Janesville Gazette/Beloit Daily News
This year, the teams decided to create Best Ofs in adjacent markets in Southern Wisconsin, one for the Best Of Janesville and one for the Best Of Beloit. Their complete collaboration across all departments – from marketing to digital advertising to newsroom to audience development – was critical to the success and growth. Dozens of participating businesses reported boosts to their website traffic and in-store conversions, and the Janesville Gazette and Beloit Daily News teams pulled in $220,000 in revenue between the two adjacent ballots – a 13% increase YOY – again proving that continuously monitoring and changing up your program leads to increased revenue!
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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.