According to MarketingCharts.com, newspapers are realizing more revenue from circulation than they do from advertising for the first time in history. Part of this has to do with the relative success of online paywalls, and part of it is due to the drop in overall advertising revenue. But if this news tells printed newspapers anything, it is that interacting with the public has become more important than ever. That is why newspapers around the country are starting to engage with the public in expos and seminars.

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Career Expos Are Raising Job Board Revenues

In Hawaii, the Honolulu Star started putting on a career expo in April 2014 that was so popular that the paper had to scramble to do another one in August to meet the demand from the first. People from all over Honolulu wanted to use the opportunity to meet employers and further their careers. For employers, it was an opportunity to talk to qualified candidates as opposed to having to sift through hundreds of resumes just to find people to talk to.

The Honolulu Star was so impressed with its success with its expo in Honolulu, that it is thinking of expanding to a second expo in Oahu. The 2015 expos already have 100 employers lined up to meet the public and find new employees. Aside from growing revenue with its job board advertisers, the Honolulu Star is also engaging the public and making people interested in reading the printed newspaper again.

Popsicles And Books

Local newspapers all over the country are getting involved in using expos to engage the public and not all of them are using job fairs. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution does a book fair every year that brings in tens of thousands of people. To help draw an even larger crowd, the newspaper also offers free popsicles to everyone who pays an admission. The result has been an increase in interest in the paper and a slew of new advertisers.

Should You Use Expos?

If you are a publisher with a job board then a career expo can be an excellent way to expand your readership and, more importantly, strengthen the bonds with the employers who pay to place ads in your newspaper. Your online and print employers will see the value in meeting candidates face to face and using the time to talk to qualified candidates instead of spending days going through the resumes of people who are not going to meet the qualifications of the position.

Even in the world of online publishing, it is important to remember that people prefer a physical presence over a faceless entity. A career expo is your chance to meet your employers and even spend time talking to the qualified candidates who use your publications. You can get the advice you need to improve your offering and you can expand both your readership and your revenue base at the same time. When you establish a physical presence, you become a little more than an online or print job board to the people who rely on your service. You become a partner, and that means longevity for your publication.