August 10 marks publication of the sixteenth issue of the Amador Business Ticker since we launched on May 11 It’s been three months since we launched, and we’ve written a lot of articles about a lot of topics:
- The business and residential planning outlook in Martell
- Customer service guidance during this public health emergency
- A look at the business environment in Sutter Creek
- Business information from various city leaders
- News about and spotlights of various county businesses
- And a lot of reviews of area restaurants, including our first from Plymouth in this week’s edition
You can always read these articles anytime by clicking on one of the months or categories within the Archives sidebar and then clicking on the article name in the list.
We’ve kept the Ticker free as we set sail. Now, with three months in the books and our sea legs under us, we need to know if there’s enough interest to make the Amador Business Ticker a going concern.
So, the questions before you are: Do you want to pay for a subscription, and if so, for how much?
I’ll also add a poll to our social media profiles on Instagram and Facebook because that’s the fastest way for you to submit your feedback and for me to get answers. I’m also looking forward to receiving your feedback about the Ticker at the same time.
Door Number 1
If we can get enough subscribers at the right price point, then I’ll do two things.
First, I’ll set up a paywall on the website as soon as possible so people who don’t have subscriptions will only see either a summary or the first two or three sentences in an article.
Second, I’ll set up an easy signup page so you can subscribe either on a monthly or yearly basis. The yearly subscription will be cheaper overall. Once you subscribe, you’ll receive a username and password so you can log in and read articles and other information to your heart’s content.
Over time, you’ll get more subscriber-only perks. One of them could be a list of businesses in different areas, much like the Sacramento Business Journal offers. And one or more perks could come from your suggestion.
Door Number 2
If there is some interest in subscriptions but not enough to support the Ticker, then I’ll look into “soft” advertising on the site. Instead of banners on the top and sides of all the webpages, I’ll likely do what the Sacramento Business Journal does: have a business spotlight section. Within this section, advertisers will be able to have in-depth mini-articles that will go deeper than what a display ad can provide.
What happens if no one is interested in subscriptions? I’ll try the business spotlight ads first. If potential advertisers want banner advertising instead, then I’ll dive deeper and see how interested local businesses are in paying for those ads.
What’s Next?
I’ve talked about a couple of things I’m thinking about adding to the Ticker to make it a more valuable resource. That will likely include paid job listings for companies looking for help, and perhaps from job seekers looking for the right fit. I’ll talk with employers and job seekers about if these services will be valuable…and how to get the most value from those ads.
In time, I want to hire two people: a full-time writer and a full-time person managing advertising and social media. That will give you more stories more often during the week. Eventually, I’ll have a full-time editor who will manage editorial and project management duties for the Ticker.
Thank you for reading and for following our social media profiles. I’m looking forward to continuing to serve you with business news stories that I hope are useful for you. I hope you’ve found the content valuable so far, and please e-mail me with any constructive suggestions you have.
Have a great week,
Eric Butow
Editor
Amador Business Ticker
