Our experts explain the benefits of adding local media to the mix with portal and network buys.

Question:
I've been told I should buy local media, but what will it get me that I'm not already getting from networks and portals?

Answer:
The short answer is that local websites are the most visited sites in every market. Sure, consumers use portals to search, but the data shows that they check their local news, sports and weather on local sites more frequently.

Newspaper-owned sites attract the most traffic, garnering a three-to-one lead over other local advertising sites last year, according to Borrell Associates. That's 26.9 percent of the market, indicating that local newspaper sites have in-depth, vertically targeted audiences.

As a result, eMarketer reports that local online advertising spending in the U.S. surpassed its $2.9 billion projection at the end of last year. Why?

"Local online provides brands and advertisers with the opportunity to connect with and become part of local communities," says Shawn Riegsecker, chairman and CEO of Centro. "Whether consumers are searching the internet for something specific, or interact with brand messaging while reading the sports page online, when the pitch is local, consumers are more likely to respond. Consumers want convenience. If they can find what they are looking for in their own neighborhood, why would they go anywhere else?

"At the same time, local sites give national brands an opportunity to deliver messaging that differentiates them from competitors' national campaigns in an environment of trust and against the most compelling content. Consumers trust their local publishers far more than ubiquitous portals. When advertisers can reach consumers in their 'safe' environment, they are more receptive -- especially when advertorial is geographically or seasonally relevant to where they live."

Riegsecker cites an example: Last summer, Centro worked with Coors Beer to target a promotion in the Mid-Atlantic states around the Delaware Valley. Local media sites included nj.com, pittsburghlive.com, the Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly. Coors focused its content on summer and nightlife activities in those specific regions -- like going to the New Jersey shore -- and reaped great results.

"Last year's Coors campaign is a great example of leveraging the right interactive sites to cross-promote against events that appeal to a certain demographic cohort," says Paul Curci, publisher of Philadelphia City Paper. "We know how much of our traffic is comprised of music fans under the age of 35, so targeting that campaign alongside the content they were obviously going to be seeking on our site helped make it perform extremely well."

With newspaper-owned sites being on the forefront of video advertising, there's great opportunity for marketers to leverage local media for video campaigns as well.

"We were involved with a beautiful, interactive video-enabled sliding billboard display for the Obama campaign that ran on the newspaper site Ohio.com and 14 others around the state of Ohio last March," says Adam Gordon, chief revenue officer of WorldNow. "That campaign and its performance illustrate what national brands can do with video in local media markets. Video advertising grabs attention more than any other form of online advertorial -- it is graphic, and feels live. So when you mix that with the trust consumers have in their local publishers, it is a powerful combination. In that case, it was so powerful that the campaign itself made news because nobody had seen such a thing before on local sites across a given state during primary season."

With these types of results, it's surprising how many brands still resist local ad buys. Part of the reason, according to Riegsecker, is a lack of education. "It used to be difficult for buyers to purchase media in multiple markets, let alone in local markets," he says. "That is why many media buyers still turn to networks and portals rather then going directly to local media outlets. But technology has come a long way in just two years. Today, advertisers and brands can launch locally targeted ad campaigns in every geographic region, regardless of size, from a single platform, rather than making 30 calls to different markets."

Riegsecker adds that a reliance on portals, and to a lesser extent on networks, may unintentionally insulate marketers from their consumers by delivering their messages without regard to the best asset in their arsenal -- contextually local, locally compelling content.

Share your thoughts on local in the comments section below. And send me your questions. You might be featured in the next Dear Dawn column.

Dawn Anfuso is senior editor, iMedia Connection.