Publisher and Advertising Director

Below covers everything you need to know about what this opportunity entails, as well as what is expected from applicants.

The Publisher and Advertising Director will serve as the lead advertising revenue driver and business contact for The Post and Courier's expansion into Rock Hill and York County areas of South Carolina.

This position will be a key part of our organization's growth in Rock Hill and the surrounding areas by generating client revenue from advertising, events, and agency services.

The Publisher will continually take the initiative to prospect, build a pipeline, develop client proposals, and close business to grow a healthy list of partners in Rock Hill and York County.

The Publisher will represent The Post and Courier externally in this market.

Involvement in community festivals, chamber events, and other networking opportunities are a must. An entrepreneurial mindset and strong leadership skills are critical.

This position should demonstrate sales success at all levels, including building relationships and working collaboratively with internal and external customers.

• The candidate's areas of expertise should include : directing advertising sales across media platforms; event sponsorship sales experience;
• forecasting, tracking, and budgeting; staff development; pricing and profitability modeling and execution; maintaining and growing relationships with strategic accounts;

and developing partnerships with the local business community.

Reporting to Evening Post Publishing's Chief Revenue Officer, the Publisher / Advertising Director of P&C Rock Hill will be expected to maintain strong relationships with publishers and sales directors of the company's other markets / newspapers to assess and quickly seize joint revenue opportunities.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to :

• Achievement of monthly and annual departmental revenue goals. Growing total revenue as creatively and rapidly as possible.
• Emphasis on new business development in Rock Hill and York County, including consistent cold calling, cold emails, client needs assessments, and long-term partnership presentations.
• Manage growing account list gained through outside sales efforts with the support of post-sale teams.
• Planning and executing creative ideas and sales strategies for events, promotions, and digital advertising campaigns.
• Maintaining a thorough understanding of competitive media, market research, and market share growth opportunities.
• Continual learning of digital advertising capabilities and the digital landscape.
• Partner with in-house marketing agency King & Columbus to secure agency clients and digital marketing partnerships.
• Be visible in the local community, attending relevant community and business meetings and events to meet and engage with key stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Building strong relationships and executing presentations with accounts.
• Maximizing sales opportunities with active and new business accounts.
• Build sales proposals and deliver client presentations.
• Collaborate with editor and reporters for P&C Rock Hill to identify growth opportunities locally.
• Accountability for maintaining department records on a regular basis, including documentation of successful results and / or attempted efforts for special emphasis selling projects assigned.
• Monitoring and analyzing competitive advertising rates and recommending adjustments to rating strategies to remain competitive in the marketplace.
• Monitor competitive event and digital media for trends, ideas, threats, and opportunities. Implement short-term and long-term strategies from findings.
• Analyze workflow and make recommendations to streamline operations to create the best experience for internal and external customers.
• Input all client / prospect information and sales activity into HubSpot CRM.
• Participate in Evening Post Publishing advertising management meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Education / Experience :

• Bachelor's degree or higher in business, marketing, journalism, communications, or related field preferred.
• Digital marketing, advertising, and / or media sales experience required.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of management experience.
• Proven ability to meet revenue goals.
• Ability to relate well with clients and business leaders and collaborate with co-workers.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to present research and proposals clearly.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent digital skills, including but not limited to social media, digital analytics, and understanding of digital market trends.
• Hands-on media sales training experience.
• History of consultative selling approach across print and digital platforms.
• Candidate should be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Must reside in Rock Hill, SC, or a nearby area.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities :

• Ability to work in a team environment is essential.
• The ability and skill to effectively communicate and interact personally or electronically with team members, customers, clients, and other employees of the organization in a professional and courteous manner is essential.
• Ability to read, write, analyze, and interpret specific marketing and advertising material, market data, general business periodicals, applicable regulations, and procedures.
• Knowledge of general financial accounting, budget expenditures, and forecasting is critical in determining rates and calculating figures.
• Ability to apply logical thinking in solving practical problems, collecting data, and establishing facts while drawing valid conclusions in situations where only limited standardization exists.

Physical Requirement, Work Environment, and Travel :

Close eye work on computer, continuous sitting, constant walking, standing, light to moderate lifting (15-20 pounds). Local travel is required.

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